Ballasts and Halide bulbs Differences???

[Biodragen]

I would like to know the difference between the 5500, 6500 10,000, 14,000, 20,000 Halide bulbs and the wattages
I know the most common bulb is the 10,000. I know the K means Kelvin and has to do with spectrum.

Does brand make a difference?

Same for ballasts. Why is there such a wide range of pricing on them?

There is so much to choose from even though I have lighting now I just want to be able to understand more about lights and the difference between them and the color they give.

I currently own a Aqualight with 4-96w 10,000k Power Compact
with 2 blue tinic and 2 day tinic.

I also have a 250w Hamilton ballast with a German 250w 10,000k Halide bulb.

I was looking into getting a 250w 14,000K bulb.

Any one please shed some LIGHT on this subjet(no pun intended).

Brian

[latazyo]

the lower the kelvin rating, the more yellow it looks, 6500 is supposed to be the best for coral growth, although they can live off of anything 65-20kk, but 6500 is said to be most efficient

price range in ballasts could also be between magnetic and electronic ballasts, i THINK electronic are better, but i cant comment on those

[Eric Boerner]

I would like to know the difference between the 5500, 6500 10,000, 14,000, 20,000 Halide bulbs and the wattages. I know the most common bulb is the 10,000. I know the K means Kelvin and has to do with spectrum.

K stands for kelvin, and is the determination of what color of the spectrum the bulb is. Absolute red is very low in kelvin, while abolute blue is very high. Thus a 3500k bulb is white/orange, 6500 is white/yellow, 10000k is white/blue, 14000k+ gets bluer.

Also, specific spectrums produce more Photosythetically Available Radiation (PAR). That's the amount of light that a coral can use to grow. The "best" lighting for coral growth is 6500. As you go down in the redder spectrum, corals can't use all of the available spectrum. As you go up in the higher blues, the amount of available PAR starts to drop off considerably. On the other hand, bluer lighting tends to produce more UV. UV forces corals to create fluorescent pigments, which gives the coral better coloration. So theres some trade off there. Growth or Color? This is why most people like 10k bulbs. Good growth, but also good coloration.

Does brand make a difference?

Yes. The way the color is made is dependant on the rare earth salts and gases used to make the lamp core. Some companies will take short cuts and use inferior components. This usually leads to an off spectrum color, or shorter lamp life.

Same for ballasts. Why is there such a wide range of pricing on them?

Depends on the type of ballast that is used. There's Magnetic coil, which is relatively cheap, but burns more energy and will shorted lamp life. There's also electronic ballasts which run cooler, use less energy, and will keep lamps going longer.

[McSierra]

Can anyone confirm what bulbs will work with the following:

[list=1]
150W Metal Halide ANSI Code of M102
150W Metal Halide ANSI Code of M142
175W Metal Halide ANSI Code of M137
175W Metal Halide ANSI Code of M152
[/list=1]

So far I only found ONE bulb:
150w Iwasaki 6500K is rated for the M102 ballast..

Is this my ONLY option?