looking 4 personal experience CoralVue~Ushio

[apex008]

I am looking for people who have personal experience with these brands of bulb. The tank is a 50 breeder with 2x250 DE's SPS dominated (well when they grow it will be dominated). It's time to put some new ones in and I was either going to go with 250w DE CoralVue 14k or Ushio 14k. I can get a pair of CoralVues for cheap cheap. I would rather the Ushios but the difference in cost is a deciding factor.

Thanks, Matt

 

[dz6t]

I have very good experience with 14 K Ushio. It looks very much like the Pheonix 14K. How much $ difference are we talking about?

 

[apex008]

About $95. If I see a sizable favor towards Ushio I will definitely. Just need some convincing.

 

[JohnK]

I like the ushios. I find them to be much less blue than pheonix 14K though.

Try $70 shipped;
http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=816

 

[highpower9979]

Ushio all the way for me i run two 250 de 14k and 1 150 de 20k on my 90 gallon.

 

[dz6t]

I like the ushios. I find them to be much less blue than pheonix 14K though.

Try $70 shipped;
http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=816

hmmm, may be they change the spectrum a little. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[apex008]

Oooh, Thanks for the link! So the difference is about $70 now. Either of you have tank pics with fair representation of lighting? I have a Current USA bulbs now and have always hated them. I've been waiting for this day to come to swap them out. Thoughts on having a higher quality bulb blinding the corals? Maybe I should do 20ks?

 

[saltwaterB]

I would go with Ushio over my tank. I run the 14K DE and am very happy with them. I do love the Coral Vue Reeflux SE, but not as big a fan of the DE.


Good price find JimmyJ...

If you are in a pinch we sell them for $79.99.
We also sell the Coral vue (can't remember the price, but it sounds like you found them for a great price)

 

[apex008]

Yea, I would have liked to have done a Lumnarc with SE bulbs but I had the 2x250 lying around, looks alot cleaner on the tank with little effort too. I guess I will go with Ushios. Now I need to see some tanks with 20k's & 14k's.

 

[JohnK]

hmmm, may be they change the spectrum a little. Thanks for the heads up.

I was wondering if it could be a ballast thing? What have you run them on Dong?

I've run both lamps on M80 Ballasts and they looked a lot different. Now I have the ushios running on lumatek electronics and they look very similar to how they looked on the M80s (but the lumatek really drive the bulbs as well, the light meter numbers actually went up when I swapped the ballasts). I haven't tried a pheonix on a lumatek ballast though??

I wonder if they perform much differently on other electronics, or possibly non "HQI" magnetics? Where's Sanjay when you need him?


Oh, and Support your LFS

 

[JayM]

I went from Phoenix 14k's to ushio 14k's. Light is crisper, whiter than Phoenix. Run 2 over my 72, 1 over my 92. My 92 will be getting a new one in a DE Lumenarc Mini with a Lumatech ballast

Growth has been substantively better with the Ushio in comparison to the 14k phoenix before, or the T-5 before the phoenix

 

[dz6t]

I was wondering if it could be a ballast thing? What have you run them on Dong?

I've run both lamps on M80 Ballasts and they looked a lot different. Now I have the ushios running on lumatek electronics and they look very similar to how they looked on the M80s (but the lumatek really drive the bulbs as well, the light meter numbers actually went up when I swapped the ballasts). I haven't tried a pheonix on a lumatek ballast though??

I wonder if they perform much differently on other electronics, or possibly non "HQI" magnetics? Where's Sanjay when you need him?


Oh, and Support your LFS

I ran them on AquaMedic 250w HQI. I could not tell the difference and none visitors could tell either.

 

[JohnK]

Interesting.

That's a "HQI" magnetic ballast, not electronic, correct?

 

[dz6t]

magnetic

 

[Reefried]

+1 on the ushios I switched to them a year and a half ago and I love them...I started with the 10k and now have the 20k, and i have driven the 20k on both a M80 and electronic ballast, and it is a nice crisp white with a sharp tint of blue. on the M80.. like 70/30 white to blue...and like..60/40 white to blue with the electronic.......I'm currious as to what the 14k looks like.