Need Little info on MH bulbs

[Kingumar]

I have a MH fixture laying around with very old bulbs. My friend wanted to use it for his 90gal which would be mostly sps.
Now, i dont know which bulbs to get. It currently has 2x HIT 250w 1400k bulbs.
which bulbs should he go for? im not sure if 1400k is better then 1000k, 1500k or 2000k..
also, i know there are bulbs that have the blueish color to it. which ones are those?

overall, what are considered good MH bulbs and how often do MH bulbs need to be replaced?

Thanks!

 

[Krish]

Pheonix 14K will probably be recommended more than anything here. It is a really nice looking bulb which alot of people like.

 

[mojoreef]

Kingumar the choice of MH bulb types come down to a personal thing. Some folks like a bluer look some like it more closer to natural, so it best to see if you can see some up and working and then make a call on what look you like the best.
In the bulbs you listed the 10K would be the whites color then it would go towards the bluer look as you increase in the temp of the bulbs, so the 20k would be the bluest.

Mike

 

[Kingumar]

how is the growth with the pheonix 14k? for 48x18x24
well he has this fixture and it has 4 t5's built in it. If he can get away with 14k and the t5's can help with the color would that help?

so what im understanding is that the lower the kelvin number, the more yellowish color it is and it gives you more growth?

could he go 10k with the t5's or would that be too yellow?
14k can also work.. i would like to see some pics haha.

 

[Krish]

Yea, the lower the kelvin rating the yellower it becomes. I think 10K is supposed to be white. Anything less goes towards the yellow spectrum and anything higher shifts more towards the blue spectrum. If you want a crisp white bulb, I'd look into an XM 10K bulb. That was probably the purest white bulb I ever used driven off of a PFO ballast. Now I didn't have too many tohers to compare it to, but for me, it was pretty white! Take a look here though 250Watt Bulb Comparison . This website is interactive which will allow you to change the bulb's to see which look you like best. Also, gives you the details (like par rating etc) on the bulbs.

 

[mojoreef]

Here ya go

Cnidarian Reef: Joe Burger's 180 gal Reef Tank

 

[Kingumar]

thanks a lot. now i know what MH bulbs are all about.
now its about what should be bought because they r expensive.
i am looking for growth as well as color. Now that i have 4 54w T5's, if i go with the 10k's and do ati blue+ combo for the T5's i am thinking that will get me what i want..!!

 

[mojoreef]

Yea keep in mind those tests and examples are a little old, but I was hoping it gave you a better understanding.

Glad it helped


Mojo