Nano sapiens Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Holy Moly! You've got enough corals in there to start your own fish store Light from the new bulb is perfect. Makes the colors look positively vibrant. Link to comment
PurpleUP Posted September 24, 2009 Author Share Posted September 24, 2009 Oh and the pendant is hanging 12.5" above the water surface. The Phoenix 150W was only 5". The 250 is definitely brighter, if not less blue. Although I like the 150 as well. It is lighting my frag tank. Link to comment
MyNanoReef Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 You should keep the tank as is and do progression FTS. It'd be interesting to see those pics in a year or so. Are you using an underwater housing for your camera? Just wondering how you're taking those close-up macro shots. Link to comment
PurpleUP Posted September 24, 2009 Author Share Posted September 24, 2009 You should keep the tank as is and do progression FTS. It'd be interesting to see those pics in a year or so. Are you using an underwater housing for your camera? Just wondering how you're taking those close-up macro shots. I feel you on showing the progression over time. That's why I will make it a point to keep the aquascape the same when I upgrade the tank to a larger size. I wish I had an underwater housing for the cam, and it's not even a camera btw, it's a video recorder that takes stills. All I do is submerge the lens in the water and snap the photo. I'm surprised it still works, bc it's not only the lens that gets wet! Link to comment
PurpleUP Posted September 24, 2009 Author Share Posted September 24, 2009 Holy Moly! You've got enough corals in there to start your own fish store Light from the new bulb is perfect. Makes the colors look positively vibrant. Let's start up a biz, Ralph. Out of your garage? Link to comment
nanoreefnate Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 that would probably be my new favorite LFS Link to comment
MyNanoReef Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 You stick the lens of a camcorder in the water and it still hasn't died on you? I get a little milk on the LCD screen on the back of my camera and it stops working...hahaha! I bet if you wanted to, you could start your own coral business with all that you have in your tank atm. Link to comment
Nano sapiens Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Let's start up a biz, Ralph. Out of your garage? Sounds like a plan, but I don't think my wife will go for having her car sit outside all day in the sun. Link to comment
burtonboy Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Thanks Burton. Too bad corals can't be shipped over the border. Or can they? I have no idea if they do ship corals but if they do that would be awesome, there's so many corals that i would want to get shipped to me.lol I noticed that you were using a 150W and went to a 250W, Witch one do you like better because im still deciding on what light would be better for my 30 gallon I just started? Thanks in advance Daniel Link to comment
PurpleUP Posted September 25, 2009 Author Share Posted September 25, 2009 Hey Burton, I noticed that you were using a 150W and went to a 250W, Witch one do you like better because im still deciding on what light would be better for my 30 gallon I just started? Thanks in advance Daniel All depends on what kind of corals you want to keep. 250s are noticeably brighter, as you would expect with higher wattage, but the intensity could be overkill for corals that prefer less light. For SPS, I'd say 250 all the way OR perhaps you can opt for a 150W 10K for higher par? Oh yeah, and your energy bill on a 250 will be noticeably higher as well. I once thought a 250W would get good results with a 20K bulb, but they would brown out no matter how clean the water. 14K seems to be just right without the need for actinic supplements (although bonus actinic LEDs wouldn't hurt). FWIW, I won't be switching back to a 150 anytime soon Link to comment
divecj5 Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Lookin' real sporty Randy. I've always been into the color of the Phoenix 14k bulbs....here's to hoping that the bulb/fixture/ballast keep it up and burning bright. BTW...took some pictures of my chalice for the thread and left the CF card on the table at home. Cripes....will post some later for sure. Link to comment
PurpleUP Posted September 25, 2009 Author Share Posted September 25, 2009 Lookin' real sporty Randy. I've always been into the color of the Phoenix 14k bulbs....here's to hoping that the bulb/fixture/ballast keep it up and burning bright. BTW...took some pictures of my chalice for the thread and left the CF card on the table at home. Cripes....will post some later for sure. Adam, the 250 Phoenix 14 just kicks A$$. There's just no other way to put it. 12.5" above the water surface and it's NEVER been brighter in my tank. Don't let the cheap price fool you. This is a quality bulb. I believe they have become so popular that Phoenix has been able to mass produce to keep up with demand, thereby cost cutting the competition. I might buy a couple more to keep on hand, in the event this one burns out too soon. Yeah, let's keep the chalice thread goin!@#! That's one type of coral I can never get bored of. Link to comment
MyNanoReef Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 You should do a side by side shot of the 250 watt vs. 150 watt Phoenix bulbs...you've got me inching closer to upgrading my lighting to 250 watt rather than buy more frags at the moment...you and your tank is not good for humanity. It makes us all want to spend more and who knows if that's a good or bad thing... Link to comment
PurpleUP Posted September 25, 2009 Author Share Posted September 25, 2009 You should do a side by side shot of the 250 watt vs. 150 watt Phoenix bulbs...you've got me inching closer to upgrading my lighting to 250 watt rather than buy more frags at the moment...you and your tank is not good for humanity. It makes us all want to spend more and who knows if that's a good or bad thing... Hahaha. I'd be happy to take a side by side comparison, but my camera compensates for too little or too much light. Basically, both shots will look the same. LOL. You're just gonna have to take my word for it on this one. 250 is much brighter. "It makes us all want to spend more and who knows if that's a good or bad thing..." Funny, I feel the same way about other people's tanks on NR. It must be this site that makes us all want to spend more! Link to comment
Paleoreef103 Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 You should do a side by side shot of the 250 watt vs. 150 watt Phoenix bulbs...you've got me inching closer to upgrading my lighting to 250 watt rather than buy more frags at the moment...you and your tank is not good for humanity. It makes us all want to spend more and who knows if that's a good or bad thing... A 250 over a 20" tank would greatly improve the color and the growth of your corals. Trust me. This summer I went from 150 phoenix to 250 phoenix. Growth rate went WAAAY up and so did the color. Some of higher light corals were browning out under the 150, but under the 250? The colors are back! Link to comment
PurpleUP Posted September 25, 2009 Author Share Posted September 25, 2009 A 250 over a 20" tank would greatly improve the color and the growth of your corals. Trust me. This summer I went from 150 phoenix to 250 phoenix. Growth rate went WAAAY up and so did the color. Some of higher light corals were browning out under the 150, but under the 250? The colors are back! My experience has been the same. And it is proven on a daily basis. My display and frag bin are plumbed together. The only difference between the two is the wattage of light. Bulbs are the same brand and color temp. While the SPS in the frag bin struggle to color up, the same ones in the display are showing more color and growth every day. Link to comment
PurpleUP Posted September 25, 2009 Author Share Posted September 25, 2009 Let me put it this way, the Phoenix 150/14 is like my daughter's "night light" compared to the 250/14. But don't take my word for it, I might just be trying to justify the extra utility expense. LOL. But if you're already getting spectacular color/growth with the 150/14, then why change it? Link to comment
MyNanoReef Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 I was getting good growth with on my 20H...but when I upgraded to my Solona tank a little over a year ago, all of that stopped...I even tried lowering my light but that didn't do much other than slowly brown out my corals, so it is now raised back up (for the time being). How high do you have your light hanging again? Link to comment
PurpleUP Posted September 25, 2009 Author Share Posted September 25, 2009 I was getting good growth with on my 20H...but when I upgraded to my Solona tank a little over a year ago, all of that stopped...I even tried lowering my light but that didn't do much other than slowly brown out my corals, so it is now raised back up (for the time being). How high do you have your light hanging again? Hmmm. Was the color good on your 20H? If so, it could be a water issue in the Solana. Is a 20H also 20" in height? My tank is 18" high with the pendant 12" higher than that. When I had the SPS BLUE LIFE bulb, I had the pendant a little lower at 10". But I immediately raised it when I changed to this Phoenix 250/14. Might bring it down slowly, but maybe not more than 11" from the surface. 12" from the surface might seem high, but I see the 400W moguls at the LFS raised higher than 2' from the water. Scott also said to me the other day that 19" seems to be the most desired distance from SPS coral. Many people are gonna tell you what they believe is the correct thing to do, but you may have to experiment by trial and error. Does sound to me like you might want to try a higher wattage bulb, especially if it's SPS that you keep. Have you also thought about switching to a 150/10K? Too yellow for me, but I'm sure the corals would appreciate that spectrum more than the 150/14. This digital lumatek ballast might also have something to do with the increased light intensity. Fires up quietly, unlike the old magnetic one I used to have. I believe it's making more efficient use of power. At least, that's what the manufacturer has led me to believe. LOL Link to comment
MyNanoReef Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 150/10k is too yellow for me too. I like the color of the 14k Phoenix...I also have a 20k Radium waiting for the day the 14k Phoenix is ready to be replaced but who knows if it'll ever see the inside of my Sunpod. As for water, I was living dangerously while I had the 20H (it's shorter than my Solona)...I wasn't using RO/DI water at all because I was living in an apartment at the time. To be honest, I was just using straight up tap water because I didn't want to carry RO/DI water from the LFS up 2 flights of stairs. Now that I look back at it, I'm thinking it was the stock 10k bulb that came with my light fixture. Are you using any other light suppliment or is it just the MH? I'm thinking about getting the same ballast to go with a Lumen Bright DE Pendant and sticking a 14K Phoenix in it. Link to comment
PurpleUP Posted September 25, 2009 Author Share Posted September 25, 2009 150/10k is too yellow for me too. I like the color of the 14k Phoenix...I also have a 20k Radium waiting for the day the 14k Phoenix is ready to be replaced but who knows if it'll ever see the inside of my Sunpod. As for water, I was living dangerously while I had the 20H (it's shorter than my Solona)...I wasn't using RO/DI water at all because I was living in an apartment at the time. To be honest, I was just using straight up tap water because I didn't want to carry RO/DI water from the LFS up 2 flights of stairs. Now that I look back at it, I'm thinking it was the stock 10k bulb that came with my light fixture. Are you using any other light suppliment or is it just the MH? I'm thinking about getting the same ballast to go with a Lumen Bright DE Pendant and sticking a 14K Phoenix in it. Sounds like you've already made your decision. Didn't want to twist your arm, but I think you're making the right choice to switch. Especially if the Solana is deeper. You must have had some CLEAN tap at your other place. Any GHA problems there? Yeah, I think a 10k on a 150W works nicely to color up SPS. I may be switching my Phoenix 150/14 frag bulb to a yuck 10k soon. LOL. No other lighting supplements, but I might integrate blue LEDs. You can't go wrong with the Lumatek ballast. Sounds like a crazy combo with the Lumen Bright DE. I'm planning on upgrading myself to a Lumenmax Elite! Need to maximize the power and widen the range of our halides! Link to comment
MyNanoReef Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Ironically I had no GHA problem with the 20H and tap water...just cyano. I did however get a huge GHA outbreak in the Solona with RO/DI water. Don't really know how to explain that one. I've been going back and forth about the light upgrade for a while now...your 250/14k Phoenix just made the itch to upgrade even worst. I really need to stop reading your thread. How are you planning on integrating the blue LEDs onto your current fixture or the Lumenmax Elite once you get it? I was thinking about that too with the Lumen Bright DE but can't seem to figure out a way to keep it a clean/sleak look without having exposed wires screws all over the place. Link to comment
PurpleUP Posted September 25, 2009 Author Share Posted September 25, 2009 Ironically I had no GHA problem with the 20H and tap water...just cyano. I did however get a huge GHA outbreak in the Solona with RO/DI water. Don't really know how to explain that one. That one baffles me too. Maybe you should bother the new tenant and stock up on that apartment tap water! How are you planning on integrating the blue LEDs onto your current fixture or the Lumenmax Elite once you get it? I was thinking about that too with the Lumen Bright DE but can't seem to figure out a way to keep it a clean/sleak look without having exposed wires screws all over the place. I just changed my mind. Switchin to the Lumen Brights instead. Different company right? See it goes both ways. People posting on this thread make me spend more money. LOL. I almost forgot about upgrading my pendant until you courteously reminded me. The pendant looks more attractive than the other one and covers a wider range. The Phoenix 250/14 has a very crisp whitish blue color, not nearly as blue as the 150/14. I am okay without the LEDs. They would only be for aesthetics anyway. I have a swing arm LED moonlight which satisfies my need for actinics at night. hehe. Link to comment
PurpleUP Posted September 25, 2009 Author Share Posted September 25, 2009 Well, I just bought one! Can't wait till it arrives. Imagine the amount of light that's gonna come out of that thing. Link to comment
MyNanoReef Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Wow, did I just help persuade Purp rather than Purp persuading me and everyone else? The Lumen Bright has two models...a DE and SE. I've only ran across a couple places online that carries the DE. From all that I've read over the past couple of months is that it should cover up to a 24" foot print...give or take and a majority of people hang it high for it to cover your tank without it giving the "spot light" effect. I'm too anal about aesthetics, that's why I'm considering the Lumen Bright versus all the other Lumen-whatever pendants...it's gotta look nice and perform too. They might all be from the same company, but I could be wrong. I'm still torn between that setup or a MH + T5 light combo. That tap water still mystifies me to this very day. I might just have to go back and fill up some jugs. Link to comment
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