[gwhit]

Just came across this thread and had to respond. I do not recommend these bulbs. I bought ARC bulbs after reading someone's comment that they were comparable to Giesemann and were manufactured in Canada. I ordered them from the operator of the Ottawa based marine forum. I was running the t-5 (Giesemanns at that time) on ice-cap and workhorse ballasts. I replaced the workhorse ballast at the same time and one of the bulbs blew as soon as I switched it on so I put the used Giesemann back in. When I came home from work the next day the tank was dark and I was horrified to find the one of the bulbs had cracked and the end cap had melted to the point it had to be replaced. Obviously the bulb had caught fire and somehow the whole fixture didn't go up in flames. So I put in another of my old bulbs and watched them carefully for a few more days. No more fires but the bulbs quickly deteriorated developing long black marks at both ends as if they were burning up. I replaced them all with a complete new set of Giesemanns that operated without any issues. I wrote to the vendor and after waiting forever for a reply come some sorry excuse that it had to be the ballast (even though the Giesemanns had no problem with the ballasts). I made a claim through my credit card purchase protection program and got full reimbursement for the bulbs so I didn't pursue the vendor any further. But I will never deal with that guy again and do what I can to warn people about these bulbs.

Now in terms of what to recommend. My LFS recommended ATI bulbs and I could be appear. In my opinion beats Giesemann by a mile and pulls the best colours from your corals. Fiji Purple bulb is recommended to enhance the reds.

Hope this gives some food for thought