MH bulb color question

[adamRS80]

I wanted to get some input on the appearance of various 10000k bulbs. I first started out with an Aqualine 10000k and replaced it after 3 months with the 20000k XM. Now I'm going to switch back to 10000k of some brand I just have to decide which one. I would prefer the most white, bluish tint possible. My AB seemed a little on the yellow side. I'm looking at XM and Ushio, which has the least yellow tint. I'm not planning on using any actinic supplementation. I'm not asking what is best for coral growth or coloration, I'm only asking which bulb has the best appearance, that being more blue tint, or at least "Ice White" as it is referred to. I just want to avoid spending $90 on a yellowish 10000k like the Aqualine I first had. Thanks guys.

[scuba_steveo]

what about a 13 or 14k bulb?

[GaryP]

Check the spectrum on the bulbs. You should be able to get them on their websites.

Gary

[phage]

i went from ushio 10k to xm 20k to 10k sun aquatics, and i like the color of the suns by far the best. I tend to prefer more white less blue than a lot of people, so YMMV.

oh, and i got 2 suns (DE) for 92 bucks including shipping, and they have done really well on all the spectral analysis reports i have seen. i know you said you werent asking for growth, but just thought i'd chip that in.

[GaryP]

Adam,

Be careful of the advertised K values of some of the bulbs. I went from 6.5K to what was advertised as a "blue" 10K. It was really a 14K. The color was great but I also lost a lot of growth. Of course you will never get as much growth as you do from a 6.5K.

IMO opinion you will never get great color and growth from any single bulb. I am currently running XM 10K's and URI VHO bulbs. I plan on adding a third MH and 2 VHO's on my next tank.

[adamRS80]

Well I decided to go with a Hamilton 14k. It should be less blue than the XM 20k but still provide good color and hopefully a little better growth. My hood is really more of a pendant. I built it to fit the hellolights parabolic MH reflector so it's a one light setup. Hopefully the 14k will look good. Maybe the best of both worlds between the 10k and 20k

[GaryP]

Adam, the other issue you should consider is that the lower the K value, the higher the par value for the bulb. In other words, 10K will put out more light than a 20K.

Gary

[adamRS80]

Thanks for the information. If I had room in my tiny hood I would go with a 10k for sure and just supplement with some actinic PC's but I'm hoping that the 14k will be a good balance since I can only have 1 light source.

[Ram_Puppy]

Adam, my hamilton 14K should be arriving sometime today or tomorrow, when I get it in, I will post pics comparing it against the XM 10K I had. (both are 175 watts)

[brewercm]

I have the AB 10K also (actually rated at 13K) and they were a little yellow until I changed over to elect ballast. Made a huge difference in the color output of the same bulb, now burns brigh white with a hint of blue. Still prefer the VHO supplement.

[adamRS80]

Thats good to know, I'm using an Icecap electronic ballast so hopefully it will have the nice white w/ a tiny bit of blue. I'll post a picture of my tank with the XM 20k and then the Hamilton 14K, although I'm not sure if it will be accurate because the XM is 11 months old and the Hamilton will be new of course.