Do I have to use a Coralife bulb on the Aqualight Pro?

MarineGirl411 · #1 05/12/2007, 02:59 AM

Hi,
In the future I want to try a Phoenix 14k MH bulb. Do I have to use the Coralife bulbs only on my mh light the Aqualight Pro? That is what a friend of mine told me. That I can only use Coralife bulbs. =( LMK. Thank you.

otterpop510 · #2 05/12/2007, 03:08 AM

you can use any bulb you want.. fyi, phoenix 14K is a nice bulb to pick..

there was a thread a while back about a coralife(?) DE MH clip on fixture that did not have a glass cover and when people switched to other bulbs their corals bleached, presumably because the DE bulbs do not have UV protection and thus need a glass cover..

but as long as you are using your class covers on your DE fixture (i think the coralife pro is a DE fixture?) you should be fine.

if its a SE fixture you are fine anyway with using any bulb too..

Ricepicker · #3 05/12/2007, 03:13 AM

Aqualight pros are DE HQI, yea... u can use any DE bulb as logn as the wattage is the same and the ballast type will fire it.

MarineGirl411 · #4 05/12/2007, 04:21 AM

What is a DE fixture or SE fixture? I do have the glass cover over my HQI MH. Where is the best place to get that bulb from? Marine Depot? I have the Aqualight Pro that has 1 150 HQI MH, 2 65 watt PC's. I hear the Phoenix brings out colors better in corals. Is that true? I have a 10k on there right now. I think some of my corals would look better under a different light. Please let me know. Thank you. =)

lsuberl · #5 05/13/2007, 03:20 PM

I'm still learning this stuff too, but can answer a couple of your questions: DE and SE are short for Double-Ended and Single-Ended bulb. SE's are screw-in type bulbs and DE's are snap-in. For buying bulbs, there's lots of places. Hellolights.com is a good one (bought my fixture and a couple bulbs from them) and is shipping some metal halide bulbs for free right now I think. The usual supply websites like Marine Depot, etc. etc. are fine too.

As far as color, I'm still trying to figure that out as well. Part of it is deciding what color temp most suits your eyes.

MarineGirl411 · #6 05/14/2007, 01:52 AM

Okay. lol I feel so dumb sometimes. Thank you very much Isuberl. I appreciate it. Mine is a DE. My 250 is a SE. Do the single ended bulbs get hotter? I noticed when I had my 250 up on my FW tank, it made the apartment really hot. Just wondering if all 250's do that or if it's just this brand? Also, I only have AC in one room so that doesn't help much either. What kind of tank are you setting up?

Soxx · #7 05/14/2007, 07:13 AM

MarineGirl411.
I have 2 of the Coralife HQI units.(a 48" and a 24") I've had them for 2 years. I have always run stock Coralife bulbs(10K). They seem to start to burn yellowish as they get older. I finally made the change to a 10K 150 watt DE Bulb that I found on Ebay. What a big difference! the bulb burns crisp and white. I bought this bulb for only 22.00(shipping included). I don't know if it will last but it is doing great now.On Ebay the guys name is Greatdel. You can bid on any type bulb. Bidding starts over every 24 Hrs. They are brand new and are shipped very good. These bulbs burn just fine in my Coralife units. I'll probably get the phoenix 14K at a later date.

MarineGirl411 · #8 05/14/2007, 03:18 PM

cool ty

dhnguyen · #9 05/14/2007, 03:26 PM

Well with the possible exception of Hamilton bulbs, you will be ok to use any HQI bulbs in this fixture as long as the wattage is the same.

And yeah I agree that the phoenix 14K is the best growth/colour combo I've seen so far.