which bulb? 250 or 175w MH

shelburn61 · #1 03/15/2005, 01:10 AM

I'd like to keep a few SPS with LPS and softies in a 40 breeder:

I'm going with either a 250w electronic ballast or a 175w magnetic. I like the slightly blue look of the 12-15k bulbs but I also want good PAR.
Which type and brand of bulb would be my best option in terms of overall economy, coral growth, color etc?

shelburn61 · #2 03/15/2005, 01:12 AM

SE or DE?

DtheDude · #3 03/15/2005, 01:26 AM

Will the MH be your only light (no supplements)?
Only one bulb?

If so, I would get a 250 watt 14k. The 250 will give you enough power to light most of your tank, and the 14k will be blue enough to give some fluorescence that you wouldn't get with 10k.

shelburn61 · #4 03/15/2005, 01:31 AM

yes, only one bulb

shelburn61 · #5 03/15/2005, 01:35 AM

so your logic is that the 250w would make up for the PAR lost from the higher color temp bulb?

brand?

DtheDude · #6 03/15/2005, 01:59 AM

Quote:

so your logic is that the 250w would make up for the PAR lost from the higher color temp bulb?

no...i'm saying that if you only have one bulb on a 40 gallon tank then it should be at least 250 watts, IMO. This would give you fairly good coverage. You might not be able to keep "light loving" stuff in the sides of your tank, depending on the dimensions, but you shouldn't have a problem w/ clams or SPS in the center or even on the bottom of the tank under the lamp. A 175 would limit what you could keep, and where you could keep it.

A 14k bulb will make up for not having actinic supplements. IMO a 10k bulb would be too white looking on its own, so I would go with a 14k or maybe a 20k, depending on the brand.

I like XM bulbs, I haven't used a lot of different types but they are my favorite right now....

merlock116 · #7 03/15/2005, 02:45 AM

go with the 250's. bulb selection is MUCH better. you've got AB, ushio, iwasaki, xm, coralvue, evctech, radium, etc, etc. there's an endless supply of them. the 175's are very limited.