$9.99 MH bulbs on ebay ,any good??

kronan · #1 09/07/2007, 05:03 PM

I saw some 14000k MH bulbs on e-bay for only 9.99 I need 3 new bulbs and am waiting to order I usualyy use hamiltonn 14000k but for 9.99 I'll use these even if they only last half as long.any Input??

SlowCobra · #2 09/07/2007, 06:56 PM

Do you really want to trust your tank to 9.99 MH bulbs?

Fishbulb2 · #3 09/07/2007, 06:58 PM

I had $30 bulbs from ebay before and they worked fine if you want a really low PAR tank. For only softies or some LPS it might work, but they tend to be very low PAR. I've now switched to Hamilton 14K's and it is a lot more light. Better growth this month already.

BeanAnimal · #4 09/07/2007, 07:05 PM

You get what you pay for. The lower output per watt means that you are spending the same amount of money on electricity and getting less light.

That means you could get lower wattage bulbs and have as much or more light and use less electricity.

RichConley · #5 09/07/2007, 08:15 PM

I bought some imported $20 bulbs a while back, and they were Phoenix 14Ks. I dont know what you're looking at specifically, but cheap doesnt necessarily mean junk.

BeanAnimal · #6 09/07/2007, 08:16 PM

I suppose there are exceptions... but in general the $10 MH bulbs are going to be garbage.

Paulairduck · #7 09/07/2007, 08:19 PM

I would not try them on my SPS tank

Scissorhand · #8 09/07/2007, 08:23 PM

don't do it my friend.

I bought a bulb from "pet-pirate?" on e-bay just to try it out cuz it was cheap, of course.

My zoas shriveled and eventually vanished. That was during a time when I had a nanocube and didn't really care much. I seriously do not think your sps will survive a month with similar quality bulbs.

fish02 · #9 09/07/2007, 08:26 PM

I use the 10,000k 150 watt hqi bulb that's 15.99 after shipping from greatdel and the tips of one of my Acroporas is turning purple from greenish brown when I first got it. The other is maintaining it's color very nicely also. The clams are growing along with my Montis. I switch the bulb every 5 months just for comfort but even then it's still cheaper than getting a single HQI XM 10000k. No complaints here. I should do an experiment to compare these cheapies to the xm equivalent as far as growth and color are concerned, but I don't have the time or dinero.

BeanAnimal · #10 09/07/2007, 09:20 PM

You may certainly be able to grow coral under the bulbs. The question is if the output is worth the energy you are pumping into them

Or put another way, why pump 300W into a 250 watt bulb and get 40 PPFD par out of it when you COULD use a 150W bulb and get 60 PPFD out of it. Half the power and 20% more par

derrikd · #11 09/07/2007, 09:26 PM

have a link i would like to look at these

mile sq. reefer · #12 09/07/2007, 10:15 PM

Hey, send a cheapie to Sanjay just for S&G's and lets see how they rate.

petedoc · #13 09/07/2007, 11:02 PM

I have been using the Greatdel bulbs also and have had excellent results. I have both the 14k and 20k 250w SE bulbs. The 20k is quite blue, but the overall light output is excellent. I also change them about every six months. Buy two at a time to save a little on shipping.

fish02 · #14 09/08/2007, 10:20 AM

If I remember correctly someone already sent Sanjay one or two of these cheap bulbs to test. Sanjay said he would get to it when he could. That was one or two months ago though.

kronan · #15 09/08/2007, 01:37 PM

I just ordered a 250W 14000K I'll let everyone know how it goes on my 265..Heck for $18.00 Ill give them a try. should be here next week

petedoc · #16 09/08/2007, 01:40 PM

They are shipped from China if you are buying from Greatdel on ebay. They take about two weeks to arrive. I have also purchased three of his 250w dual MH ballasts and they are very satisfactory.

kdblove_99 · #17 12/03/2007, 03:32 AM

Anyone ever try these?

http://cgi.ebay.com/175-W-Watt-14000...QQcmdZViewItem

The mogel base, how do you know what to get? These are for my fatehr in law he has a 6' Hamilton hood so do you know what base bulb to get?