How often to change my Reeflux SE250s

[Dominican]

I run 3 12k Reeflux SE 250s for 10hrs/day. I've been doing that for 6months, for a total of approx 1800hrs. Is it time to change them? I'm trying to keep my SPS growth steady, and want to change them before it reduces growth rates significantly. What is the rule of thumb you all recommend? In the past I can't say I've been very disciplined about this, but have vowed to change that. Thanks..

[cpreefguy]

Different people will tell you different things...
Some people will say 6-8 months, I went to a presentation by Sanjay and he was saying that people change their bulbs out way too often and some can be used for three times that long before they really start to go downhill.

[Dominican]

Hi Sean. That controversy is what I'm finding. The question is.. What do you think? What have you all had success with??

[Dominican]

I'm running them all on ARO ballasts.. In case anyone wants to go that technical. :)

[alton]

Buy a light meter and check often. If you can keep from changing lamps from 8 months to 18 months like I do you can save money and the meter pays for itself fast. I have electronic ballast powering my Reeflux lamps. Also it depends on whether you have a glass lense protecting your lamps or they are open to the water.

[BIGBIRD123]

I was at the same seminar as Sean and Sanjay. Sanjay, whom I and 100K others, think is the utmost authority, States that even at 18 months the bulbs loose less than 10% of the par. He states, based on his reaserch that the bulbs just require more electricty to obtain the par, in a basic conclusion...they are still efficient at 18 months but requrie more electricy to function. Just my $ 0.25...

Steve

[Dominican]

Thanks for expanding, Steve. I'll relax a little. :) To Alton's point, maybe a reasonable approach would be to get a light meter and start testing at around the 12mo mark. That way I could get a baseline for my exact conditions..

[brewercm]

I'd have to say that if I was going to listen to anyone on lighting it would be Sanjay. I've read many of his writings and studies he had done and I started changing my MH's out closer to every 18 months when I was running them.

[Dominican]

Is there a place online that I can access Sanjay's materials?

What's the conventional wisdom on how often actinic VHOs should be changed?

I don't currently have a splash shield.. The lights sit high enough not to get splashed; however I do wipe them down periodically.

[brewercm]

I'd change out the VHO's at least annually.

Here is a link that has many links to his different articles throughout the years. Lots of reading here.
http://www.reeflightinginfo.arvixe.com/articles.htm

[cpreefguy]

Here's another:
http://www.manhattanreefs.com/lighting

[Dominican]

Jackpot!!! Thanks guys.. :)

[ErikH]

I would change them once you see more algae than desired. :p Sanjay is the man!

[alton]

Here is one of personnel experience, Around 2003 I set up a 158 and after a year I changed lighting from CFL’s to MH DE 250w’s. Added SPS and everything was doing great, except a little hair algae. Then after about eight months my SPS started to RTN and die. I checked water quality and everything seemed normal. So I checked my lighting with my meter, something I had not done since I had set it up because typically MH lamps last a year? To my surprise my lamps had lost 50% in 8 months! And trust me you can not tell with your eyes, because to me everything looked the same both color and brightness.
I am guessing the lamps I received where from a bad batch because I have never heard of anyone else having the issue of bad lamps in eight months, but if it can happen once it can happen again.

[Dominican]

Funny Erik. :)

Yeah I'll prob still get a light meter as a back up, but also for placement of light sensitive specimens. Getting quantitative never hurts!

[FossilReef]

I'd change them every 6 months at least with the Reeflux bulbs. They aren't exactly known for their outstanding performance, and I've noticed in tanks that I have serviced that par values degrade rather quickly with these bulbs.

[cpreefguy]

I think that if you are willing to get a quantum meter, that will definitely be a helpful tool. I think I am about to buy one, Ive always wanted one, maybe just because it is called a quantum meter :D

They also come in handy for when you get frags from someone. You can take measurements in their tank and try to place the frag accordingly in your tank.

[JimD]

I'd change them every 6 months at least with the Reeflux bulbs. They aren't exactly known for their outstanding performance, and I've noticed in tanks that I have serviced that par values degrade rather quickly with these bulbs.

Huh? Ive been running Reeflux 10k's ever since they came out, I chose them over the XM's. Good color with actinics, outstanding par and growth. I change them once every year no matter what but Im sure they could go longer. . As with anything else, youre bound to get a lemon every now n then.

[FossilReef]

Huh? Ive been running Reeflux 10k's ever since they came out, I chose them over the XM's. Good color with actinics, outstanding par and growth. I change them once every year no matter what but Im sure they could go longer. . As with anything else, youre bound to get a lemon every now n then.
If it was a lemon every now and then it wouldn't have been an issue. I can't say I have experience with their 10k's though, but dozens of 12k bulbs that just don't perform says something.

[JimD]

What do you mean by 'dont preform'?
12k's start out fairly week, the older they get, the weeker they get, similar to most 20k's. 10k's on the other hand, are very bright white/yellowish depending on the bulb, thus the need for actinics. Its not surprizing that youre changing the 12k's out so frequently. Big difference between the two. If youre sevicing systems that require high light like an sps tank, Id switch to 10k's, if youre servicing tanks that just require economy and ok color, stick with the 12k's.

[jroescher]

...they are still efficient at 18 months but requrie more electricy to function. Just my $ 0.25...


How do you supply more electricity?

[JimD]

lol, You dont, I think he means they're not as energy efficiant as they may have been when they are new..

[FossilReef]

What do you mean by 'dont preform'?
12k's start out fairly week, the older they get, the weeker they get, similar to most 20k's. 10k's on the other hand, are very bright white/yellowish depending on the bulb, thus the need for actinics. Its not surprizing that youre changing the 12k's out so frequently. Big difference between the two. If youre sevicing systems that require high light like an sps tank, Id switch to 10k's, if youre servicing tanks that just require economy and ok color, stick with the 12k's.
I mean that they don't even perform up to the par values as listed by the manufacturer. I think that maybe 1 in 5 or 6 bulbs actually made that standard. I appreciate what that you're trying to be helpful, but I have a lot of experience with lighting. It's not exactly economy when you're replacing the bulbs more often like that, hence one reason why we stopped carrying CoralVue products.

[alton]

FossilReef what type of ballast where you using? MAg., Electro-mag, or Electronic?