How Blue Are 20K Bulbs?

Wow big tank...IMO I would go for 6 250w with vho for sup. on an adjustable light rack. I would also go retro that many pendant's would cost a fortune. Not that an adjustable light rack with 6 250's and vho's would be cheap...;)
 
Mike - that's another consideration - the dawn/dusk setting. Can you accomplish the same effect with MH only? If I go with the pendants, I don't really want to get a separate VHO hood because I would be back to limiting my flexibility (I think :) ).
 
Daire,

I have (2) 250W 10K Ushios, with (2) VHO 03 Actinics. I don't know if its as blue as you would like, take a look, I need to catch up with you anyway.

Jim
 
Thanks Daire, didn't realize Scott had pics posted.

As for you Armando you little devil, I know I owe you a visit;) Just in case you have more coral pics to post you can maybe focus the cam on the lights....
 
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If the tank is going to be built into a wall, it should be a problem to put up a couple
of VHO bulbs between the pendents and the tank - no ?

Have you considered using a light rail system ?

To me, that's the ultimate lighting. You use a single pendent, that slowly moves along
a rail above the tank over the course of the day.

Using a 20k bulbs to similate dawn/dusk is certainly a possibility.
 
That's what I want to know - which brand 20K to use for actinic supplementation of 10K bulbs.

You think AB over XM for that Armando (hmm, I seem to recall the ABs are super expensive) :rolleyes:

(Is AB made in 175 watt, I'm having trouble searching for them?)

Nate

Armando said:
I used XM double-ended. They are very dim and not very blue.

I use for actinics the AB 20Ks double ended. they are awesome IMO. very blue and pretty bright for actinics use. The 150W is bluer than the 250W but obviously the 250Ws are brigher.
Click to expand...
 
Adam - your tank is beautiful! Thanks for the link - I love the look of the 20Ks. I really love the slim look of that hood too. That's the debate - the nice slim look of the hood, or the individual pendants. Eventually it will be covered by cabinets, but that might not happen for a while so I want it to look nice in the meantime.
 
Hands down best coloration (IMO) is alternating 1ok and 20k ABs. The color created is the most crisp eye popping color I have ever seen in any aquarium. The SAND looks like its electric nevermind the corals under that selection of bulbs. Scotts bulb setup is the way to go!
 
Daire, Greg is planning the use of a light rail over his new monster tank, at least
he was the last time I talked to him. You may want to touch base with him.

It can be built.
 
What's the difference between AB and XM? On the sites I've looked at, I can't find reference to either. Maybe I'm just not looking for the right thing.
 
starrfish said:
What's the difference between AB and XM? On the sites I've looked at, I can't find reference to either. Maybe I'm just not looking for the right thing.
Click to expand...
i haven't seen any test results but i also prefer the AB over the XM. i have them both if you wanted to see them side by side.
as for ballast location..... the older aquaspace lights had the ballast inside the fixture made for a really nice plug and play unit but the fixture gets so hot it shortens the life of the internals (IMO)
not to mention you can't put it in a canopy.
whereas an oceanlight you can mount in a canopy. i really like the full fixture oceanlights. they have a single ballast box for 5 MH rather than one box per MH. not sure if calciumbuf is still out there but he had a single ended system that had 3x250 SE 10K and 2 x 175 SE 20K. i really think that the mh 20k is a very different lightthan a 420nm phosphorus bulb (03 actinic).
I'd suggest a combo of all 3.
with a schedule of
vho on
20k 0n
vho off
10k on
10k off
vho on
20k off
vho off

if my tank doesn't sell i'll be putting my dual 6ft vho tubes on and your welcome to check it out.

one thing to keep in mind that i remeber reading:
the longer the tube the more phosphorus out put of a bulb. so if your going to put a 420nm bulb over your tank the longer bulb will put out more color than 2 shorter bulbs of the same length. i believe the ame olds true with its diameter.
 
Daire, XM and AB are brand names of bulbs.

Can someone tell me who sells AB bulbs? I can find XM at a bunch of places online, but so far no AB.
 
Thanks for the links Dennis. I get it - AB stands for Aqualine Buschke. Dennis, what do you use? Your tank lighting is beautiful.

I'm now leaning towards the pre-configured hood with MH and VHO - at least that's this morning. I'll probably change my mind a hundred times by tonight! So many decisions....
 
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