150w HQI Bulb Recommendations
 

Well, I think it's nearing that time to think about replacing my 20k Ushio...

I really think I want to go with a 14k, but I am open to suggestions and other options.. as I know there are quite a few. I've heard 14k is a good balance between growth and colour.. which seems good for me. Having no other experience other than my 20k, I'm having a hard time making a decision... I do find the 20k Ushio to be blue.. but like I said, I don't know any better, so it still looks great to me. I would however like my next bulb to not be SO blue, but still have some blue with a crisp white mix... which is what I hear the 14k's are like. But then there are different brand names... and that seems to be a big factor as well... so I'm just trying to see what would be good, and hear from other reefers ... as we all know, the bulb choice and k rating of a bulb can really make a difference in the appearance of our reefs! And I want to make sure I order the right bulb the first time around...

Also, I guess I should mention that the majority of corals I keep are SPS , acros.. etc.. a few LPS like hammers and frogspawn.. and zoanthids. That's it really...

Thanks guys... sorry for the rant :confused:

http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/s...t_ID=lb-hg1514

aren't you in luck, JL is having a MH bulb sale!

Thanks for the suggestion, I had a good feeling this bulb would be recommended, as I have really only heard good things anyways

Anyone using one that can comment?

You're right, there is a sale haha... good timing. 5% off Geismann, and 15% off the rest...what route would YOU guys go?

Thanks dude,

Still looking for more opinions and input! :mrgreen:

I quite like my IceCap 10K's that I got from

http://www.aquariumlight.com/product_info.asp?dbid=651

I prefer 10K's because I prefer to be able to control the blue light via supplementation rather than have the blue coming from my MH permanently. That way I can have high PAR for the corals when I'm not looking at the tank and then only turn on the supplemental light (for aesthetics) when I'm looking at the tank which isn't going to be as often. Hard to beat the price of the IceCap 10K's as well.

I really dislike the giesemann 13.5K. Mine is far to white/yellow for that k of a bulb. I'm running a venture now that I like, and going to buy an EVC when I can find one in stock.

holy good luck, bulb sale! im getting some 15k's!

Hm,

Guess I should have noted I will NOT be using any actinic supplementation at all... it won't work with the current setup. Hence, why I want something blueish.

15k eh... sounds interesting???

I'm still a big fan of the Phoenix 14K after using it for a year now.