StonyReef.com » Aquarium Lighting

Iwasaki 50,000K Lamp…

admin — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:55:36 +0000

In the constant search for the perfect standalone MH bulb, I’m giving a new bulb a try - the Iwasaki 50,000K metal halide lamp. The initial color is a bit purple, maybe from the 50K’s nice little spike there in the 420nm range. First impression is pretty positive, though we know how that goes with halides. The Ushio 14K & Reeflux 12K bulbs I’ve been using for the last year or so are also great halides bulbs, in my opinion, but each lacks something (or maybe I just get bored?…). To remedy that, I switch between the 2 bulbs every couple months… I’d prefer to not do this, so I hope the 150 watt Iwasaki 50K is my answer… To be continued…

Here’s the spectral plot from Sanjay Joshi’s site…

Random update, Ushio & Ultralith

admin — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 16:21:20 +0000

Gotta let them burn in. I’m now about 2 weeks into the Ushio 14K bulb, and I am happy with the change. The first week was awful, water color was akin to someone taking a leak in the reef. But, the yellow has faded, much more white, little blue to speak of. The color of the bulb isn’t as pleasing to me as the Reeflux 12K, but the color changes in my coral are enough to make me stick with this for a while.

Now, I have a nice A. millepora that is turning blue, a tri-color acro whose colors are becoming much more pronounced, and a brown M. digitata that is changing slightly back to its original orange w/ purple tips.

I’ve not dosed any ReefBooster since early November. I was getting some cyano and dinos with each dose, so I’m holding off for the time being. I’ve continued with the BioDigest and Bioptim each 2 weeks, and I’m happy with the results. There is no nuisance algae, save for a sprout of two that gets taken care of by snails, my water looks nice and clear, and with the bulb change, my colors are starting to change for the better.

Will continue to dose Prodibio per the 2 week schedule, but I’ll be adding a new daily regimen to the reef this week - Fauna Marin’s Ultralith system. I haven’t tested my water in some time, aside from kH, but a glance at my tank tells me all is well. Just need to finish my re-aquascape, do a water change & adjust parameters, then I’ll start the FM system.

Another observation on the Ushio 14K

admin — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 18:10:59 +0000

Last night before my lights went out, I noticed a colony of green star polyps were stretching towards the top, reaching for light. I thought the bulb wasn’t as bright as my Reeflux just by looking at it. So, seeing GSP that are just a few inches under the surface needing to reach out for light, especially after a full 9 hours of light, well, this bulb is out. I’m not sure I even want to wait until it’s burned in…

So an update on that - I didn’t screen or shorten my photoperiod after putting in this new bulb. I usually just move my light fixture more toward the front of the tank, where the coral are at least 8″ under the surface, then I move it back a bit every couple days until the acropora or other stony frags are comfortable with the change. I didn’t do that this time, and one side of my ORA Miami Orchid Staghorn seems to have been burned. Damn. The GSP were still reaching for the light, so I think it may have just been the intensity of a new bulb and my stupidity for forgetting to acclimate the reef tank to the new light bulb like I normally do. Damn.

Ushio 14K Metal Halide Bulbs - ?!

admin — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 00:51:06 +0000

I had to order some aquarium supplies last week and decided to order a new metal halide bulb. I’m really happy with the Reeflux 12K, but hey, why not? I like trying new bulbs, you never know if something else is out there that you may like better. The Phoenix 14K looked way too blue on 150w electronic ballast, very monotone, resulting in drab colors in some of coral after ~3 months

The Phoenix 14,000K is a pretty popular bulb, but many who seem to love it either, A: run it on an HQI ballast, or B: really like blue. Having been an avid SCUBA diver for the last 13 or so years, I have yet to see a reef that looks like that blue cast from a Phoenix halide on an electronic ballast. It’s just not natural. I did like the Reeflux 10K, which is brighter than the 12K, but it just isn’t as pleasing to look at. I may order the Iwasaki 50K, I’ve heard it is a nice look as well. But so far, out of the 6 bulbs I’ve tried out, Reeflux 12K is hands down the winner. It may not be super bright, but my colors really look good under it.

So on to the Ushio 14K - bulbs require a burn in time, usually 100 hours or so, and I will give it that. But damn is it ugly now. I read somewhere that it’s the same bulb as the Geisemann 14.5K, and that just can’t be possible. The Geisemann is a very nice white, little blue, but not much, and it looked nothing like this on burn-in. This Ushio is yellow - my reef tank almost looks like my planted freshwater aquarium!

I’ll give Ushio the 100 hours and maybe a little past, but wow, as of now, this bulb sucks.