best MH temp rating?

[aggiereefer]

What temp MH bulbs do you run? I want to run a single 150 or 175 halide without having extra pc actinics on a 20 high. what would you recommend? A couple of lfs's in town run 20,000k on their systems.

[onthefly]

Hey Ag,

 

I run a 10kK, but have a couple of Ac03 to run with it! That being said, the color with the MH alone is pretty good. Things aren't "fluorescent", but the colors do "pop" out a bit. The 20kK bulbs are awesome and if you want to only run one bulb, I'd say go with that. Although, I think growth is slowed somewhat with the 20kK's.

[newbyreef]

Aggie,

 

on my 90 gallon tank I have (2) 250 watt 6500K MH bulbs, they are a bit yellow/green in color, so I supplement with 3 110 watt VHO actinics. This makes for a great coloration of the tank.

 

if you go with MH alone I would say at least a 10K, but 20K would be excellent also, as it adds more of a bluish/white color to the tank.

 

my two cents

Dan

[wetworx101]

I'll get into this one with you aggie... depends. Do you plan on using the halide alone or with actinics? Heres how it goes.

 

The lower the K rating (down to about 6500K) the higher the PAR rating. PAR is photosynthetic Active Radiation...what make the world go round for our corals, clams, anemones, etc. When we get up to 20,000K, the bulbs have much less, often a 20,000K bulb will only have half the PAR of a 10,000K. Often, there is also a visible intensity difference as the bulb gets bluer. That being said, it is safe to assume that we are really looking for comprimise.

 

With actinics, most just get a 10,000K bulb. This maximizes the light output and intensity of the halides without making the tank look to yellow. Heck, if you dont mind, or if yyou run alot of actinic, 6500Ks are pretty nice...the PAR levels they put out, along with their color, is what shallow/surf zone acros and clams love. Most like a little more blue, and go with 10,000K. Going higher than this isnt going to add much more blue since the actinics are taking care of that, and there isnt much sense in going any higher.

 

If you decide to go with a stand alone pendant, then things can get tricky. One thing is for sure, no two bulbs are alike. Even at the 10,000K range, some are whiter, some bluer. As we go higher, there are many bulbs, say rated 20,000K that are well over that...some are more like 13,000K (Aqualine Buske 10,000K is really a 13,000K). The Classic Blue Radium also comes to mind. Called a 20,000K, it is perhaps the bluest bulb on the market...measured to be somewhere about 38,000K. Ushio makes a so-called 50,000K 150wattSE bulb. It is more like 18,000K. The bottom line is that it all depends. As we get higher up in K, the ballast is going to change the bulb more as well. Most ballasts have no problem with 5000-10000K bulbs, but the higher frequencies that say, a 20,000K bulb needs to run right can mean most magnetic ballasts are out. Even with HQI ballasts, some tend to be more white/yellow than intended. The only sure fire way to fire any of these bulbs is an electronic ballast ***cough, cough, ICECAP, ahem!!***. They just help the bulb remain truer in color and last longer. If you plan on using a halide alone, I would advise that you see a setup you like and get the same equipment, ballast and light, or else we can take a close guess and hope for the best.

 

I have tanks running without actinic. My 60 cube was started with a 10,000K 400watt pendant, but shortly there after I changed to a hamilton belgian-made 14,000K. Nice bulb. I have however noticed that the light diff between the 250wattDE bulbs and the 400wattSE bulbs is within 20%, maybe less. So I will shortly be taking down the 400watt and using two 250wattDE bulbs side by side. One will be a 10,000K for pure intensity, and the other will be 20,000K for the blue.

 

On my new 25gallon cube, I had planned on using a 250wattSE bulb, as I even the bluest bulbs, and less efficient SE bulbs would sure be enough anyways. I was going to go with a 15,000K CoralVue or Xanium for a nice intense, yet slightly blue light...but recently I have been impressed by the color of the new Giesemann DE bulbs rated at 150 or 250 watts @ 13,000K (double ended)...very intense yet white & blue all over. Means I will have to change my pendant from a mogul base to a double-ended...but what the heck, HQI pendants are smaller anyways. You might want to check it out as well.

[aggiereefer]

wow thanks for all that info. I do plan on just running halides. Would I be ok if I went with a bulb somewhere in between 10,000 and 20,000k? I'm looking into a reefsun pendant or just a normal bell pendant. Im kinda in the "halides on a budget" category. Does anyone else know of any inexpensive pendants/canopies that arent DIY? Thanks for the help.

[unsped]

from the little knowledge i have:

 

10k - good growth blah sps coloration

12k - starburst/fire or whatever bulbs are junk

20k - slower growth, but better coloration

[wetworx101]

pet solutions has the hamilton single on sale for $149 right now. I wouldnt go with a bell however, halide bulbs for reefs are designed to be horizontal, and if they get mounted in a vertical enclosure...ie bell...you are wasting quite a bit of their output.

 

A bulb between 10,000 and 20,000 would be fine.

[Condiman]

Now what would you say about a 250 iwsaki 6500k with 2 65 watt Acintic O3. On a 25 gallon tank