MH - Which Brand

murphy · 11-09-2003, 02:27 PM

I was running Dual 175 Watt 10k Ushio and 2 Actinic 95 Watts and everything has been thriving. However, one of the Ushio burnt out and the LFS sold me a Custom Sealife 175 Watt 10k telling me it was a better bulb. Well I put it in and was surprised with the color difference. Custom Sealife is much bluer and not as bright vs. the clear bright white light from the Ushio. By the way the Custom Sealife was much more expensive.

So the question is this, which one is the better bulb for my reef? Should I go back to the Ushio, since I have 2 actinics already or is the Custom Sealife really a better MH bulb?

Geoff · 11-09-2003, 11:07 PM

a lot of this is personal preference. with that said i have read that the iwasakis and the ushio's are the brightest. they are also the most yellow. brighter is better if coral growth is your primary concern. if colour is your top concern then get what you think looks better. not all 10K's are the same.

a lot of the time you just gotta try them to see which ones you like. i hate that.

G~

tdwyatt · 11-09-2003, 11:41 PM

I don't think Iwasaki makes a 175 watt bulb... ...and I really cant make a suggestion, I haven't ever used any of the 175 watt bulbs on the market