14k or 20 k lights?

[bbowler]

Ive always used 10k lights, but I have heard that 14,20k lights show coral colors better but the corals will grow slower than being under 10k. Is this true, if so will any alge also grow slower? thanks,

[quiksilver]

There's no one easy answer to your questions in my opinion. I would say if you are used to the 10k look you won't like 14k or 20k as it will appear very blue to you and not natural to what you are used to. I would say you are best off sticking with the 10k and adding actinic supplementation if you really want your corals to have that extra pop.

The best coral growing bulbs are around 6,500 kelvin and are terribly yellow. Algae seems to grow in my experience because of water quality/high phosphate issues and doesn't really care as much as corals about the par of your lighting.

[01saleen]

i have 20ks on mine and my stonys grow very slow, but they look really nice. i have heard that corals grow best under 10k, but after these bulbs burn out i will try the 14k's, some where in between because i really like the blue look but i do want more growth.

[melev]

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www.[I]removed by RC Staff[/I]

[Canarygirl]

I am getting excellent growth on the 14K side of my tank...I can't distinguish from the growth rate on the 10K side. However, I have Aquaconnect 14K; don't know about others. If you don't want it to look "too blue" you can run it on the specific ballast recommended for that bulb. I'm running it on Coralvue e-ballast and it is pretty blue, but not nearly as blue as a 20K I tried on that same ballast.

[corals b 4 bills]

I have always used 10K bulbs untill I picked up some 20's one day I am currently on my third set, I love the blue look but it's true that all my corals slowed there growth by 60% (in my tank with same corals), next time that I buy bulbs again I will try the 14's because like I said I love the blue but need the growth. BTW I run 3-250 watt Ice Cap Ballasts.

[bbowler]

thanks guys, i appreciate all the input, i may go to 14 k next run and see how that looks.

[seapug]

It also depends on the manufacturer. For example, a 14K Phoenix is more blue than a 20k Coralife.

Not sure what kind of fixture you have, but I'm running a 12k ReefLux in my 150W HQI fixture and I love it. It gives you all the full spectrum white light of the 10ks with just a tiny touch of blue for flourescent colors.

I tried 20 and 14k bulbs but after looking at my tank for a few months with all the blue it started looking dull and felt like my tank wasn't as colorful as it use to be, not to mention the slow growth factor. I still have a 14K Pheonix on one end of the tank which looks nice, but the 12k is over the SPS side and they are responding very well to it.

[Chong27]

try 14k phoenix bulbs. good growth and excellent colors

[McTeague]

My preference is 14k in my opinion 20k is way too blue.

[hahnmeister]

Depends on the 14,000K. A pheonix is pretty much a 20,000K bulb (it only lacks an actinic spike to be a fulll blown 20,000K). A Giesemann 14,500K, or Ushio/BLV 14,000K is a different story... very daylight. And oddly enough, a Reeflux 12,000K is more like a pheonix in its output.

[seapug]

I'm running a 12k Reeflux and 14k Phoeonix on my 90. They are very different-- the Phoenix is much much more blue.

[CoralCaps]

i prefer the 14k bulbs over 20k. dont like a lot of blue in my tanks.

for the Phoenix owners, even though it is pretty blue do you still get good growth out of it? i've heard nothing but good things about that bulb for growth and colour.

[bbowler]

well i have the current usa fixture with 2 150w and 2 96 w actinics and it currently has 10k bulbs, i was told by my LFS that he has some xm 14k bulbs, i may try that

[hahnmeister]

Originally posted by CoralCaps
i prefer the 14k bulbs over 20k. dont like a lot of blue in my tanks.

for the Phoenix owners, even though it is pretty blue do you still get good growth out of it? i've heard nothing but good things about that bulb for growth and colour.

I used the pheonix for a couple years on a couple tanks. The intensity is there... as much as a Ushio 10,000K. Corals get plenty of light (alot more than a 20,000K), but there is a downside to the bulb: it can wash out colors on corals. Its output is very blue, with not much else... it doesnt even have an actinic spike. So some corals tend to get 'chalky' or 'washed out'. Dont get me wrong, you may or may not notice depending on what you are growing, but I know for SPS it doesnt make the corals pigments fill in as intense as with a fuller range bulb. IF you use the pheonix, I would suggest supplimenting it with 'true actinic 03' bulbs and even a bit of daylight, like a 6500K bulb.

[kaledrina]

Originally posted by Chong27
try 14k phoenix bulbs. good growth and excellent colors

That's what I have... Looks really nice. I don't think I'd experiment with anything else considering the cost of the bulbs.

[bbowler]

just growing LPS, softies so no major lighting needs.