Halide bulb color

[pirate2876]

Hey guys,

I am thinking of trying a 10k bulb to emphasize growth. I am just curious to to people opinion regarding 10k bulbs.

Currently I run 2x 250 DE Phoenix bulbs with 2 Blue+ T5's and a 36" actinic Truelumen LED strip. I was wondering if I would be adding a lot of PAR if I went to a 10k bulb. Growth is good, but I want to experiment with a different bulb this time around. I feel my tank is rather blue with all the supplementation I already have.

Does anyone have first hand knowledge running 10k vs. 14k? Thoughts? TYIA

 

[pirate2876]

No one? Guess that means I should be the guinea pig and try it out.

 

[wildcrazyjoker81]

This is a very open ended question actually. 10k's supposedly are the best for growth if that is what your asking. I personally can't stand the yellow look of 10k's and don't use anything else besides 20k Radium bulbs now. Here is an article that may help: Facts of Light – Part 5: Everything You Need to Know About Metal Halide Lamps and Ballasts by Sanjay Joshi - Reefkeeping.com

 

[jackson6745]

Hey guys,

I am thinking of trying a 10k bulb to emphasize growth. I am just curious to to people opinion regarding 10k bulbs.

Currently I run 2x 250 DE Phoenix bulbs with 2 Blue+ T5's and a 36" actinic Truelumen LED strip. I was wondering if I would be adding a lot of PAR if I went to a 10k bulb. Growth is good, but I want to experiment with a different bulb this time around. I feel my tank is rather blue with all the supplementation I already have.

Does anyone have first hand knowledge running 10k vs. 14k? Thoughts? TYIA

Yes I've been here many times over the last 12 years. It takes a lot to balance a 10k 250w DE bulb. IME you need 4 blue t5's to make it look not so yellow, and overall appealing look. I was never a fan of 250 DE's because of the bulb selection and spread. SE 250 bulbs can spread more and supplements blend in better.
I ran 250w 10k blv (ushio) at one point and had 3 VHO actinics. The color was still a little yellow but not too bad. The 250w 10k bulbs appear MUCH brighter than a phoenix bulb. I'm not sure about par numbers though. You can probably find Sanjay's bulb stats somewhere for comparison.