[Burchoid]

After ordering a birds nest described as:

"Spectacular Fuchsia and Rose Frag of Seriatophora hystrix "

With a dark pink and fuscia pictures but instead getting a faint whitish pink frag I was concerned. I emailed them a week later with my concerns as the coral's polyps had opened up and even showed signs of new growth with the same coloration. I have 10K PC's and actinics. After telling them this they said I was out of luck since the pics they take are with 20K lights. Aren't 10K with actinics very simular to a straight up 20K light? They have this note on their website as well ...

"All photos are taken under 1000 Watt and 400 Watt SE 20 K Helios Bulbs. Corals will look different under 10 K bulbs. Wild colonies seem to need lots of blue spectrum to hold their phosphorescent qualities, and we at Reefer Madness recommend that the corals should be kept under 20 K Halides to represent their best colors."

Any comments?

 

[Burchoid]

So whats best? Is there a happy medium for best growth/color?

 

[Burchoid]

I have seen some 14K bulbs out there ... what about these and some VHO actinics?

 

[Burchoid]

That is probably the best link on bulb/ballast comparisons that you may be able to find. The key for growth is the par rating. The higher the PAR rating the better the growth usually is. Another factor is bulb life. Bulb life is judged by how long it maintains PAR life. Though Radiums are a heavy favorite in the 20k world due to the higher PAR rating they may not maintain that higher PAR rating as long as some other bulbs might such as a 20k XM. The cost of an XM is also far less than that of a Radium as well. However XM 20k bulbs are actually really blue by most people standards and do have a lower PAR rating as I stated before. Otherwise I think they would be the undisputed champion of MH bulbs. XM 10k bulbs however have a very high PAR rating... especially for the cost. Again it is suggested that XMs in general seem to have a really good bulb "life" so they are also very popular. An ushio 10k is a heavy favorite in the 10k world but again they are a bit more expensive than a XM. Although if you look at specs Ushio 10k bulbs are not as well seeded as the XM 10k... but people seem to have a great deal of success with the Ushio 10k bulbs. That said the specs are not always the answer... there is something to be said about actual results... In a perfect world for me it is 10k XM & 20k XM mixture based on cost vs specs vs bulb life vs results...

Mind you all of this is mearly my opinion based on the articles and threads that I have read as well as experience with XM & radium bulbs only. On a side note that is why I am very disappointed in the XM 15k bulb specs. The PAR rating is exceptionally low IMO.

I take it you are talking SE bulbs and not DE? I do plan on having a dual MH setup and I am saving up for it now ... but I plan on going with HQI because of the higher performance, light quality, and smaller form factor.

That being said, I was going to do the Outer Orbit unit that has 2 150W HQI's and dual 130W actinics. Will 150W HQI's be enough for my 75G tank? Another member on the formum is willing to sell me his dual 250W MH mogul base setup for a good price. I was really diggin the Outer Orbit, but 150W HQI 20K lights are pretty weak I hear.

I dunno, what do you think?

 

[Burchoid]

Is it safe to say that 150W 10K HQI will have the same growing potential as a 250W 20K HQI? Would the difference in power (more power=more light, usually) and difference in color temp (10K has more intensity than 20K) put these two bulbs neck to neck in actual intensity?