Reeflux 10K vs 12K 250W MH

tangman99 · 03/20/2007, 11:20 PM

I've had the 10K Reeflux 250s for a year now and it is time to replace them. They have been awesome lights and my crocea has done wonderful under them. I'm not sure if I should stick with the 10K or give the 12K a try? I only have the clam right now that needs MH but I will be adding a few SPS later on.

Any pro's or con's going with the 12K over the 10Ks?

jshuste · 03/21/2007, 10:49 PM

I have the 12K and it burns extremely blue and really brings out the color of your corals.

portjeffski · 03/21/2007, 11:14 PM

I just changed out my 250w 10ks this past January to 12ks and I love the way my tank looks now. Not as white.

hounddog01 · 03/22/2007, 01:57 AM

Rember the PPFD number are much lower on the 12k. This may not be enough light for your clams. I would look at sanjay's site to help find a bulb for your application

Miasma_F · 03/22/2007, 08:19 AM

I apologize for hijacking the thread, but I am considering the same question. How much "bluer" are the 12k vs the 10k? If I continue to run my actinics with the 12k will it be too much?

jshuste and portjeffski
Are you running actinics? Any pictures you can share?

portjeffski · 03/22/2007, 11:02 AM

I am running two pc actinics 96w each. I also have a clam at the bottom of my 180 gal and it is doing just fine. I will try to post new pic.

E-A-G-L-E-S · 03/22/2007, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Miasma_F
How much "bluer" are the 12k vs the 10k?

Very much more blue(20k)

I believe 2x250w of any bulb is enough for any clam in proper water. That said, you will get less growth from corals and your clam may not look nicer under the big blue hue.....most clams look better under natural lighting(6.5k/10k) - ime

portjeffski · 03/22/2007, 11:32 AM

The tank in this pic looks bluer than it does in real time.

The clam is in the lower left corner.

dougchambers · 03/22/2007, 11:40 AM

We ran the 10,000K Reeflux and switched to the 12,000K during our last bulb swap. The 12,000K is definitely more on the blue side. We prefer the color, but I miss the intensity to the point I've considered moving up to the 400W 12,000K. As for coral growth, we are experiencing HUGE sustained growth with the 12,000K bulbs. Which reminds me... I need to start fragging this weekend...

gabe3d · 03/22/2007, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dougchambers
We ran the 10,000K Reeflux and switched to the 12,000K during our last bulb swap. The 12,000K is definitely more on the blue side. We prefer the color, but I miss the intensity to the point I've considered moving up to the 400W 12,000K. As for coral growth, we are experiencing HUGE sustained growth with the 12,000K bulbs. Which reminds me... I need to start fragging this weekend...

Doug,

Does it mean that the growth is sustained from what you were used to with the 10k, eventhough the 12k is less intense? Or do you mean that the 12k gives the coral a consistent growth rate that is better than the 10k?

Thanks
Gabe

dougchambers · 03/22/2007, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by gabe3d
Doug,

Does it mean that the growth is sustained from what you were used to with the 10k, eventhough the 12k is less intense? Or do you mean that the 12k gives the coral a consistent growth rate that is better than the 10k?

Thanks
Gabe

Gabe - Hard to say really... My assumption is that the growth rate is less than with the 10,000K bulbs, but it isn't a fare comparison. We started with the 10,000K bulbs on a fresh tank right after we built the in-wall system. The 12,000Ks were put on the system after it has been established for almost 18 months. I'm still happy with the growth rate...

-Doug

tangman99 · 03/23/2007, 07:14 PM

I went with the 10K again because of the actinic supplements. Thanks for all the advice!

03/20/2007, 11:20 PM	#1
tangman99 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Florida Posts: 391	Reeflux 10K vs 12K 250W MH I've had the 10K Reeflux 250s for a year now and it is time to replace them. They have been awesome lights and my crocea has done wonderful under them. I'm not sure if I should stick with the 10K or give the 12K a try? I only have the clam right now that needs MH but I will be adding a few SPS later on. Any pro's or con's going with the 12K over the 10Ks?

03/22/2007, 01:57 AM	#4
hounddog01 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Bloomington, IL Posts: 1,045	Rember the PPFD number are much lower on the 12k. This may not be enough light for your clams. I would look at sanjay's site to help find a bulb for your application __________________ Brad "The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing." - Socrates Current Tank Info: 180 gallon Acrylic, 65 gallon custom sump, Octopus Extreme 250, 150 LBS Marco Rock, 2-250 W Phoenix with 4 110 VHO supplement

03/22/2007, 08:19 AM	#5
Miasma_F Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Michigan U.P. Posts: 384	I apologize for hijacking the thread, but I am considering the same question. How much "bluer" are the 12k vs the 10k? If I continue to run my actinics with the 12k will it be too much? jshuste and portjeffski Are you running actinics? Any pictures you can share? __________________ -Matt I didn't do it. If I was supposed to, well, sorry about that. Current Tank Info: Nada

03/21/2007, 10:49 PM	#2
jshuste Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 142	I have the 12K and it burns extremely blue and really brings out the color of your corals.

03/21/2007, 11:14 PM	#3
portjeffski Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Salisbury,MD Posts: 197	I just changed out my 250w 10ks this past January to 12ks and I love the way my tank looks now. Not as white.

03/22/2007, 11:02 AM	#6
portjeffski Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Salisbury,MD Posts: 197	I am running two pc actinics 96w each. I also have a clam at the bottom of my 180 gal and it is doing just fine. I will try to post new pic.

03/22/2007, 11:32 AM	#8
portjeffski Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Salisbury,MD Posts: 197	The tank in this pic looks bluer than it does in real time. The clam is in the lower left corner.

03/22/2007, 11:40 AM	#9
dougchambers Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Idaho Posts: 2,882	We ran the 10,000K Reeflux and switched to the 12,000K during our last bulb swap. The 12,000K is definitely more on the blue side. We prefer the color, but I miss the intensity to the point I've considered moving up to the 400W 12,000K. As for coral growth, we are experiencing HUGE sustained growth with the 12,000K bulbs. Which reminds me... I need to start fragging this weekend...

03/23/2007, 07:14 PM	#12
tangman99 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Florida Posts: 391	I went with the 10K again because of the actinic supplements. Thanks for all the advice!