Quote:
Originally posted by Tremolo
Tank looks great! How do you like the phoenix 14k? i have a 29 gallon mixed reef to with the same fixture and its about time to swap out the stock light. Not sure what i want to go with. What bulbs have you tried and how was the color and coral growth?
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Thanks! I really like the phoenix 14k!! I've had the stock current sunpaq 14k, xm-15k, reeflux 12k and now the phoenix 14k. I ran the stock 14k for around 8 months. I really liked the stock color, but the growth wasn't the best. The xm-15k was ok as far as bulb color, but there was something I didn't like about it. The coral colors looked a little washed out under it, plus I've read that it doesn't have the best PAR, so I ended up opting to sell it to my friend(which he broke lol). The reeflux 12k was terrible looking IMO, probably the worst out of all the bulbs I've tried. It may look ok with actinic supplementation, but without it was far too white for me, and the colors didn't pop at all. I took that out after about 2 weeks, I just couldn't stand it.
After some more research I decided on the phoenix 14k. I've been running it a little over a month now an it is an awesome bulb. The color is great, kinda on the bluer side, but not too blue IMO. It looks a lot like the stock 14k, but much crisper. The corals definitely pop under this bulb. I cant really comment on growth yet, but the corals do seem to be responding well. My sunset monti has started to puddle out nicely, something it hadn't started doing until the phoenix. Overall I really like the phoenix, and will more then likely be purchasing another one when the time comes.