Cliff Puckstable June 28, 2015 Share June 28, 2015 Can't decide on getting the de 20k ushio or 20k xm hqi. I'm growing sticks and want good color. Any advise? Mh noob here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ridetheducati June 28, 2015 Share June 28, 2015 Single end bulbs with M80 ballast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Puckstable June 28, 2015 Author Share June 28, 2015 DE with electrical ballast. My frag tank is only 12" tall so I don't need a ton of par. Just good color out of my sticks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbashaw June 28, 2015 Share June 28, 2015 Have you looked into the 14k Phoenix? I'm running one on an icecap supplemented with LEDs and love the color. I'm switching over to t5's this week so If you want to come by and see it or even try it over your tank let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Puckstable June 28, 2015 Author Share June 28, 2015 Thanks man. Aren't the Phoenix 14ks discontinued? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbashaw June 28, 2015 Share June 28, 2015 That's too bad I had no idea they were discontinued. I guess it's a good thing I'm switching to t5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraffitiSpotCorals June 28, 2015 Share June 28, 2015 Single end bulbs with M80 ballast. +1 m80s are the best. Do a. single ended with a nice small reflector if its a small tank. I would use radiums but that's just me. Most bulbs will give decent results, some are just better in certain areas of coral color or growth. Plus the lenght of time they take to diminish in par. Borrow some bulbs from folks. I have some 14k ushios you can have, I think. The only ushios I have used are the 10 and 14 so in imagine their 20 would be pretty white, never seen one. I am not big on double ended bulbs unless it's a space issue where your packing a lot of supplements around them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Puckstable June 29, 2015 Author Share June 29, 2015 Thanks guys. I think I have a m80 ballast but it's for a 150w de I got in a trade. Will this work for other bulbs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sethsolomon June 29, 2015 Share June 29, 2015 Phoenix bulbs are back. There was an uproar about them disappearing and Hexarc decided to bring them back. They are currently available from premium aquatics. As for halide preferences, here are my prefered bulbs: 400SE: 20k Radiums 250w SE 20k Radiums 250w DE 14k Phoenix 150w DE 14k phoenix or 20k radiums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Puckstable June 29, 2015 Author Share June 29, 2015 Thank you sir. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sethsolomon June 29, 2015 Share June 29, 2015 Phoenix bulbs are back. There was an uproar about them disappearing and Hexarc decided to bring them back. They are currently available from premium aquatics. As for halide preferences, here are my prefered bulbs: 400SE: 20k Radiums 250w SE 20k Radiums 250w DE 14k Phoenix 150w DE 14k phoenix or 20k radiums I forgot to add a few other of my favorites I have used over the years. 400w 14k Ushios for a marine planted tank was awesome! Pic for reference: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowieReefer84 June 29, 2015 Share June 29, 2015 (edited) If this is the light I traded you it's an M81 ballast. 150w bulbs. http://hamiltontechnology.com/item/Metal-Halide-150-Watt-HQI-Assembled-Ballast-371 Best to run an HQI 150w like the 14k Phoenix. Edit- The ballast is not checked M81 on the enclosure, but it is an M81. It's marked on the inside. Hamilton just used that enclosure, which is the same. The bulb I gave you with the light is a 150w Phoenix. It has lots of life left. I only ran it for a couple months about 5.5 hours a day. Edited June 29, 2015 by BowieReefer84 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Puckstable June 29, 2015 Author Share June 29, 2015 Last night I pulled out the box and fired her up. Thanks for confirming that it's a Phoenix 14k. I went threw your old thread trying to find it. 20k would be more blue right? I'm used to LEDs and I personally like the led look better. My sps looked meh except for this guy. Looks awesome under mh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowieReefer84 June 29, 2015 Share June 29, 2015 (edited) I never ran the 20k 150w radium, but I have heard the 14k phoenix is actually more blue than the 20k radium. I am speaking specifically on the 150w versions of these two bulbs. The MH look will be a lot different than LED. When people with LED say 20k it is always way more blue than a 20k MH. If you have not run MH before the other thing to note is you can't turn the bulb on and off and on and off repeatedly. It needs to cool before being "re-fired." Edited June 29, 2015 by BowieReefer84 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Puckstable June 29, 2015 Author Share June 29, 2015 Thanks for the great info mike. Much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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