Metal Halide bulbs of choice?

[parkavenuereef]

OK, About that time to get new bulbs, I run dual 400W Moguls. Currently I run hamilton 20k's. I would like to see more growth out of my sps and color. So what does everyone use? I know XM, ushio, etc. I heard about Blueline 10K plus bulbs which i seen run, but i think they might be to blue. Just curious what everyone runs and see's with there bulbs. Thanks guys!

[fragaholic]

I would so go with xm 20k's. But thats only if you have a magnetic ballast. Check out sunnyx's tanks, he runs those.

[parkavenuereef]

Originally posted by fragaholic
Ballast?

I have been running magnetic Advance ballasts.

[gasman059]

I run x's 20k 400 3 of them they'r good

[KH971]

10K Reeflux has some of the look of a 20K meaning it bring out the blues as good as a 20K, but you sacrifice in the Red colors if you ask me, but it is a good looking bulb, probably the best 10K in my opinion.

[KH971]

Grab you some Aquaconnect 14K's and you will not be disappointed!!!

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

If you are looking for 'growth', then 400W Hamilton 10K's are the highest PAR bulb on Advance m-59's.

[parkavenuereef]

where can i get a par chart with hamiltons for all the K readings?

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

http://www.reeflightinginfo.arvixe.com/

[Mr aqua]

I agree with aquaconnect 14K's. Light crisp white blue after burn in. I run 250w DE HQI on hamilton ballast.

[PITSTOP]

aquaconnect 14K's - from what I've been reading in multiple threads these are not available currently in the USA and the price is crazy.

How about Ushio 14K's?

[BLKTANG]

i was always a DE 14k -20k man myself. Phoenix, or Coralife

[parkavenuereef]

great info.. thanks everyone!

[mdspsman]

400W recommend Xm20K
250W DE recommend phoenix 14K

[trueblackpercula]

just to add to the madness............. I use 13k megachrome on an icecap ballaset 250 SE with actincs. love the color and the growth.
Michael

[DrBDC]

The XM 10's pull 172 at 11660 cct, the Hamiltons pull 184 at 8788 cct. The coralvue reflux is only pulling 101 and too high off a cct to measure so it's probably about 20,000 cct. I think I'd go with the XM's over the hamiltons just for the 3000 cct increase. I'm mulling a 400 magnetic bulb choice myself right now and may even go for an Iwasaki for it's 205 reading.

[60Cubed]

iwasaki is very,very yellow and will grow every kinda algea known to man! i used to run one. i changed to xm 20k. then changed to one xm 20k and one reeflux 10k. love the growth and color from the reeflux. might even change my other mh to a reeflux.

[jjmcat]

Ive had good luck with evc bulbs.

[DMK]

i have went from AB 10KDE to geiseman megachrome 14.5K DE to Phoenix 14K DE. all on PFO dual HQI ballast w/ VHO actinics on ice cap ballast.
- by far i have best coloration AND growth w/ the phoenix 14K. i'm about to order new ones. they're about 1 year old...

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

Originally posted by DrBDC
The XM 10's pull 172 at 11660 cct, the Hamiltons pull 184 at 8788 cct. The coralvue reflux is only pulling 101 and too high off a cct to measure so it's probably about 20,000 cct. I think I'd go with the XM's over the hamiltons just for the 3000 cct increase. I'm mulling a 400 magnetic bulb choice myself right now and may even go for an Iwasaki for it's 205 reading.

On magnetic ballasts, the XM is much more yellow than the Hamilton, The cct may be lower but look at the spectral analysis of the bulbs...much bigger yellow spike for xm......i ran a xm10k-yellow, a Blueline Superwhite-super green, and the hamilton, very white with a small spike in green.
So with URI super actinic vho's the hamilton's have the whitest color.

[dots]

I have been using the 14K Ushio DE with 2/96w PC.....like the color balance of them in the beginning, looking for that "silver" look....not blue nor yellow..but right in the middle towards the blue side of things....Recently they seem to be shifting to yellow a bit.....though I did add some rock and they are a bit "yellow" and are about to turn to purple, so they may be contributing to that effect.

[DrBDC]

Originally posted by E-A-G-L-E-S
On magnetic ballasts, the XM is much more yellow than the Hamilton, The cct may be lower but look at the spectral analysis of the bulbs...much bigger yellow spike for xm......i ran a xm10k-yellow, a Blueline Superwhite-super green, and the hamilton, very white with a small spike in green.
So with URI super actinic vho's the hamilton's have the whitest color.

Those were the M59 specs. I thought that ccrt is the overall color it is percieved to be. In the past for me it always correlated i.e. the xm10,000K on electronic had a blue tint and then the same bulb on the magnetic had a yellow tint and they were showing ccrt of 11,000ish on electronic and 9000 on magnetic.

[Whisperer]

I don't understand anything about cct but I have tried many a bulb but I am sold on reeflux 10K because the color change in my brown frags (never changed color with the other bulbs I tried) was apparent within a few days of use. I also noticed better growth. Polyp extension, however, is the same as with the other bulbs. Just my .02

[KH971]

10K Reeflux are what I am running now and will replace with them also, Aquaconnect 14K's are my first still but for the money 10K Reeflux can't be beat.

[fulmonty]

anyone know of the best site to order bulbs online? I'm starting the research into some new ones and there aren't many stores around me that specialize in this kind of thing anymore