What's your favorite mH bulb and why?

[sharuq1]

What's your favorite bulb and why? If you have pics of that bulb running please post!

[Myka]

250w XM 10K. It has the highest output on a PFO HQI ballast. It runs really yellow, so you need to supplement heavily with actinics.

[Kronk]

Phoenix 14k cant beat the color or the price.

EDIT: Heres a Pic the tank looks a little rough but you can see the light color pretty good.
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k266/Kronk_01/Xenia049.jpg

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

I'm using Aquaconnect 14000k 250w de on my main reef but Phoenix 14000k 250w de on my frag/seahorse refugium & I'll be replacing the $120+ AC with the much less expensive Phoenix bulbs. Same colour & nice intensity for a more reasonable price.

[Oceanic]

Pheonix all the way..................14k of course.

[Chaloupa]

tagging along as I am having a tough time finding a bulb I like...and "trying" them out is getting VERY COSTLY!

[Mik_101]

Im happy with my 10k 2x175 watt XM like mentioned befor they do run VERY yellow. I do suplement with t5 actinics and it makes them white. A thing i like about these bulbs is that they are not to expencive and ther a exelent bulb. nce i set up my 2x250's im befenetly putting on XM 14k.

Hears a picture of the tank with both halides and actinics on.
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa53/miki_17_o7/Picture035.jpg

[Sebae again]

I use Phoenix 14 k. Intensity with a nice amount of the blue spectrum.

[steve fedyk]

I like the colour of Magechrome 13000k 250 HQI with VHO white and blue actinic. Its looksgreat to my eyes.
http://DSC00441

[steve fedyk]

http://KMT5885.jpq

[christyf5]

Currently I'm running 250W Ushio 10K. Previously I have had Iwasaki 6.5K (very yellow but not so bad when supplemented with actinics) and I've tried the Reeflux 10K (made the tank look pink, it was very weird, they lasted 5 minutes on the tank) and XM 10K (not as white as the ushios so I sold them, again they didn't last long as I didn't like the color).

I'd like to try something more blue eventually but haven't found anything that has decent par in that department. I may just take the plunge anyways. I'll look for some photos if you'd like.

[sharuq1]

Thanks for all the opinions. It seems like several people really like the phoenix. Is it blue enough to run without supplemental actinic? I'd like the option of not having to do the actinic, so I am looking for something that doesn't run yellow but doesn't run ridiculously blue. Something in the middle to slightly bluer I guess.


kronk, what ballast are you running?

Is anyone running a phoenix on the galaxy?

[danny zubot]

Who sells the pheonix bulbs?

[fkshiu]

Currently I'm running 250W Ushio 10K. Previously I have had Iwasaki 6.5K (very yellow but not so bad when supplemented with actinics) and I've tried the Reeflux 10K (made the tank look pink, it was very weird, they lasted 5 minutes on the tank) and XM 10K (not as white as the ushios so I sold them, again they didn't last long as I didn't like the color).

I'd like to try something more blue eventually but haven't found anything that has decent par in that department. I may just take the plunge anyways. I'll look for some photos if you'd like.

I'm using Christy's old XM 10Ks. They appear whiter using an HQI ballast than a stardard magnetic. However, I do supplement with both VHO and T5HO actinics.

Personally, I'd consider both Radium 20Ks and Iwasaki 175W 15Ks revolutionary for separate reasons. When they came out, Radiums were the very first to give that actinic pop with just a MH bulb. The Iwasaki has PAR that rivals many 250W bulbs without looking yellow at all.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Thanks for all the opinions. It seems like several people really like the phoenix. Is it blue enough to run without supplemental actinic? I'd like the option of not having to do the actinic, so I am looking for something that doesn't run yellow but doesn't run ridiculously blue. Something in the middle to slightly bluer I guess.


I run the Phoenix and Aquaconnects 14000k bulbs without actinics. I find that with these bulbs, actinics don't really do much for the colour. I only use actinics when the MH are off. Nice blue-white light, but not too blue. Still very bright over my tanks, I find. The AC are over a year old now too and going strong.

[Lance]

I'm running Ushio 250W DE 10k with T5 actinics and am very happy with the blend of the two.

[Kronk]

kronk, what ballast are you running?



I run an Aromat electronic ballast. I personally dont think you need actinics on a 14k bulb if you want more blue go with 20k (20k is a little too blue for my liking). As my bulb is getting a little older now about 13months it is more white than blue. The whites in the tank "pop" way more than when i had PC with actinics though.

[bv_reefer]

one SE xm 400 watt, 20k. although it seems that xm's run at a lighter blue than persay radiums? it ain't no iwasaki, but the colors i'm getting are top notch so can't complain.

[sharuq1]

picsssssssss

[bv_reefer]

picsssssssss
i'll try to get one up soon

[sharuq1]

yay ^_^

[rangers-reef]

250w radium blue mh supplement with 10000k flourecsents gives a good amount of growth and a white shimmer to tank,

[Marlin65]

Thanks for all the opinions. It seems like several people really like the phoenix. Is it blue enough to run without supplemental actinic? I'd like the option of not having to do the actinic, so I am looking for something that doesn't run yellow but doesn't run ridiculously blue. Something in the middle to slightly bluer I guess.


kronk, what ballast are you running?

Is anyone running a phoenix on the galaxy?

I run the 14,000k Phoenix on a 250w electronic DE galaxy and am happy with it.:biggrin:

[sharuq1]

I heard that the phoenix shifts spectrum rather quickly as opposed to other bulbs. Anyone care to comment on that?

Is anyone running the coralvue or reeflux bulbs?

If anyone has some pics of their favorite bulbs running, please pretty please with a cherry barb on top, post them. :)

[danny zubot]

I'm running a 12K 400 watt reef flux bulb. It's not blue enough for me but some people might like it.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

My Aquaconnects & Phoenix bulbs all keep their colour very well.

[EmilyB]

After seeing Willito's tank this past weekend, I'd vote Phoenix. I used them a couple years back and I thought they lost intensity quickly, so I don't know how often he changes them but his tank is completely incredible, without zeovit....:lol:

[danny zubot]

I'm assuming that these bulbs are only sold in DE, because I haven't seen any other site that advertises them in a mogul. Sucks to be me because i really wanted to try one.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Aquaconnects come in SE & DE but are very expensive. Phoenix only in DE, but 1/2 the price of AC bulbs.

[Delphinus]

For me I think my favourite is Iwasaki's 15k. They say 15k but it's really more of a "true 10k". Ie., they're white, if you like a blue sheen you'd still need something supplementally but other than that these bulbs are great. The 175W I have outshines the 250W XM 10k's I have on another tank. AFAIK they are only available in mogul 175W and DE 250W. Would be nice to have more choice but I guess we get what we get. They're Iwasaki so they last forever before shifting (if ever) and the PAR is right up there (in case you care about PAR). Lastly, the 175's are probe start so they run perfectly on $30 M57 ballasts. :) (Which is what I have .. nice to not have to worry about replacing the ballasts with pulse-starts one day.)

[fiorano]

i run the megachrome 13000k i just bought them last week and i went down from 14500k i like the change quite a lot

[cblair]

one more vote for phoenix. I recentley tried a 14k ushio as my phoenix is over a year old now. the ushio looked very yellow compared to the phoenix so I put the phoenix back in and ordered up a new one. very nice colour, crisp white with a touch of blue. use actinic to give the corals a bit more pop.

[danny zubot]

Is anyone using the XM 20K? If so, can you post a pic?

[kwirky]

out of the MH's I like the phoenix/AC 14k bulbs (same bulb according to sanjay's info). Now THEE best bulb combination I think is a T5 setup with 50% fiji purple and 50% new generation. Looks real sharp but T5's aren't the best choice for everyone.

Anyone have any idea if it's worth it to supplement a 14k MH bulb with T5 fiji purple, or to supplement it with actinics? either or kinda question.

[clipperfish]

I use two 400 raduim 20k for main lights and one t5 with two blue antinics for my dawn light, and one t5 comes on (white and blue light's ) they come on with one of the Mh bulbs and goes out when the second mh comes on. it reverse for night time .

[danny zubot]

I'll let you know tonight when I switch out my lights. I just bought an Aqua-connect 14K and two Fiji purple T5's.

[danny zubot]

Here's my before and after pics of my new lights.

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=326771#post326771