Update on MH bulb

Gdbyrd

Gdbyrd

life's a beach
I picked up an Ushio 14K bulb for my tank and am still really dissappoitned with it. Was hoping after it set in a few weeks it'd look a little better, but it's color is so yellow literally everything in my tank looks green. Everything seems to still look good, although nothing's really growing, but then again the tank and it's inhabitants haven't been there but a couple months.

Just wondering if there's anything I should do? Maybe buy another bulb and keep this one for a backup? Or do I just let it keep going? I'm not having any algae problems even though I run the lights almost 11 hours. Everything looks OK. Honeslty, the only issue is that it's just no pretty, lol.

The bulb seems to run a WHOLE lot cooler than my other bulb. It would get uncomfortably hot in this room when the door was shut before. Now it's very mild. The light also seems less intense..I measured this usiing a scientific analysis I call, "staring at the pretty light and seeing which hurts more."
 
Keep it you'll get use to it.
I went from 10K to 14K so I was happier, however I would like 20K better, but I don't think corals grow as well after 14K.
 
I'll keep it if it's what's best for the tank. I wish you guys could see it though. Pictures don't really show it like it is. I went from a 10K to a 14K so I was expecting it to be bluer..

The light is just straight up yellow though. Looks like somebody got a piece of yellow plastic and held it over a flashlight. Colors are all drown out and the greens look brown, reds look like an orange-brown. About the only thing that looks better in it is the white on my clowns.

Guess I'll keep it the way it is and I might try the actinics. I'm asking because I was at a fish shop in San Antonio this weekend and commented on their bulbs because I thought they had to be at least 20K, not sure if they make an actinic MH..but one of the employees said it was a 14K. Given it was only 150 watt and it was an HQI, not sure if that makes any difference.
 
Bulbs and Brands are different. I had a Current 10k and went to a Phoenix 14K and it was differently more blue. Maybe your Ushio 14K is just yellow in comparison. If you don't think you'll be happy with it in a week or so once you get use to it then I would return it and go with another brand. Colors will vary with brands. After all it is your tank and you should be happy with it.
 
We burn a couple of the XM 20K bulbs at the store.They look (jmo) more like straight actinics to me.But we've also got a couple of the Blue Line 20Ks over a 50gal reef that looks great.
I'd say keep the bulb as a back up,but try another brand.
 
10 or 14 k your corals will grow faster , 20k your corals will look better but grow slower. the par are better on the lower k bulbs.. but the bad thing on lower k bulbs is that it looks like someone took a piss in your tank lol. but like mentioned above you can add some actinics to supplement, or just get a higher k bulb.
 
you should run actinics with your halides, I would add one in and see if you like the bulb better after that.

I prefer reeflux I run 20K in the store on our coral display and we run 14K on my 850. I use to run XM but the bulbs haven't been lasting as long and colors have been off. I have a friend that loves her ushio's but I agree that they are a bit yellower.

I ran a few years back on my old 240 (850's sump now) 3 different bulbs 10K, 14K and a 20K so that we could compare and decide which we liked better, Growth rates didn't change under any of the bulbs, but some corals looks better under 10Ks some looked better under 20K's and almost all of them looked better under 14Ks.
 
Thank you for the advice. The problem with my tank is that I have such little amounts of room. I could probably get a single 18 inch bulb on each side and then it would start to cover up the light from my pendant. Its getting really frustrating dealing with all the issues from this tanks dimensions.

How much of a difference would an 18 inch ho t5 make?
 
I'm sure it would help, if it was me and I had no room to add actinic I would go with the 20K Halide instead. I prefer the bluer look over the yellow.

Buy a new bulb and save that one for emergency (unless the place you purchased it will trade it for you)
 
Reef Geek has excellent customer service. Call them and see if they'll exchange it for a different color. I'm sure they get that request all the time!

If you don't like the way it looks, what's the point of keeping it? Your tank is for you to enjoy.
 
Bifferwine said:
Reef Geek has excellent customer service. Call them and see if they'll exchange it for a different color. I'm sure they get that request all the time!

If you don't like the way it looks, what's the point of keeping it? Your tank is for you to enjoy.
Click to expand...

Went ahead and emailed them. I get home from work too late to be able to call them so hopefully they will get back to me. If they won't are they still the cheapest place to order a bulb from? Probably going to go with a 20K, should make things look a little better...what side effects does the higher kelvin bulb have? You guys were saying slower growths, how much slower?
 
Depends on the tank.Some tanks,the growth will slow to an extremely slow crawl,while other tanks,you'll still see some growth,just not as fast.
 

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