Do Phoenix Bulbs Measure Up?

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Very happy with Phoenix & Aquaconnect 14000k bulbs. Even as they age, the colour stays constant & my corals continue to grow well.

[Millepora_Maniac]

I would have to say that the phoenix bulbs have more blue look to them, my Geismann 14500k bulbs burn white. I have always used geismann bulbs but recently have been experimenting more. Somehow I always end up using the geismann, they look the most natural. Good luck! Cheers-MM

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by Millepora_Maniac

I would have to say that the phoenix bulbs have more blue look to them, my Geismann 14500k bulbs burn white. I have always used geismann bulbs but recently have been experimenting more. Somehow I always end up using the geismann, they look the most natural. Good luck! Cheers-MM

I really want to switch to the Geismann for this reason as I find the Phoenix 14k nice but not very natural looking.

[viperfish]

Thanks for the input folks. I am actually running Geismann 13K bulbs on my 180. The main reason being it is a 3 x 150 watt fixture and I wanted to get the most Par out of them. they appear to be comparable to a 10K as far a colour temperature is concerned. I have 2 x 250 20K Aqualine Buschke bulbs over my 90 SPS tank and I am very happy with the look, I just feel I should be getting more growth. There are some very interesting articles on the Advanced Aquarist magazine site but for some reason I keep getting redirected away from the page I am viewing. One of the studies that really caught my eye was where they had tested the intensity of several bulbs over a period of time and thier data shows that bulbs lost about 30% in the first four months and only 6 percent over the next eight months. From the one year to 18 month mark it only decreased by about 3%. They determined that changing the bulbs after a year wasn't a lot different than waiting a year and a half. I was surprised by this. I tried to find the link to the article but like I said the site was being very difficult to navigate.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

I've used my Aquaconnects for over 20 months & still had nice colour & my purple plasma/purple banzai sps still grew well under it. When measured with a PAR meter, it was low, but my corals adapted over the lifetime of the bulbs & the tank looked fine despite the old bulbs. It's one of the reasons I stick with 14000k. 10000k bulbs yellow over time.

[rkelman]

I'm running the Phoenix 14k and I like them. They are pretty comparable to the 12k Reeflux I was running.