lighting Question

pico1966 · 12/02/2009, 07:10 PM

I got 2x175 mh and i want to get new bulbs but im a little lost with the choices,10000 k or 14000 k?Can someone please steer me in the right direction please

ChadTheSpike · 12/02/2009, 08:35 PM

This comes down largely to personal opinion...
Yes, some corals (generally come from slightly deeper water) prefer bluer (higher temperature) light and yes redder (lower temperature) can encourage algae growth.
Either bulb color you mention is good, do you like a more full spectrum look (10k) or slightly bluer look (14k)?
Get what pleases you the most.

lordofthereef · 12/02/2009, 09:51 PM

10000 k will generally end up giving you the best growth. 14000 k is often thought of as (at least by me LOL) the best of both worlds because it is a cool blue that still gives very decent growth. I agree that the choice between the two is largely going to be personal preference. FWIW most people I have come in contact with, be it online or in person, tend to prefer the look of 14000+ k and will use a 10000 k only on frag/grow out tanks.

thegrun · 12/02/2009, 11:15 PM

I am running a 20K radium bulb on my tank, I prefer the color over my old 14K. I haven't seen a noticeable drop off in coral growth and it brings out more color in them.

tangdiver · 12/03/2009, 05:40 PM

14k usally have a lot less PAR, or growing power of the light, I would do 20K if you like blue, or 10k if you like more white light.

12/02/2009, 07:10 PM	#1
pico1966 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 103	lighting Question I got 2x175 mh and i want to get new bulbs but im a little lost with the choices,10000 k or 14000 k?Can someone please steer me in the right direction please

12/02/2009, 08:35 PM	#2
ChadTheSpike Reef Engineer Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Washington DC Posts: 1,526 Blog Entries: 1	This comes down largely to personal opinion... Yes, some corals (generally come from slightly deeper water) prefer bluer (higher temperature) light and yes redder (lower temperature) can encourage algae growth. Either bulb color you mention is good, do you like a more full spectrum look (10k) or slightly bluer look (14k)? Get what pleases you the most. __________________ ~Chad "Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies." Current Tank Info: 195 gallons of fun

12/02/2009, 09:51 PM	#3
lordofthereef One reef to rule them all Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Leominster, MA Posts: 5,299	10000 k will generally end up giving you the best growth. 14000 k is often thought of as (at least by me LOL) the best of both worlds because it is a cool blue that still gives very decent growth. I agree that the choice between the two is largely going to be personal preference. FWIW most people I have come in contact with, be it online or in person, tend to prefer the look of 14000+ k and will use a 10000 k only on frag/grow out tanks. __________________ "A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself" ~ Josh Billings Visit My Home page for current build thread (click my user name and select "Visit LordoftheReef's Homepage" in the drop down menu!

12/03/2009, 05:40 PM	#5
tangdiver Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Sioux Falls South Dakota Posts: 1,231	14k usally have a lot less PAR, or growing power of the light, I would do 20K if you like blue, or 10k if you like more white light. __________________ Its unwise to pay to much or to little When U pay to much U lose a little $ When U pay to little U sometimes lose it all because the thing U bought was incapable of doing the thing U bought it to do Current Tank Info: 6' long, 3' wide, 2' high, My tank is not worthy of Tank of the Month

12/02/2009, 11:15 PM	#4
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	I am running a 20K radium bulb on my tank, I prefer the color over my old 14K. I haven't seen a noticeable drop off in coral growth and it brings out more color in them.