10k VS 14k

[irieboy]

what's the difference between the 10k metal halide bulb than the 14k metal halide bulb how much stronger is one then the other and how different are the color wise.

 

[Mr.HaHa]

10k has more of a white/yellow spectrum where as 14k is more white/blue.

what kind of lighting setup do you have now? if you are going from 14k to 10k you will want shade your corals for a few weeks to prevent any light shock.

 

[this is me]

10k if you like the white look. I usually use 10k and supplement with actinic.
14k if you like the white/blue look. I usually just use my 13k bulb by itself.
20k is what I called Halloween lighting. Too blue for my eyes.

 

[irieboy]

i have a current outer orbit 2, 250 watt bulbs 2, 39 watt t5 bulb fixture coming today and did not notice before that it came with 10k bulbs and I kind of like the blue look to a tank but do you think with the antics that it might still have that kind of look

 

[afboundguy]

The 10K should put out more PAR compared to the 14K... I said should because it depends on the bulb and a few other things...

The 10K is closer to what corals would get in the ocean...

 

[this is me]

I think if you use actinic in the T5, it would give you the blueish tint you want. Like I said before, when I'm using 10k bulb, I usually supplement with actinic. The 10k gives you better growth and the actinic gives you the floresence.
I have to tell you though, I'm not a blue bulb person so take my inputs with a grain of salt.

 

[irieboy]

so the 10k would give me more growth than the 14k

 

[irieboy]

wish someone had some pic's of the difference's

 

[jbishop]

14k vs 10k depends on the bulb. A 15k Iwasaki Eye will blow away a xm 10k in par anyday.

 

[this is me]

That would depend on the design of the bulb. In theory, lower kelvin put out more par than higher Kelvin bulb.
There is a neat table of Sanjay's tests. You select the ballast you're running, the wattage, DE or SE, and the type of bulb and Viola, you get the par.
http://www.manhattanreefs.com/lighting

 

[irieboy]

can you use different bulbs with the outer orbit fixture by current

 

[this is me]

Of course, you can change the bulb in any fixture. Just have to be the right type and right wattage.
Read some of Sanjay's article, you should have more understanding of reef lighting. They're very good.

 

[Mr.HaHa]

wish someone had some pic's of the difference's

pictures do not give you an accurate view of the colors.

like others said, 10k will give you much more par vs the 14k but a 10k spectrum also encourages more algae growth.

if you can visit some people's tanks that is probably the best way to check out colors.

also, color spectrums are also dependant on bulb manufacturer and ballast pairing.

like Nick said, check out sanjay's invaluable research.

 

[irieboy]

thanks for all the info

 

[besl]

irrieboy - I have that exact fixture. Here is my subjective input based on my experience - I ran the OO fixture as received with the 10K bulbs figuring I would change them to 14K after the first year of use... well afetr 6 months, I decided I couldn't wait any longer and changed to Phoenix 14k and was alot happier with coloration. Since then I still use the Phoenix and changed the stock T5 to UVL and ATI combo for the 420nm/46nm spectrum - yet another improvement on the happiness meter for me.

As for growth, depends on teh bulb (don't you hate that input!) - best bet is to consult the Sanjay web site for PAR, etc - however, I think in general you will see beter growth with 10K - I trade of growth for coloration personally.

As for the OO HQI/T5 fixture in general - I hav ebeen running this for around 2.5 years now and am extremely pleased - I think it has a really good build quality and good performance.

And, yes, you can use any DE HQI bulb or T5 bulb you desire - reefgeek is a great place to shop - great slection and if you call in (I forgot who I spoke with) he is very, very helpful on bulb selection.

Hope this helps!

 

[irieboy]

thanks besl

 

[bill120mph]

I have used 10k and 20k bulbs, 10 definitely gave me more rapid growth but was a little bright for me, I do like the 20k, but it is a little to blue so I also added a 10k power compact to brighten it just a bit.
I havent tried a 14k as they didnt have any available for 175w MH in a mogul base.

 

[biggyclops]

There is a web page that has different bulbs lighting up a tank.. i can't remember where i saw it.. but it is out there.... at least it can give you a rough idea

 

[irieboy]

ok got the light today and the intake fan dose not work so they are going to send me another hood now on another note can not use the hanging kit because i have beams on the ceiling that are two feet apart and where I need it does not work so I used the legs and was thinking of having the antics on for most of the day and have the halides on for two hours during that day and every day add another hour to the halides being on what do you guys think the only corals I have at the top are some polyps and an anemone do you think I should move it down.

 

[okuma2977]

what about putting two 10k at either end and putting a 20k in the middle? too break it up