Metal Halide question

[Joel A]

Yes dawson, 14k will still grow coral very efficiently. 10k just gives out more PAR (correct me if i am wrong), and this photosynthetic light is what powers the algae in the coral to grow. I do not know (maybe someone else will), but i would think that the difference between 10k and 14k in terms of PAR are not too far off.

depends on which bulbs you are comparing.. a lot of 14 and 15k bulbs are marketing ploys.

some put out less light then 10k's.. even significantly less.. but at the same time certain brands can actually put out more light... the iwasaki 15k 175 watt bulb is like a 14k color, but it's PAR beats most 175w 10k bulbs.

 

[UncleJT]

the iwasaki 15k 175 watt bulb is like a 14k color, but it's PAR beats most 175w 10k bulbs.

This is why I am going with the 175W Iwasaki 15KK's over my 40G Breeder.

 

[Joel A]

This is why I am going with the 175W Iwasaki 15KK's over my 40G Breeder.

yup, good choice. hell i've seen numbers that show they even beat 250watt 10k bulbs.... not sure if i believe it fully.. but good bulbs none the less.

 

[beckisguy73]

how about the bulbs that air water and ice offer for $50??? I dont remember seeing a brand name when I was on the web site earlier.. but I have seen ushios for around $80

 

[sixspeed]

Hey Joel, do you have any literature on the comparisons of different bulbs? If you have it, and its not in the thread of useful links, i contend that it belongs there.

 

[Seask]

depends on which bulbs you are comparing.. A lot of 14 and 15k bulbs are marketing ploys.

Some put out less light then 10k's.. Even significantly less.. But at the same time certain brands can actually put out more light... The iwasaki 15k 175 watt bulb is like a 14k color, but it's par beats most 175w 10k bulbs.

nailed it kudos!

 

[JayM]

The PAR meter doesn't lie, and I own my very own copy. In my maristar fixture, with a blue wave magnetic ballast, the Ushio 14k DE bulb put out WAY better PAR numbers than a 14k phoenix bulb, and the Ushio PAR was pretty close (although lower) than an XM 10k bulb.

The watt draw went down, and the PAR went up when I tried the same fixture with a lumatek electronic ballast.

I like my corals to grow, which is why I have 600 watts over a 72, but the XM 10k was WAY to yellow for me, even with 2x54x T-5 actinic

 

[Joel A]

Hey Joel, do you have any literature on the comparisons of different bulbs? If you have it, and its not in the thread of useful links, i contend that it belongs there.

nothing professional or specific unfortunately. there are a number of people on RC who are testers of bulbs... they test all different bulbs on different ballasts and get PAR readings. Sanjay is one of the most well known ones, and he's probably done the most extensive testing on MH lamps. He's one of the few with his own website too... i can dig it up if need be... i usually refer to him for MH lamps and Grimthereefer (from RC) for t5 bulbs. Grim hasn't done as much testing on t5's as sanjay has done on MH, but he also has a website i can dig up with useful information...

take PAR readings seriously, but not too seriously either because if you've ever used one you know just how easy it is to get the numbers to bounce all over the place. There are a lot of variables in a reef tank to test PAR levels that accurately..

 

[UncleJT]

Sanjay's MH Guide with links to all his articles and comparison calculators.

 

[Joel A]

here's the grim reefer's site.

like i said, not as good as sanjay's, but a good reference still.
http://tfivetesting.googlepages.com/