Do I Need 10,000k Bulbs

reb

reb

Member
I have a 75 gal reef tank with 2 florescent buls I just replaced. One 50/50 and one actinic 03. Also power compacts that I need to replace. My corals are looking better now with only the 80 watts of florescents with the new bulbs than they aver did before. I know I need to replace the pc's, but can I just replace them with 50/50's and actinic 03's. Will my corals die if I don't run any 10,000 bulbs???
 
fishphreak

fishphreak

Member
I believe the higher the number of the bulb the blue the color. The lower the bulb the more white it is.
What I have seen running in my LFS the 10k bulbs make the water in the tank look really crystal clear.
The 14k bulbs they have on their coral tank make the tank look blue.
 
farslayer

farslayer

Active Member
My plan right now is to use a 10K 250W MH bulb in a hanging pendant and then use 2 55W PC 50/50 actinics. I want that crystal clear shimmering effect of the 10K bulb, but I need the actinic for my corals, plus I dig blue :)
 
farslayer

farslayer

Active Member
And yes, the lower the K, the more yellow the color, the higher the K, the more blue it appears. 10K is pure white. I'm no expert, but I've been reading so much on lighting as of late that I'm close to getting there :)
 
reb

reb

Member
right now with just the 50/50 and actinic 03 the color is a perfect blue, with almost a tint of purple. The greens in all my corals are as bright as I have ever seen.
 
shoreliner11

shoreliner11

Active Member
Farslayer, although 10000k is pure white by spectrum, it really matters what particular brand of bulb you are using. Certain ones say that they are 10000k but may be closer to a 6500k, while other may be closer to a 13000k. From the ones I have seen I like Venture bulbs quite a bit.
 
T

thomas712

Guest
I believe because the 7100 is a tintend PC bulb.
Since it is tinted then this would make the bulb run hotter because the tinting blocks the usable light. The heat caused by this will tend to degrade the phophors in the bulb rapidly.
Thomas
 
farslayer

farslayer

Active Member
Good point about bulb manufacturers. I should have said that a true 10K bulb will produce perfectly white light. I'm researching manufacturers now to find the perfect bulb :)
 
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