20k MH users

[steven's un]

(huh..............im drinking coffee!).... Anyway, I have a problem. I currently have 4-110W VHO's (2-actinic, 2-5o/50). THey Need to be replaced, but i have a 55 gallong tank and its really hard to get a nice setup w/ rock and corals with such a narrow tank. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO... i thought to myselfwhy not just get a brand new tank and save the money for new Metal halide lighting.
Now I have a problem/an area of confusion. i decided 20k bulbs were the way to go because a lot of reef sites use those and i like to order off the internet. I want to be able to see the color of the product as it will appear in my tank!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOW INSANE DOES THAT SOUND!(dont answer this)...TONIGHT: i read that 20k bulbs arent good for coral growth. I simply am not going to get mixed up in one of those complicated lighting systems,so i wanted to get a single bulb system(i havent decided the size of tank). I would like someone who has used 20k's. From reading other forums i realize that the bulbs can very greatly even at the same kelvin level. If anyone has a pic of tank using 14k or something that too would be greatly appreciated.
I am designing my new reef starting with lighting and then the tank, but i was thinking of this:a hexagonal tank around 50 gals with some kinda of metal halide retrofit kit from Hello Lights possibly a 400W ballast(yeah..........need help decided among electric, magnetic, and then the pulse or probe). HELP ME PLEASE :help:

 

[steven's un]

I MEANT THAT I WANT PICTURES TO COMPARE AND MAYBE INTERESTING STORIES. thankyou

 

[steven's un]

I really want the corals to look their best, so i would like pics of anything for 10k MH's to 20k's. Im starting to lean towards the mid-range 15k's. My tank isnt blue enough w/ the lighting i have. So........i really need pictures and ofcourse bulbs used to decide... i was thinking about the 20k xm's.

 

[reefnut]

I'm currently running 2-400w 20k XMs on a magnetic probe start ballast... IMO they are very blue... to blue for me. My next bulb will probably be the new 15k XM just from what I have read.
Do you plan to use the 4 VHOs with the MHs??

 

[tony detroit]

I run 3, 250W 20K XM's.
No complaints on color or growth here. Plus I don't waste electric/money on supplemental lighting.
If you're looking for growth it isn't in the bulbs, it is in the water.
Bulb purchasing comes after skimmer, water motion, and filtration purchasing. My guess is you won't get any more/less growth with 6500K or 20000K on the same tank unless you have absolutely top notch water chemistry, which the average/beginner hobbiest does not.
tony

 

[reefnut]

I noticed a difference in growth going from 10k XMs to 20k XMs... the growth slowed with the 20k but after some time they started growing ok again. Adjustment period I guess but I still had better growth under the 10k bulbs.
tony, what ballast are you running??

 

[tony detroit]

I'm running Coralvues and Icecaps. Both look the same. I'll try and get a pic up tonite.

 

[whaler]

I have a new 400 watt 10K on one side of my tank, and a 12K on the other. I think the 10K side looks all washed out and bleached; the 12K side looks great, so I'm thinking 12K or 14K would be best, though I have not seen the 20Ks.

 

[michael7979]

This was taken in Dec. (sorry for blurry pix)

This was taken about a month ago (blue coral) I don't think thats bad growth under 20k for less than 6 months

 

[whaler]

Hi Michael.
I can't tell what/how much the growth is. What should I be looking at?
I'm a duck too, by the way. Three times over :yes:

 

[michael7979]

In the first pic, I just got the frag home and it was 1/2-3/4'' and in the 2nd pic. the coral has grown several arms and has started to develope it's blue color, now it is over 2 1/2'' tall. It is the same coral with 5 months or so growth.
Just got my season tickets the other day. :jumping: :cheer:

:joy: :happy:

 

[buldog9]

the way I understand it, the kelvin value decision is based on how deep your tank is..The higher the value(20k) the deeper the light penetrates. I have a 24 inch deep tank and am using twin 250 watt 10k`s, but when they burn out will bump up to 14k.

 

[dragonboy]

As far as color is a concern I do notice I get a better growth with 10k. I just got a 15k and the growth slowly got better but I think I would get better color with a 20k. I like the blue more.

 

[tony detroit]

Originally Posted by buldog9
the way I understand it, the kelvin value decision is based on how deep your tank is..The higher the value(20k) the deeper the light penetrates. I have a 24 inch deep tank and am using twin 250 watt 10k`s, but when they burn out will bump up to 14k.
Are you sure your understanding isn't the other way around?

 

[whaler]

I think the 12K Sun Burst bulbs are the best of both worlds. There is a huge difference between the 10K reef grow bulbs and the 12K SunBursts. I'm running one of each until my second Sunburst arrives in the mail, and the color difference is amazing. I have some Prolifera (like calurpa with 3/8" wide blades) on each side of my tank. The patch on the 12K side looks bright, deep green - almost neon against the bright purple coraline; the patch on the 10K side looks yellowed and bleached. It's not a close call for me - especially since I know I'm not losing much grow power with the 12K. (I'm running 400 watt bulbs - and the Sun Bursts are about $85...unless you get them at our lfs - then they're $150 EACH!! (Ouch!!)
By the way, now that you point it out, I can't believe I missed it. I don't think I realized it was the same coral! That's awesome!!

 

[reefnut]

Originally Posted by michael7979
This was taken about a month ago (blue coral) I don't think thats bad growth under 20k for less than 6 months
Looks like nice growth to me!! What size MH and what ballasts??

 

[lfs_worker]

Just for the record corals dont care how many watts per gallon you have or what color the lamps are they care about P.A.R. (Photosynthetically available Radiation)
20k lamps in any wattage the PAR is WAY WAY Down compared to 55,10,14K,
Most Farmers only have 1 or 2 20K tanks that are ties into the system for photo purposes only. Most do not grow coral under 20's.
If you want that nice look with out sacking growth rates try the 14K lamps and suppliment with the actinics.
Good luck and have fun
Brian

 

[sammiefish]

In my experience... 20000K promote much better coloration in corals... and I dont mean apparent color but real color....
but they wont grow as quickly under 20000K as 10000K (wattages being equal)...
For me and my corals it is quality over quantity every time...
just me..