14k or 20k halide

[jasonseaman]

just wanted to try 20k but not sure if coral will like or not or is it all the same and just my preference..:dance:

 

[NC2WA]

you are correct about personal preference..but the 20K offers more blue than 14K...so if you want blue in the tank, go 20K.

 

[seakingaquariums]

A lot of it has to do with what brand bulb and how many watts you are running as well... some will just tend to be blue-er and some yellow-er

 

[Chichas01]

Can't go wrong with 14K Phoenix.

 

[Krish]

I love the 14K Phoenix as well! Favorite bulb.


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[trido]

It does have a lot to do with preference but it also will have a huge factor on the growth rate of your corals and how often you need to replace your bulbs.
A 10 K bulb will give you great growth but some of your corals will tend to be more brown and wont flouresce as much as they will with the higher K bulbs.
The 10 K bulb will also need to be replaced less often

The rule of thumb for bulb life, which I swear by, is;
10k one year
14k nine months
20k six months

Sure you can get more life from your bulbs than that, but IMO you wont get optimal growth and coloration. I ran a phoenix DE 14k for a year and a half once. The corals were OK but surely weren't growing and awesome like the ones in the other tank

 

[josh88]

That's interesting might explain why my hardy polyps aren't looks so green but more brown now. And my pink coral is looking less pink. Maybe its time to change my bulb

HTC EVO

 

[mcoomer]

I run 20K Radiums with an M80 ballast and replace my bulb every 12 months. I love the look and corals look very good. Tank is SPS with a lobo and hammer thrown in for...well, really not sure why I have them.

Mike

 

[tat2z_21]

I was also going to mention that if the ballast is not a good ballast then the color spectrum will be off as well. So that has a huge factor into what color you are looking for. In my opinion the 14k Phoenix is a great bulb, and to me has the perfect balance of blue and white.

 

[jasonseaman]

i went with the 14k phoenix.... but almost sounds like 10k might have been better route ill try 10k next goround..

 

[trido]

i went with the 14k phoenix.... but almost sounds like 10k might have been better route ill try 10k next goround..

After getting used to the 14k phoenix you will never be satisfied with many other bulbs. Its one of the best. The radium 20k is also a very nice bulb.
Your ballast will not only have an effect on bulb color but also on bulb life.

 

[Spinner]

They have a MH bulb that does both 14k and 20k in one bulb. Read some good reviews several months ago....sorry don't remember who made it or who sells them.

 

[steeldoc]

Im running a 250w halida with 2 12kyear and 2 actinic t5. I absolutly love this combination. Looks very natural

 

[dnjan]

They have a MH bulb that does both 14k and 20k in one bulb. Read some good reviews several months ago....sorry don't remember who made it or who sells them.

???
The k-rating is just the intensity-weighted average of the different wavelengths of light given off by the bulb. Practically all MH bulbs for aquariums will have some light at a full range of wavelengths, so this description of a 14k and a 20k just sounds like advertising. A 6.5k bulb will have those same wavelengths, just in different intensities.

 

[jezzeaepi]

A 6.5k bulb will have those same wavelengths, just in different intensities.

Not really. The spectral plot of a 20k radium looks drastically different then a Iwasaki 6500. See for yourself Manhattan Reefs - Sanjay's Lighting Guide (click compare mh lamp)

 

[dnjan]

thanks for the link, but there were no bulbs shown in the "tree on the left". Just a blank, white rectangle.

 

[jezzeaepi]

Are you using an iphone or ipad? It requires java I believe.

 

[Krish]

Be careful with brands. If I can get on my pc and find a picture I want to post, I'll add it here, but I ran (2) 20k XM's on my 75gal and one cracked. As a result, I ordered two 12k Reeflux to replace them with (think it was) because the 20K's were too blue for me. When I finally got the bulbs, for kicks I said I'd just swap the one bad 20K for the 12K and see how much of a difference the two would be. I was surprised to find out that I couldn't tell the difference. Took a photo and posted it here as proof. Basically in my case, all I did was increase the PAR rating as they 12k's had a bit more than the 20k's, but color wise, no difference with those two brands.

I'll look for the pics though.


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[07FocusST]

I like 20k personally

 

[Krish]

Here's that picture I spoke about.