Recommendation for 150 watt MH bulb in UK

1979fishgeek · Aug 13, 2022

Hi everyone,

I’m getting back into reef keeping after a two year break and been looking for a good quality metal halide bulb. I like a bulb with the colour on the cooler side and used to use 20k but if someone knows a great 14k I’d be happy for a recommendation.

I’ve seen Phoenix 14k mentioned but these look like they might be discontinued?

The market seems to be flooded with a generic inexpensive bulb ‘Marine Color’ which I used years ago but found (to my eyes) the colour quickly degraded.

I know LED are the current favourites for lighting tanks, but I’m a little old school, love the shimmer and spread of MH and had really good success with them in the past.

So what’s the current MH bulb of choice for those of you who still use them? I’m in the UK and from what I can see the choices are really limited. (Double ended bulb fits my unit)

KrisReef · Aug 13, 2022

Wow, the Phoenix 14K @150W were available on eBay here in the US not to long ago but searching now I see none.

Agree with your observation on the generic yellow bulbs. I tried a number of those (250W DE & SE) and agree with your assessment. I had heard rumors that "the best bulbs ever made for a reef" were going the way of the horse & buggy but I have kept my old tank running on SE250 W Hamilton and Giesemann 14, 15, 20K bulbs but these too are getting to be unpopular items for vendors to stock, it seems? The selection has gone from robust to bust in the last few years/decade.

BRS has Phoenix 14K today, lists them as discontinued, but what is worse is that these bulbs don't have the same DE fitting that my old fixture has? These

newer bulbs look like this one:

Notice a cylindar end vs a flat metal blade that I used to use? The world is coming to the end!!!

HTH.

Mr. Mojo Rising · Aug 13, 2022

I just replaced my phoenix 14k bulb last week, 2 of my local LFS's have it in stock. I'm in Canada so that doesnt help you, but they are definately still available.

oreo54 · Aug 13, 2022

1979fishgeek said:
Hi everyone,

I’m getting back into reef keeping after a two year break and been looking for a good quality metal halide bulb. I like a bulb with the colour on the cooler side and used to use 20k but if someone knows a great 14k I’d be happy for a recommendation.

I’ve seen Phoenix 14k mentioned but these look like they might be discontinued?

The market seems to be flooded with a generic inexpensive bulb ‘Marine Color’ which I used years ago but found (to my eyes) the colour quickly degraded.

I know LED are the current favourites for lighting tanks, but I’m a little old school, love the shimmer and spread of MH and had really good success with them in the past.

So what’s the current MH bulb of choice for those of you who still use them? I’m in the UK and from what I can see the choices are really limited. (Double ended bulb fits my unit)

Rock and a hard place....biggest market is for 250w or greater ( horticulture, stadium, landscape) Your sub-250's are probably on the way out.
Especially if " these" get popular

10 for 100 pounds. Bad reef color obviously and you need to remove ballast.

Doesn't mean the end but could be small lots made periodically. Now k temp may be an issue.
Just capitalism...

Just upgrade to 250 if you can or go cheap Chinese. I'd guess they would be easier to find.

Not sure why pic shows 250w
https://www.exoticaquatics.co.uk/giesemann-coral-halide-150w
Think you can find bulbs with some effort.... Somewhere.
Now blade vs dimple???

See Arcadia closeout..Doesn't directly list end type but looks like "RX7s" whatever that means.

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