KELVIN RATING

[The coral Bandit]

I'm putting 3 x400w MH in my 210g and wanted to find out what K rating would be best for coral growth
I have been told 20K is bests for visual if I want fastest growth I should use 5500k or 10K
I wanted to find out if anyone can provide any test results or suggestions on best combo for grown and visual

[lReef lKeeper]

if you want growth AND visual, i would say to go with 14,000k bulbs. they are a little more blue that 10,000k and a lot less blue that 20,000k. it is kind of like a happy medium.

[seahorsedreams]

I love a blue skew too.....

Come on.... you know you wanna say it 20 times.

[PurpleAardvark]

It really veries from bulb to bulb. You may get a better growth rate from a 20k but than a 10k bulb. It all depends on what you want to do. This is a topic we could post 100 times and never have a def. correct answer. So people fallow the par school. I don't I look at the entire specs of the bulb. How ever that doesn't make me right and PAR people wrong. At this point it is all theory with out 100% positive proof. So for me to say by Xbrand buld and say it will work for you and our corals will grown would be dishonest. I can only tell you what works for me. I use the gesmann 22k 250HQI bulbs. They have more light output than most 14k bulbs and have a nice blue color. however they arn't that 20k look, closer to a 15-16k. I have tryied to date over 40 different types of HQI 250 bulbs. That particular bulb has worked the best for me, it may not for you. More recent studies have shown that you can overstaturate your tank with light. The Red specturm more often associated with 65k- 10k has been shown to not optimize coral growth, but infact impair it. The trick is to find a good balenced bulb with out to much of the red zone in it. You will not see the red zone just because it is beyond your eyes limits, corals do however. OS now that I have not answered and answered your question I would say if you have the money the gessmann 22k is a great balenced bulb. They run about $130-$150 a piece for a 250. For 400 watt I can't rember, I have a bad case of CRS today. Bobby it means Can't Rember something. Honestly :)

[lReef lKeeper]

i know what CRS means !! dang !!

[PurpleAardvark]

I ment something not the other word. Although I am sure your know the other phrase. Sorry I think you took that the wrong way. My bad.

[lReef lKeeper]

oh, i got ya. i thought you were just bustin my thingies again !! lol

[The coral Bandit]

So the red spectrum is bad, uh I had been told that it the closest to natural sun light (65K), as for CRS that is learned at MSU ...lol
make stuff up = MI ST Univ

[dakar]

This could indeed be a lengthy conversation... MY personal experience and research has kept me running Iwasaki brand 6500K halides. Though I've found the 250w bulbs to be a bit more yellow than the 400w. Either, when mixed with 460nm actinics results in a very crisp white light and we experience tremendous growth rates.


That's my nickel's worth.

[PurpleAardvark]

Yes it could Dakar. There are also too many other factors as well. I feel that light is a small part of the whole big picture. Also 400w 6500k actually lean more tword being a 10k by compairision to others. Try a 400w GE 65k. Like I also said it depends on the corals you are going to keep. A few will know who I am talking about, but a guy named Jon wiped ot a tank full of SPS by switching from 175 14k to 400w 65k, and didn't inderstand why. If you know who he is than you know that most of his logic and talk doesn't come from his mouth. The piont of this is sometimes you can putt to much light on a tank to quick. I think Dakar and his wife might have seen this too.
P.S. it is my job to bust your chops Bobby. Dakar pays me a $.05 a day to do it. He pays Eric $.10. I think I am getting ripped off here. LOL

[lReef lKeeper]

i think you are to !! cuz you seem to do a better job lately !! lol
that should get Eric going !!

[The coral Bandit]

thanks for all your help folks I want alot of sps and zoo's so I'm thinking of going with 2 14k and 1 6500k in the middle with 460 pcs

[dakar]

Now that should be an interesting combination... okay hurry up quick and put it together so I can see! :)

Bet you could really get a cool dawn to dusk effect going if you fire one side, then add the middle, and then the last side, and shut them down in the same order. Something I always wanted to set up but never got around to getting the extra power circuit run to that end of the house.

(but I still have the GFCI sockets and breakers awaiting the elusive 'one of these days')

[PurpleAardvark]

your right bobby I would watch your next post. LOL. Eric might get you good. I think he owes me a couple too.

[The coral Bandit]

I don't expect to be set up till feb because as we know set up this big do it right the first time once I get the chiller I'll fill'er up
On the dawn-dusk effect do they make power bar with mutli time settings or do you sugest 3 timers for MH and 1 more for PC's