Bulbs Too Old?

Jacuzzi · 01/15/2010, 03:08 PM

So I have had this fixture for about 3 months which is a Custom sea life 2x175 watt hamilton 14k halides and 2x65 watt actinics. I picked it up form a guy where it had sat in his garage for around 5 years. Dont know how long it was set up before but both bulbs fired right up although one is slightly brighter then the other. I only have softies now and the fixture sits right on top of my 40 gallon breeder and I have no heat issues to date as it has a nice built in fan.

But my buddy who has a biocube 29 and runs PC's is totally kicking my butt in growth of his corals and coraline algae. I do weekly water changes of 5-10gallons and lights are on 10-12 hours day but my coraline growth is minimul at best and it seems to only barely grow where the tank is more shaded. I know I should replace the bulbs but if I do will it make that big of a difference? I really like the look of coraline algae and I have been dosing with purple up for about a month with slightly better results but still not happy with the growth. Thoughts and ideas greatly appreciated thanks.

100%hydrophylic · 01/15/2010, 03:16 PM

i personally think its always a good idea to put new bulbs into a fixture that you bought used unless you know the bulbs are brand new. if you know its not a water param problem then why not try changing bulbs? your going to need to change them sooner or later. why not sooner if you can afford it?

01/15/2010, 03:08 PM	#1
Jacuzzi Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Bay Area Posts: 278	Bulbs Too Old? So I have had this fixture for about 3 months which is a Custom sea life 2x175 watt hamilton 14k halides and 2x65 watt actinics. I picked it up form a guy where it had sat in his garage for around 5 years. Dont know how long it was set up before but both bulbs fired right up although one is slightly brighter then the other. I only have softies now and the fixture sits right on top of my 40 gallon breeder and I have no heat issues to date as it has a nice built in fan. But my buddy who has a biocube 29 and runs PC's is totally kicking my butt in growth of his corals and coraline algae. I do weekly water changes of 5-10gallons and lights are on 10-12 hours day but my coraline growth is minimul at best and it seems to only barely grow where the tank is more shaded. I know I should replace the bulbs but if I do will it make that big of a difference? I really like the look of coraline algae and I have been dosing with purple up for about a month with slightly better results but still not happy with the growth. Thoughts and ideas greatly appreciated thanks.

01/15/2010, 03:16 PM	#2
100%hydrophylic Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: GA Posts: 1,636	i personally think its always a good idea to put new bulbs into a fixture that you bought used unless you know the bulbs are brand new. if you know its not a water param problem then why not try changing bulbs? your going to need to change them sooner or later. why not sooner if you can afford it? __________________ :) Current Tank Info: 75g mixed reef, 28g nano SPS