MH 250W Mogul/HQI Bulb Question

djnsocal

djnsocal

Member
Okay... upgrading the bulbs... searched this site and can't find anything that covers this question.
Has anyone actually compared the light with a spectrometer from the "el cheapo" MH bulbs on a certain four-letter named Internet auction site, *cough*, with those of the popular brands (XM, Ushio, Iwasaki, Hamilton, etc...). I've been out of the reef hobby for a few years and getting back into it again.
If the cheapo bulbs are truly glass covered pieces of whale feces, then what is the current, most popular 250w MH mogul and hqi for a reef?
Thank you for your help in advance.
 
reefforbrains

reefforbrains

Active Member
Nailed it on the head sir.
The bulbs you can "buy it now" and pick up cheap are just that.
They WILL function, they WILL work but they just wont let your tank shine the way a quality bulb will. If on a tight budget they are good to have as they would still be considered an upgrade from PC or other sources, but pale when standing next to any known labled premium priced bulb.
Your asking a rather loaded question about actual specs. I have NOT done the test but know personally that with cheapo bulbs I always get a less responsive reef. I will be the first to tell you I AM cheap so I have tried numerous times with different cheapo bulbs only to re-affirm my addoration for name brand bulbs.
Less extension and slower growth.
Longevity and durability (if you move your lighting for tank maint ect.)
Consistency in color that "we" see. Not concretly sure of how much of the different wavelengths come from each bulb but when I pick a 10k bulb, 20k, a 14k bulb ect I personally have certain expectations.
The cheapo bulbs seem to always stray from what hobbiests are used to.
JMO but save the money and get quality bulbs.
 
djnsocal

djnsocal

Member
Thanks for the information... I'm purchased a 250W 14K Iwasaki HQI for a tank with no actinic supplements and an XM 250W 10,000K Mogul for a tank with actinic supplements to compare. I've used Ushio in the past and liked them a lot.
Still curious if anyone has done a study or test to see if the cheapos have what it takes or not...
What does everyone else prefer?
 
stanlalee

stanlalee

Active Member
how cheap? sandjay/reefkeeping e-magazine have tested commonly sold egay catalina reefgrow 10k,15k and 20k bulbs both spectral and intensity as well as at least one Plus brand bulb. I cant remember anything about the plus but the reefgrows spectral plots where fine but the PAR was towards the bottom compared to popular name brands. I was just looking at this yesterday so its fresh in my mind. the reef grows arent THAT cheap sort of middling between cheapo's and good stuff and likewise performance is middling too.
 
groupergenius

groupergenius

Active Member
Google : sanjay lighting
He has done alot of research on the subject.
Personally, I have had good success with:
250w Phoenix 14K HQI---around $55 per bulb
250w Aquaconnect 12K Mogul---around $110 per bulb
175w Iwasaki 15K Mogul---around $65 per bulb
The Iwasaki has better par than the Aquaconnect and the Phoenix. And has more of a crisp white color to it. Coral colors are definitely best under the Phoenix. But a nice overall is achieved with the Aquaconnects. They're just so darn expensive though.
 
djnsocal

djnsocal

Member
Okay... so the XM 10K Mogul has been in the fixture for 4 days and has a yellowish "tinge" to the color of the light. It is also not causing the ripple/pool effect on the water (bright lines on the bottom of the tank). It looks nothing like the bright, clear, 10k Ushio I pulled out and replaced. I know it has only been on for 40 hours and may still change, but this is sad...
Anyone else use XM? Are they characteristically off-white?
 
nigerbang

nigerbang

Active Member
Originally Posted by DJnSoCal
http:///forum/post/2856872
Okay... so the XM 10K Mogul has been in the fixture for 4 days and has a yellowish "tinge" to the color of the light. It is also not causing the ripple/pool effect on the water (bright lines on the bottom of the tank). It looks nothing like the bright, clear, 10k Ushio I pulled out and replaced. I know it has only been on for 40 hours and may still change, but this is sad...
Anyone else use XM? Are they characteristically off-white?
most of the time they are just like you are describing...I bought some Reef Optics moguls and overdrive them with a HQI ballast..I get high par with them....$33 each
 
djnsocal

djnsocal

Member
Originally Posted by NigerBang
http:///forum/post/2856905
most of the time they are just like you are describing...I bought some Reef Optics moguls and overdrive them with a HQI ballast..I get high par with them....$33 each

That is unfortunate... at $70 a pop, I hate throwing money into a bulb I don't like... maybe I should go back to Ushio and be happier... Other than over driving... and other 10k/12k moguls out there worth having?
On a side note, the 14K Iwasaki HQI is stunning...
 
nigerbang

nigerbang

Active Member
Originally Posted by DJnSoCal
http:///forum/post/2856998
That is unfortunate... at $70 a pop, I hate throwing money into a bulb I don't like... maybe I should go back to Ushio and be happier... Other than over driving... and other 10k/12k moguls out there worth having?
On a side note, the 14K Iwasaki HQI is stunning...
I know what you mean...The color from these bulbs are amazing..I got to check them out at MACNA before I bought them so I knew the color was good just didnt know the PAR was as good as they are..Im getting around 300 at the sandbed
 
groupergenius

groupergenius

Active Member
Originally Posted by DJnSoCal
http:///forum/post/2856998
That is unfortunate... at $70 a pop, I hate throwing money into a bulb I don't like... maybe I should go back to Ushio and be happier... Other than over driving... and other 10k/12k moguls out there worth having?
On a side note, the 14K Iwasaki HQI is stunning...
What ballast are you using? Just asking, 'cause the Aquaconnects with Icecap ballasts are sweet. Truly white. And the Iwasaki 175's are just as nice with Icecap.
 
djnsocal

djnsocal

Member
Just your run of the mill PFO... it has always made the lights look great in the past... I'm thinking it is this XM bulb...
 
sharkbait9

sharkbait9

Active Member
I have got to chime in on this one. A lot of members have seen my tanks and have traded/bought my coral and frags. I run 2x 250 watt 15k on my tanks and have not had one problem with poor coral reaction or slow growing. In fact I get the same growth rate +/- in my smaller tanks that I do in my big tank.
I pay 49.00 w/shipping for 2 250watt 15k bulbs I think it’s a trusted_deal to buy them.
I stop buying phoenix bulbs after I had two go bad on my in less then a month and at 70 bucks a pop that’s a little too much for me to swallow. So I bought a couple of the El cheapos and have not had a problem.
It could be I run icecap ballast and they tend to fire the bulbs hotter, IDK but to this day I still have not had any ill effects from those bulbs.
Maybe they change k faster then other name brand bulbs but at 21.00 bucks a pop I can change them out every 6 months and not feel like I’m taking a shot to the groin every time I throw out a still working 70 dollar phoenix bulb.
And one more point, I have 3 month old phoenix bulbs burning over my one tank and have bryopsis growing in patches. My water quality is fine according to my TDS meter on my ro/di filter, pocket tds meter and my salifert tests and the mail order water testing company. I Order a Japanese acan frag from a certain mac and it came with a tuft of bryopsis growing out and around the frag itself, thought I cleaned it all off but apparently not since this crap is starting to grow around the tank. Now I have to order slugs to eat this garbage. So I can not buy into that all cheap lights will cause algae growth and slow coral growth.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top