Light Shopping. Please help!

[Delphinus]

I've honestly had no issues with it whatsoever. I've been running it since December so I'm at the point where I'm thinking about replacing the lamp. (I want to replace it around 6 months, not because it's a Hamilton mind you, but because it's a 14k -- the 14k's have lower PAR to begin with so I find it's better to be proactive on replacing the bluer lamps sooner than, say, whiter lamps such as 10k).

I agree there are probably "better" reflectors out there but for what I wanted out of it, it's perfect. There's no heat transferred into the tank that I can tell, the light has decent spread and it's working to light my 30x30x30 cube all by itself without supplementation.

If you ever find yourself in the south end, just pay me a visit and see it in person. I know this is a bit tricky for you, but I'm just letting you know my door's open if you want. Nothing compares to seeing the real thing. If you can find someone with one of the other reflectors then you can compare which one you like better and so on.

[OCDP]

Thanks Tony.. very helpful. How do you like the Hamilton bulbs? Are you running 14k and if so.. do you like the colour of your tank? I have been wanting to go 14k for so long, so I am hoping Hamilton has somewhat decent 14k bulbs...

Thanks for the offer on checking it out, I just may take you up on that Appreciate it, my friend!

I am going to look around a bit more, ask a few more questions. I just need to sell my Aqualight Pro (knock on wood... pray to the reef gods) sometime soon in order to go through with this.. I don't know how I afford to keep up with this hobby, I really don't haha..

[Delphinus]

If you find anyone who can afford to keep up with the hobby, see if you can find out their secrets.

I do run it with the 14k. I find that it's a nice colour for running the lamp all by itself. The light right now is a little bit whiter than when it first started, so it has shifted a little (as I would expect it to unfortunately).

It's a little bit of a tall order to run the lamp by itself on a 30" tall tank. The edges, although not perceivable to the eye, have to be somewhat dimmer than the centre of the tank. However I have a few corals, such as my plate coral, that seem to appreciate the lower intensity in that zone.

If I wanted a bit more PAR out of the bulb I would probably go with a 10k but then I might need some actinic on the side to acheive the same overall look to the tank. Since I didn't really want to do that on this tank, I'm happy with the 14k. Basically it's a good compromise -- bluer than your average 10k, but less blue (and brighter) than your average 20k.

I seem to remember that at first, it seemed *really blue*. It did settle out after a few days into a more "crisp ice blue/white" colour.

[OCDP]

Awesome Tony, thanks once again. Overall, it doesn't sound like too bad bulb wise, and the unit itself sounds pretty decent. I guess it's moreso another waiting game for me... need to sell the old stuff first

Thanks again Tony, your always a big help.