JamesL Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 I am replacing my 20K bulbs next week with 14K's, and was planning on adding multiple layers of screening above the tank to diffuse the light and help adjust the corals to the new bulbs. Any recommendations for how long of a process this should be? Doing a search in the forums yielded an answer of around 3 weeks. I would assume then I could do like three layers of screening, and each week remove one layer? Thanks ... been doing saltwater tanks for 20 years, but this is my first experience with MH. -James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmanning Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 What brand of light bulb are you replacing it with? Is it a mogul base or double ended? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted June 25, 2009 Author Share Posted June 25, 2009 What brand of light bulb are you replacing it with? Is it a mogul base or double ended? Double ended, Phoenix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmanning Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Double ended, Phoenix. At the ARC meeting....there were some members discussing double ended MH bulbs not having a UV protect shield. Laura aka "Mama" and myself experience something similar w/the phoenix bulb, it actually burned some corals. I removed the bulb immediately after seeing signs on the corals (bleaching, polyps drooping and LPS flesh not expanding...some even receding), I immediately replaced it w/the old bulb. I eventually took another chance and used it again and this time I placed a piece of glass across the frag tank. It seems to help and I'm going on the 2nd week w/no problems. I heard the Reeflux double ended bulbs are UV protected......I can't confirm that, someone else may chime on this one, but I would prefer to change my light fixture for a pendant w/mogul base bulb in the near future. My frag tank is plumb to the main tank and even though it's the same water....the corals that end up in the frag tank don't look nothing like on the main tank. So I figured it's got to be the lighting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted June 25, 2009 Author Share Posted June 25, 2009 I have a dual bulb Coralife fixture, which has glass plates over each of the bulb sockets, which I believe are UV protected. In addition I have glass lids on the tank (which I doubt have any real UV protection). But that is good information to know for the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmanning Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 I have a dual bulb Coralife fixture, which has glass plates over each of the bulb sockets, which I believe are UV protected. In addition I have glass lids on the tank (which I doubt have any real UV protection). Good!! I'm glad to hear that and if you use your glass lids than you might not experience any problems. There was a thread on RC about someone adding a nylon screen to keep the wrasses from going carpet surfing. This could probably be use in conjunction to the shield glass or not, but it can help w/the lighting adjustment to your corals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckin Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 After the bulbs burn in, how about posting how you like the Phoenix 14k. I've been thinking about making this change myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
innate1 Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 I love my Phoenix 14k! I love what it does to the color, I might not get as much growth as I had with the 20k but the colors pop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Daniel Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 I love the color of my Phoenix 14k ...but I kinda wish they made radiums in 250w DE =/ I love the blue! I believe almost all (if not all) DE bulbs lack UV protection and consequently require a glass shield. SE/Mogul bulbs have a built-in UV shield. The primary motivation behind using a DE bulb, from what I've heard, is that they tend to have higher PAR ratings relative to their SE/mogul counterparts. Because you're 1) getting a new bulb and 2) switching to a bulb with a higher PAR, acclimating your corals is very important. Instead of physically placing something in front of the lamps to reduce their output, I would highly recommend a shorter photo period. You might try cutting your MH photoperiod in half and try increasing it an hour each week until you're happy (er... I mean your corals). Daniel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Daniel Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 (edited) I love my Phoenix 14k! I love what it does to the color, I might not get as much growth as I had with the 20k but the colors pop. Do you think you had better growth with your 20k? I think that goes against what most people experience since 20k lamps often have less than half as much PAR as 10k lamps. I love the color of good 20k lamps like the Radiums (even more than the Phoenix 14k)....everything looks so delicious. Edited June 26, 2009 by Daniel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted June 26, 2009 Author Share Posted June 26, 2009 Will definitely post how I like them. And I echo Daniel's question. I was switching down to 14K's to get more growth... and specifically picked the Phoenix's because they are supposedly one of the bluest 14K's. Good suggestion on reducing the photo period... will do that. So you think just cutting the photoperiod is enough, and that I wouldn't need to filter the light additionally? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
innate1 Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 When I switched I cooked my green slimer and my red digi, I just ordered new t5s and was talking to Julio at aquacave and he said next time I change bulbs to do exactly what Daniel said to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Daniel Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 As an additional precaution, you could try raising your light fixture a few inches and slowly dropping it back down. However, you probably don't want to change too many things too quickly. The change from 20k to 14k is probably not the most drastic thing in the world, but still be careful! I highly recommend those interested in researching MH bulbs/ballasts refer to Sanjay Joshi's work: http://www.manhattanreefs.com/lighting You can go through the little module under the 'Lamp & Ballast' tab and mess around with different lighting combinations. You'll probably be most interested in the "PPFD" value as this refers to a value similar to PAR (photosynthetically available radiation); higher values are better, lower values are not. Daniel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhart032 Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 i just put in phoenix bulbs in my light, i love it such great light, a friend recoed the phoenix 14k or the radium 20ks. i couldnt find a DE in the radium so i went with the phoenix and its wonderful.the Phoenix in the same bulbs on Aquateks main tank. when you walk in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted June 26, 2009 Author Share Posted June 26, 2009 i just put in phoenix bulbs in my light, i love it such great light, a friend recoed the phoenix 14k or the radium 20ks. i couldnt find a DE in the radium so i went with the phoenix and its wonderful. That is good to hear ... looking forward to them next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhart032 Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 i got mine from aquatek i think it was 69.00 its a aquamaxx phoenix 14k, im not sure if their a differance b/t the Phoenix brand 14ks or not. i saw only 1 site with what looked like the "phoenix" brand.. and they were cheaper but im kinda impationt when it comes to things i can get like right now. vs waiting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Daniel Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 i got mine from aquatek i think it was 69.00 its a aquamaxx phoenix 14k, im not sure if their a differance b/t the Phoenix brand 14ks or not. i saw only 1 site with what looked like the "phoenix" brand.. and they were cheaper but im kinda impationt when it comes to things i can get like right now. vs waiting. I've been purchasing my Phoenix 250w 14k lamps from petstore.com (they have an eBay site) for about ~$120 for TWO bulbs w/ shipping. Also, the Radiums are only SE... which sucks. The Phoenix 14k lamps are definitely a good compromise, in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 Do they make a single ended bulb? I'm currently using Hamilton 14K which I purchased abot 6 months ago (appears to be losing it's color already) and I'm not happy with them. I'm using a de over our 29 and looks like it's becoming dimmer. Dave- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhart032 Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 if you have single ended you can get the 20k radium. heard great things about that bulb. 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.