Metal Halides are the bomb

Dana Riddle · Aug 24, 2020

OK, let's take this down a notch or two.
I've seen some statements made that make me think we're back in the 90's (when MH v. fluorescent lamp debate raged.)
I'll get in the lab as soon as I can and look at a couple of Iwasaki 6500K MH lamps I have archived. Fell 15 feet off a ladder Thursday and I'm hobbling away and bruised and aching in places I didn't know I had.... Good thing recent rains had softened the ground.

MabuyaQ · Aug 24, 2020

A. grandis said:
Sick pictures!!!! Did you take them?

Unfortunatly not. These are all from GBR and I haven't visited that yet. I do have some pictures of acro's in ankle- to knee-deep water from Inonesia I made myself. For me this started years ago when I saw a couple of pictures made by Roger Steene at Flynn Reef at extreme low tide with huge numbers of large very richly colored plating acro's above water.

And a small correction. The ATI Straton might be able to do so as well. I just haven't seen to many reefs running them (long enough to get to a final conclusion).

MabuyaQ · Aug 24, 2020

Bpb said:
hamilton still sells 6500k MH bulbs. Not sure how they compare to the old Iwasakis

Not here in mainland EU, it is getting almost impossible to get MH-bulbs. I can order Giesseman bulbs and that is about it here in NL.

Chibils · Aug 25, 2020

greekspec2 said:
Aqualine,Ushio,Giesemann, AquaConnect,Arcadia ect are all mfg by BLV Germany till this day and which created the first 10k MH.

Sylvania/Osram had a really great 20k bulb no longer produced

Sorry to dig up this months old post specifically, but I know you are very knowledgeable about this topic. Can you tell me which BLV bulb is equivalent to the AB 13,000k and still available? I used to love the way it performed. I understand that it may be the same as the Giesemann 14.5k? Secondly, I believe you have said before on another thread that BLV manufactures the Ushio 14k, which is no longer available in 250w mogul base. Which Giesemann bulb is it the same as, if you know? (12.5k, 14.5k, 17.5k)

greekspec2 · Aug 25, 2020

Chibils said:
Sorry to dig up this months old post specifically, but I know you are very knowledgeable about this topic. Can you tell me which BLV bulb is equivalent to the AB 13,000k and still available? I used to love the way it performed. I understand that it may be the same as the Giesemann 14.5k? Secondly, I believe you have said before on another thread that BLV manufactures the Ushio 14k, which is no longer available in 250w mogul base. Which Giesemann bulb is it the same as, if you know? (12.5k, 14.5k, 17.5k)

like I mentioned before BLV makes the arc tubes for all the other private label brands mentioned below, they made a 10k, 14k, 16k, BL=20k. Now they will put there own kelvin marketing but the fact is they all use the four available arc tubes that BLV mfg's, and if you look at all the brands arc tubes the kelvin is stamped on it regardless what the box states.

BLV 14k
-Ushio 14k
-Giesemann Megachrome Coral 14.5k
-Aquamedic AB 13k
-Aquaconnect 14k

BLV 16k
-Ushio 16k
-Giesemann Megachrome Crystal 17.5k
-Aquamedic AB 16k
-Aquaconnect 16k

BLV BL=20k
-Ushio 20k
-Giesemann Megachrome Blue 22k
-Aquamedic AB 20k+
-Aquaconnect 20k

Chibils · Aug 25, 2020

greekspec2 said:
like I mentioned before BLV makes the arc tubes for all the other private label brands mentioned below,

THANKS! That's the exact info I needed. The white label brands all use different names. So AB 13k is the same as Ushio 14k is the same as Giesemann 14.5k... perfect! :p There is one of those bulbs that I can actually get here in the US!

greekspec2 · Aug 25, 2020

Chibils said:
THANKS! That's the exact info I needed. The white label brands all use different names. So AB 13k is the same as Ushio 14k is the same as Giesemann 14.5k... perfect! :p There is one of those bulbs that I can actually get here in the US!

https://www.ushio.com/product/aqualite-metal-halide/

keep in mind Ushio USA SE bulbs were designed to run on US-spec ballast, BLV, Giesemann, AB, Aquaconnect 250w SE/DE run on a M80

A. grandis · Aug 28, 2020

greekspec2 said:
like I mentioned before BLV makes the arc tubes for all the other private label brands mentioned below, they made a 10k, 14k, 16k, BL=20k. Now they will put there own kelvin marketing but the fact is they all use the four available arc tubes that BLV mfg's, and if you look at all the brands arc tubes the kelvin is stamped on it regardless what the box states.

BLV 14k
-Ushio 14k
-Giesemann Megachrome Coral 14.5k
-Aquamedic AB 13k
-Aquaconnect 14k

BLV 16k
-Ushio 16k
-Giesemann Megachrome Crystal 17.5k
-Aquamedic AB 16k
-Aquaconnect 16k

BLV BL=20k
-Ushio 20k
-Giesemann Megachrome Blue 22k
-Aquamedic AB 20k+
-Aquaconnect 20k

When you look at the arc tubes of the different brands they do not have the marks you shown in the pictures. Also, they are very different from each other. Hard to tell if they were made by BLV or not. I believe they are made in Germany, as they say, but maybe not necessarily from BLV, except Ushio bulbs, and some of the Ushio bulbs' arcs aren't marked at all. How do you know? Some of the bulbs in the past, from example Aqualine had "BLV" printed in the arc, but others didn't. I'm just curious where did you get the info from? Maybe that isn't a general rule as you have been thinking.

greekspec2 · Aug 28, 2020

A. grandis said:
When you look at the arc tubes of the different brands they do not have the marks you shown in the pictures. Also, they are very different from each other. Hard to tell if they were made by BLV or not. I believe they are made in Germany, as they say, but maybe not necessarily from BLV, except Ushio bulbs, and some of the Ushio bulbs' arcs aren't marked at all. How do you know? Some of the bulbs in the past, from example Aqualine had "BLV" printed in the arc, but others didn't. I'm just curious where did you get the info from? Maybe that isn't a general rule as you have been thinking.

like I said the above brands all use the same ‘kelvin marked’ arc tubes from BLV and come off BLV’s mfg line.

A. grandis · Aug 28, 2020

greekspec2 said:
like I said the above brands all use the same ‘kelvin marked’ arc tubes from BLV and come off BLV’s mfg line.

Even though you are aware of the fact that they don't have the same arc shapes nor the marks you have shown here with the Giesemann bulbs as a sample, right?
How do know for sure? Any solid references like articles of web sites with such info? I just want to do a further search because the subject is very interesting. Thanks in advance.

naterealbig · Aug 28, 2020

Chibils said:
Sorry to dig up this months old post specifically, but I know you are very knowledgeable about this topic. Can you tell me which BLV bulb is equivalent to the AB 13,000k and still available? I used to love the way it performed. I understand that it may be the same as the Giesemann 14.5k? Secondly, I believe you have said before on another thread that BLV manufactures the Ushio 14k, which is no longer available in 250w mogul base. Which Giesemann bulb is it the same as, if you know? (12.5k, 14.5k, 17.5k)

Ushio still makes the 250w 14k SE..... I mean, according to their website anyway....

oreo54 · Aug 28, 2020

Not sure that s proof of anything in part. but it was interesting.. Large catalog on line if you are interested. Dated though.
Who makes what nowadays is somewhat of a pointless errand. Factories could change practically overnight.

A. grandis · Aug 28, 2020

greekspec2 said:
https://www.ushio.com/product/aqualite-metal-halide/

keep in mind Ushio USA SE bulbs were designed to run on US-spec ballast, BLV, Giesemann, AB, Aquaconnect 250w SE/DE run on a M80

M80 should be only for most of the 250W SE German bulbs, right? I don't think it applies to all German bulbs.