How many K is Blue in MH

jmc2009209 · 01-19-2011, 11:55 AM

How many K is blue in mh, I heard its 20k i don't know for sure but i want some blue for my halide system. If anyone know let me know thanks.

saints fan 420 · 01-19-2011, 12:00 PM

20k is blue...14k is blue/white kinda a purpleish white color....and 10k yellow/whiteish

some ballasts burn the 20k a little whiter as well..

FaceOfDeceit · 01-19-2011, 12:02 PM

Different brand bulbs will appear more blue than others at the same K rating.

jmc2009209 · 01-19-2011, 12:03 PM

I want some true purple, And true blue whitish. Does ballast hold any mh bulbs at different K but same watts

saints fan 420 · 01-19-2011, 12:05 PM

what ballast do you have..or what fixture do you have..i have a 20k xm and it burns a little whiter on my sunpod ballast at around 300watts even tho its a 250w fixture and ballast..

sostoudt · 01-19-2011, 12:45 PM

scroll down for pics of different lights Metal Halide Information - MonsterFishKeepers.com

gcarroll · 01-19-2011, 07:09 PM

Very few manufacturers actually rate their bulbs using the true K temp that they measure out to. No one markets a true 20K bulb because it would still appear white to the human eye. Any bulb that a human can see the slightest amount of blue is well past 30K on a spectrometer. Most manufacturers just pull Kelvin temps out of their @#$! For example one of my favorite bulbs the Phoenix 14K is bluer than many 20K. All in all it just depends on the manufacturer.

GuitarMan89 · 01-19-2011, 08:18 PM

The bulb depends on many different things including manufacture, kelvin rating, ballast used, wattage and age. What exactly are you looking for?

missionsix · 01-19-2011, 08:39 PM

I had a hard time finding a good combination of ballast to bulb in a 20k for my mh. I tried the sps blue life 20k and an Ushio 20k on my lumatek ballasts. I did find that actinic bulbs bought in the 420nm range give a jumpstart towards more of a violet/purplish hue. 460nm actinics are more of a true blue color

I didn't care for the above combination of ballast to mh lamp though. Never gave me the look I was after.

01-19-2011, 11:55 AM	#1
jmc2009209 Flamingo Tongue Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Stockton Posts: 116 Skin: Mint Karma: 1	How many K is Blue in MH How many K is blue in mh, I heard its 20k i don't know for sure but i want some blue for my halide system. If anyone know let me know thanks.

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01-19-2011, 12:00 PM	#2
saints fan 420 Longfin Fairy Wrasse Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: baton rouge...LSU!!! Age: 26 Posts: 2,331 Skin: Mint Karma: 946060	20k is blue...14k is blue/white kinda a purpleish white color....and 10k yellow/whiteish some ballasts burn the 20k a little whiter as well..

01-19-2011, 12:02 PM	#3
FaceOfDeceit Sailfin Tang Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Charlotte, NC Age: 29 Posts: 1,727 Skin: Mint Karma: 20432564	Different brand bulbs will appear more blue than others at the same K rating.

01-19-2011, 12:03 PM	#4
jmc2009209 Flamingo Tongue Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Stockton Posts: 116 Skin: Mint Karma: 1	I want some true purple, And true blue whitish. Does ballast hold any mh bulbs at different K but same watts

01-19-2011, 12:05 PM	#5
saints fan 420 Longfin Fairy Wrasse Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: baton rouge...LSU!!! Age: 26 Posts: 2,331 Skin: Mint Karma: 946060	what ballast do you have..or what fixture do you have..i have a 20k xm and it burns a little whiter on my sunpod ballast at around 300watts even tho its a 250w fixture and ballast..

01-19-2011, 12:45 PM	#6
sostoudt Giant Squid Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Chesterfield, VA Age: 26 Posts: 5,986 Skin: Mint Karma: 901090	scroll down for pics of different lights Metal Halide Information - MonsterFishKeepers.com

01-19-2011, 07:09 PM	#7
gcarroll Stylophora Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Eastvale, CA Age: 43 Posts: 975 Skin: Mint Karma: 9299259	Very few manufacturers actually rate their bulbs using the true K temp that they measure out to. No one markets a true 20K bulb because it would still appear white to the human eye. Any bulb that a human can see the slightest amount of blue is well past 30K on a spectrometer. Most manufacturers just pull Kelvin temps out of their @#$! For example one of my favorite bulbs the Phoenix 14K is bluer than many 20K. All in all it just depends on the manufacturer.

01-19-2011, 08:18 PM	#8
GuitarMan89 Giant Squid Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: West Chester, Pa Posts: 5,612 Skin: Classic Karma: 313166	The bulb depends on many different things including manufacture, kelvin rating, ballast used, wattage and age. What exactly are you looking for?

01-19-2011, 08:39 PM	#9
missionsix 3reef Moderator Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bend,Oregon - USA Age: 39 Posts: 5,740 Skin: Mint Karma: 1676731	I had a hard time finding a good combination of ballast to bulb in a 20k for my mh. I tried the sps blue life 20k and an Ushio 20k on my lumatek ballasts. I did find that actinic bulbs bought in the 420nm range give a jumpstart towards more of a violet/purplish hue. 460nm actinics are more of a true blue color I didn't care for the above combination of ballast to mh lamp though. Never gave me the look I was after.