diabeetus Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 i have a 29 gallon biocube with just a metal halide clip on light right now, but i was wondering if there was a way to put a little more color in my display. i have thought about retro fitting actinics but im not too comfortable with that idea with the set up i currently have. does anyone know of a MH fixture that has attached actinics thats 20" long? or something that would work for a 29 biocube? thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzobob Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 There are several fixtures that size that have atinics however you may also want to look at the bulb in your halide. You don't mention what the bulb is but as you move up from 10k to 14k the light gets bluer. At 20k you wind up with, to me, a very blue light. In the links section there are a few links to halide bulb testing and evaluation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mcallahan Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 +1 for what Gonzo said...try different MH bulb temps first. It's an easier upgrade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diabeetus Posted March 25, 2010 Author Share Posted March 25, 2010 soo, no matter what the wattage is i can put any kelvin bulb in there? thanks for the tip!! im pretty sure im due for a new bulb anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zarathustra2 Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Yep, I am using some 20k SPS bulbs and I think they may be a bit too blue. Check out some 14Ks and see how you like them. I had a 14k on my 24G nano and it was just perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mcallahan Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 soo, no matter what the wattage is i can put any kelvin bulb in there? thanks for the tip!! im pretty sure im due for a new bulb anyway I'm not quite clear on what you are asking. Pretty much any wattage bulb has multiple K rating available. Just make sure the bulb you are buying matches your ballast wattage. So don't go putting a 175W bulb on a 250W ballast. (Or if you do, film it for me!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayneb Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 How about changing out 150 halide bulbs with 175s? wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 i have a 29 gallon biocube with just a metal halide clip on light right now, but i was wondering if there was a way to put a little more color in my display. i have thought about retro fitting actinics but im not too comfortable with that idea with the set up i currently have. does anyone know of a MH fixture that has attached actinics thats 20" long? or something that would work for a 29 biocube? thanks in advance Hey, you read my mind ... I was thinking about this same thing with my tank. I currently have just metal halides over my tank, and after seeing Mama's tanks, was thinking about adding in supplemental actinic. Now, to those suggesting upping the K on the bulb. Yes, you get more blue with the 14K and 20K bulbs (I am running 14K phoenix bulbs), but you don't really get the color "pop"/"glow" that actinics bring out in corals..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikedelgado Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 I would try a blue led bar if you are just looking for more pop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 I would try a blue led bar if you are just looking for more pop. Great suggestion ... I was actually thinking about this and started some basic research last night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zarathustra2 Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Now, to those suggesting upping the K on the bulb. Yes, you get more blue with the 14K and 20K bulbs (I am running 14K phoenix bulbs), but you don't really get the color "pop"/"glow" that actinics bring out in corals..... I do get some really good pop with my SPS 20Ks but have to admit that I would prefer 10Ks with actinics and will probably move there when I get a new canopy that lets me. In my old nano I had a pendant that hung from the cealing. I added some "night blue" LEDs that I just ran 24x7 on it and it worked really well as a poor man's actinics. IIRC I had 4 LEDs on a 10k 175W bulb and it worked out pretty nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 How about changing out 150 halide bulbs with 175s? wayne I'm not sure you can do this with out: 1. May shorten the life of the bulb. 2. Ballast may not be able to drive the bulb, or worse yet burn up the ballast. Not sure if this accurate information but my tiny brain seems to understand it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 I'm not sure you can do this with out: 1. May shorten the life of the bulb. 2. Ballast may not be able to drive the bulb, or worse yet burn up the ballast. Not sure if this accurate information but my tiny brain seems to understand it. Just did a little research and found this information: "The simple answer is it is not recommended and will cause the system (ballast and lamp) to operate off spec (the ballast and/or lamp will not operate as they were intended). It will cause shortened lamp and ballast life and even could cause a lamp to violently fail. With magnetic ballasts the lamp type needs to be matched with the proper ballast type. A magnetic 150-watt HQI (ANSI M81) ballast will light a 175-watt (ANSI M57/M137/M152) lamp. The problem is the ballast will provide more operating current to the lamp than it is designed for. Resulting in overdriving the lamp (operate lamp past wattage rating). A magnetic 175/150-watt (ANSI M57/M107) probe start ballast will not light a 150-watt double-ended (ANSI M81) or a 150-watt single-ended (ANSI M102) lamp properly and reliably due to the lower starting voltage provided by the ballast. 150-watt ANSI M107 lamps are not used in the aquarium industry. An ANSI M107 150-watt lamp is specifically designed to replace ANSI M57 175-watt lamps for energy savings. An ANSI M107 lamp works on an ANSI M57 ballast because the operating current and starting requirements are the same. The ANSI M107 lamp just has a lower operating voltage allowing it to operate at reduced wattage on a magnetic ANSI M57 ballast. Metal halide lamps and ballasts should always be match properly. In North America ANSI (American National Standards Institute) codes are used to match lamps and ballasts properly to assure proper and safe operation. Matching wattage ratings is not a good idea as each type has different starting, warm up and operating characteristics." So my tiny littel brain actually was on the right path! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diabeetus Posted March 25, 2010 Author Share Posted March 25, 2010 yeah, i have been looking into other 14k bulbs and have noticed the phoenix 150w 14k are one of the best for par and color. also, i have heard Reflux is a good one too. the LED idea is a good one too. i just might try that. i DO need to order a new MH bulb yet, so i think im going to order the phoenix 14k this time, but try out different bulbs each time to see the difference. this was some really great information!! i really appreciate it and ill take some before and after FTS to show the differences in the color as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starsprinkle Rainbowsmile Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 yeah, i have been looking into other 14k bulbs and have noticed the phoenix 150w 14k are one of the best for par and color. also, i have heard Reflux is a good one too. the LED idea is a good one too. i just might try that. i DO need to order a new MH bulb yet, so i think im going to order the phoenix 14k this time, but try out different bulbs each time to see the difference. this was some really great information!! i really appreciate it and ill take some before and after FTS to show the differences in the color as well Hi Diabeetus, I am running a 150w 14K Phoenix MH DE over my tank. I do not have any actinic supplementation. I was first running a Coralife 14K bulb that was so white it was yellow. It was horrible. When I first installed the Phoenix 14K, I thought I had made a huge mistake. The color was atrocious. It was a dull, washed out greyish-blue that drowned out ALL of the color in my tank. But I had read that you need to let MH lamps have a proper "burn-in" time of up to 2 weeks for their proper color and par to settle in. So I waited it out. After two weeks it was a little better, but still unpleasing. I went to search for a new lamp and let another two or three weeks pass by. By that time, the lamp had settled in very nicely. It now produces a very nice crisp white combined with a nice blue that is not overwhelming. There is even a hint of purple to the color. It is quite bright, and my SPS do well under it. All the colors in my tank are bright and defined. It is now quite pleasing to view and a great performing lamp. Out of all the reviews I've read, I've never seen it mentioned the Phoenix 14K producing any hint of purple, no matter how slight. However, I come to find there are many variables to how a lamp will perform, your ballast being a big factor. So your mileage may vary. Although I am pleased with the Phoenix 14K now, it is still not quite the right look that I am wanting to achieve. As I said, the colors are nice and some of my corals do fluoresce, but they do not quite "pop" and have the contrast that I have seen in many other tanks. This is much easier to obtain with supplemental actinic lighting, and more difficult with only a MH lamp. As I understand it, the fluorescence of corals is due to certain color pigments interacting with light in the 420 nanometer range. You will find some MH lamps that have spectrographs. If you want that actinic coloration and pop without supplemental actinic lights, you will need to find a MH lamp that had a solid peak in the 420-450 nanometer range. If anybody sees that I am wrong in my understanding, please correct me. There are several lamps on the market that receive positive praise, there are the Radium 20K, Phoenix 14K, Reeflux 12K & 20K, Elos 20K, etc... After some research, and wanting a single MH lamp that will produce the par, color, and performance that I am looking for without any actinic supplementation, my next lamp purchase will most likely be the new Elos Spectra Chrome 20K "Abyss" lamp, and I will be sure to write up a review once it is burned in and I have some experience with it. I'd take some pictures of my current Phoenix 14K setup, but I do not have a very good camera or photography skills and its very difficult to accurately portray the color in a photograph without knowing how to adjust for white balance and all those other camera settings. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Although I am pleased with the Phoenix 14K now, it is still not quite the right look that I am wanting to achieve. As I said, the colors are nice and some of my corals do fluoresce, but they do not quite "pop" and have the contrast that I have seen in many other tanks. This is much easier to obtain with supplemental actinic lighting, and more difficult with only a MH lamp. Ok, I was afraid I might be the only one who was not 100% happy with the coloring I am getting with my Phoenix 14K's. Everyone raved about them, so I thought I would try them. I actually think I was happier with whatever 20K's came with my Coralife fixture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diabeetus Posted March 26, 2010 Author Share Posted March 26, 2010 "I would try a blue led bar if you are just looking for more pop." do you know where i can find one of these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted March 26, 2010 Share Posted March 26, 2010 Do a google search for actinic led, it turns up lots of stuff (I was looking at one on Amazon) but I am sure other retailers have them. And of course check with our sponsors Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikedelgado Posted March 26, 2010 Share Posted March 26, 2010 (edited) I have 2 finnex 1 watt bars and 2 coral sky cree led 3watt bars.The best bang for the buck is the finnex. I got my finnex at aqua cave and the coral sky units at world wide corals(They claim to use 6 of them on their show tank ). There is another one out called reef brights that are getting really good reviews they use underdriven 3 watt led's and are priced in between the finnex and the coral sky's(more twards the coral sky's). those are backordered at premium aquatics. You are welcome to come by and see what they look like. People that have seen the finnex in action liked them alot. Edited March 26, 2010 by mikedelgado Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikedelgado Posted March 26, 2010 Share Posted March 26, 2010 (edited) Power brights are another brand that I have read positive reviews on. They use 1 watt led's also, however they only have 4 bulbs per bar. You can link up th three bars together I was going to go that rought at 1st but went with the finnex 9 bulb bars instead . Edited March 26, 2010 by mikedelgado Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.