Anyone using phoenix 14K DE with an ARO E ballast? [Archive] - Reef Central Online Community Archives

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07/19/2006, 11:46 AM

Does it come out very blue?

Yinger

07/19/2006, 12:21 PM

Ti, I've read that the ARO ballasts work just as well as the Icecaps for many people on this board. I am running an ARO VHO ballast and it works perfect and doesn't get hot at all stays nice and cool like my icecaps 250s.

07/19/2006, 12:46 PM

Yeh, I've really had no complaints about the ARO ballast.
Works like a champ.

SunnyX

07/19/2006, 12:51 PM

I used that combo in the past and found the color to be perfect.

07/19/2006, 01:40 PM

Is it really blue though?

SunnyX

07/19/2006, 02:12 PM

It looked the same as the HQI ballast I had running, I seen no difference.

Horace

07/19/2006, 02:19 PM

Just for the record, I just put 2x250w Phoenix on the EVC/Reef Fanatic ballasts and they look pretty darn white to me. They dont look anywhere near a 20k IMO

07/19/2006, 02:35 PM

that's interesting, everyone keeps saying they are really blue.

Horace

07/19/2006, 03:56 PM

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7773188#post7773188 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ti
that's interesting, everyone keeps saying they are really blue.

Frankly I dont see it.....Maybe if you have a blue painted tank, otherwise they look white with a hint of blue. They are not even in the same realm as the EVC 14k. I havent seen very many 14k tanks but I would say the color is similar to what my T5 tank used to look like when I had 2x Aquablue, 1 GE daylight, and 3 Blue+, Very white w/ a tinge of blue. Certainly not super blue like some are reporting....My tank even with the dual T5 54w Super Actinics on it doesnt look overly blue IMO.

07/19/2006, 05:01 PM

Now I'm all confused cause some people were saying it was TOO blue and they were switching bulbs cause it was too blue.

smatter

07/19/2006, 05:23 PM

It is too blue for me. I am thinking of going back to ABs or maybe trying the Giesemann Coral bulb.

vanmle

07/19/2006, 06:38 PM

Phoenix 14Ks start out as a little too blue but they "whiten" up after a couple of weeks.

I used mine on ARO ballasts and that was my results. I talked to some reefers in Phoenix (the city) who use Phoenix 14Ks with electronic bulbs and their results were the same as mine.

07/19/2006, 10:00 PM

gee and some people were saying it has the same spectral plot as radium 20K
I'm a bit dissappointed

smatter

07/19/2006, 10:14 PM

Just switched out the Phoenix with the good old AB bulb. I burned in the Phoenix for a month and it was still too blue for my taste, even though it did whiten up a bit. The bulb has too much in the 460nm range and little violet or anything else for that matter. I thought it made my tank look washed out.

Anyone in the Madison area need a 250W Phoenix with 100 hours on it for cheap?

prodman

07/19/2006, 11:07 PM

Ti - I just switched back to pheonix from ushio 20k. After using and liking the ushios I am a little dissapointed with how white the pheonix look. Now a couple years ago when I switched out my xm 10k for pheonix I had never seen somthing so blue. So if you want a for shure blue bulb that produces great coral colors then get ushio/blv 20ks.

07/19/2006, 11:11 PM

Is the Ushio 20K better on par than the XM?

prodman

07/19/2006, 11:31 PM

No its the same. But it is a brighter looking bulb if I am not mistaken.If you pay for the shipping I can send you an old pheonix to try out. Or I will be in femont on sat.

tdsounds

07/19/2006, 11:53 PM

I had the aquaconnects 14k 250w de(similiar to phoenix) on icecaps and they had a blue tint to it. I now have 14k 250w de on evc ballast and they are white to me. I'm okay with it b/c my actinics make up for the blue tint that I desire. I think it has to do with different ballast that make it a different color.

want2reef

07/20/2006, 09:54 AM

I run Phoenix on EVC ballasts.

The Phoenix bulb is a lot whiter than my old EVC 14K bulb.