pbnj Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 I decided to experiment with those inexpensive PlusRite MH bulbs. For $13/bulb, I figured what the heck. You may have read about them on Reef Central. Well, after about 3 weeks, I have to say, I'm really impressed. They say a picture is worth 1,000 words, so here you go..... This coral stopped growing months ago, it was completely browned-out, and it started to RTN or bleach a couple of weeks before I moved all of my corals into my new 135g tank. I quite literally was about to throw it away when I decided to give it a chance in the new tank. Boy, I'm sure glad I kept it. Not only has the color completely returned (picture doesn't show all of the beautiful sky-blue tips/highlighting), but the growth has been quite noticeable as well. Picture was taken with just the VHO 454's on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooks Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Do the bulbs have a bluer spectrum? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbnj Posted January 14, 2011 Author Share Posted January 14, 2011 In my opinion, I'd say the 14K's are just slightly "warmer" than the Phoenix 14K's, but still give a "cool" white look. They look great with my VHO 454's (which are blue, not purple-jelly colored). They say the 20Ks are quite blue, but the 14K's PAR readings are significantly better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooks Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 They've got a 20k bulb for $13 and I didn't know about it?! Geeze, if I wasn't running to LEDs.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 My question is how old were your previous bulbs before replacing them with these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
August Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 where did you buy them from?? I am about due to replace mine and might give these a try Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbnj Posted January 14, 2011 Author Share Posted January 14, 2011 My question is how old were your previous bulbs before replacing them with these? I'd say about 7-9 months. I swapped out bulbs once for a few weeks during that time, so it's hard to say exactly. The other corals were fine though, however I never saw growth like this. I'm sure the four Lumenarc Mini reflectors I'm using now have a lot to do with this, but hey, the bulbs seem to be doing their job too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbnj Posted January 14, 2011 Author Share Posted January 14, 2011 where did you buy them from?? I am about due to replace mine and might give these a try Not sure if I'm allowed to say because they're not an ARC sponsor. They should be easy to find with an online search ("PlusRite"). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teg Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Does your signature still shows your current system spec? (135 gal, 4 250w etc...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbnj Posted January 14, 2011 Author Share Posted January 14, 2011 Yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 My question is how old were your previous bulbs before replacing them with these? I'd say about 7-9 months. I swapped out bulbs once for a few weeks during that time, so it's hard to say exactly. The other corals were fine though, however I never saw growth like this. I'm sure the four Lumenarc Mini reflectors I'm using now have a lot to do with this, but hey, the bulbs seem to be doing their job too. Hmm.. so it was about time to replace your old ones. It would be interesting to compare the growth/color of two sets of new bulbs (expensive/not expensive). But as you said, you had not seen growth like this before. But the reflectors could be the key. I have read that proper reflector positioning makes a world of difference. Heck, when I added on my stunner LED's (with reflectors), my MH looked brighter due to the reflectors inadvertently reflecting more light into the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mFrame Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Looks like single-ended only? and man, those things look like balloons! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbnj Posted January 14, 2011 Author Share Posted January 14, 2011 Looks like single-ended only? and man, those things look like balloons! Mine are SE's. Don't know if they make DE's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teg Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 if anyone is wondering about the par value here is some experimental values someone took. http://www.wamas.org/forums/topic/35542-400w-se-mh-bulbs/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 if anyone is wondering about the par value here is some experimental values someone took. http://www.wamas.org/forums/topic/35542-400w-se-mh-bulbs/ Good link ... shows that someone did what I was thinking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Anybody interested in doing a group order? I noticed the shipping is estimated at $9.93 to Austin no matter how many bulbs I put down for the order. LMK -Ty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdavis735 Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 They make them in DE. I got one when I bought my lumenarc pendant.it was a 20k. I used it over a frag tank for awhile. It had a nice color. I'd say it looked more 14k than 20k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mFrame Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 At that price it's worth a try. If someone wants to arrange a group order and they have DE bulbs, I'm in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbnj Posted February 10, 2011 Author Share Posted February 10, 2011 Just an update.... It's been almost another month and these bulbs (and coral) continue to impress me. This coral has changed from brown, to green with sky-blue tips, to completely sky-blue all over! 1/14/11 2/10/11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph9123 Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 I tried them on my 75 gallon with two 14k 175 se and works good, light blue tint. Where did you order yours from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teg Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Just an update.... It's been almost another month and these bulbs (and coral) continue to impress me. This coral has changed from brown, to green with sky-blue tips, to completely sky-blue all over! 1/14/11 2/10/11 Did those light aid in the algae growth seen in the second picture? don't mean to offend... just wondering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbnj Posted February 11, 2011 Author Share Posted February 11, 2011 Did those light aid in the algae growth seen in the second picture? don't mean to offend... just wondering. I'm dealing with a little phosphate issue which I attribute to the tank being newly set-up with dead (previously live) rock. Running 1000W of MH lights (plus VHOs) over a 135g tank for 8hrs/day certainly contributes though. Also, I still haven't added a significant clean-up crew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbnj Posted March 18, 2011 Author Share Posted March 18, 2011 Almost 3 months in.....progressing: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Nice corals and tank! Is that a Pagoda, Turbinaria peltata, left and just below the plating monti (i'm guessing from the photos) in the center? If it is do you see the polyps open up much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbnj Posted March 18, 2011 Author Share Posted March 18, 2011 I imagine it's a Pagoda Cup of some kind, but the polyps are extremely small. The coral has grown, but the polyps have been like that since I bought it about 2 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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