Metal halide bulb question?

hi tried to search for a awnswear and no luck.my question is.i have a metal halide setup i git with my 125gal.it has 3 175 watt halides and 2 i gues there call super r t12's.i dont know the k rating nor do i know the wattage on the t12's.so my question is whats the best 175 watt halides i should use.10k or higher.my tank will be reef and fish so mixed.i have to replace all bulbs and there are no reflectors on it but iwill be adding them down the road. thanks...

 

Hands down the best 175 watt bulb is the iwasaki 15k. It is as bright as most 250 watt 10K and last long. My friend has been running the same bulbs for 3 years on his prop tank. It is primarily growing softies like leathers and sinularia but they grow like weeds under these. Beware as this is a true 15K bulb. The color is a crisp white. It is not a blue bulb like other 12 to 20K bulbs.
175 Watt 15000K Metal Halide Bulb - Iwasaki, Mogul Base

If you are looking for a bluer bulb I suggests the Phoenix 14K. (it is a 150w bulb but will operate fine on a 175 watt ballast)
14000K Metal Halide Bulb - Phoenix, Mogul Base

or the Aquamaxx 14K
14000K Metal Halide Bulb - AquaMaxx, Mogul Base

 

well the bulbs i found are on ebay.there 175 watt and they come in 10,12,14, and 20k i think.i was going to order them and go with 10k but before i do i want to make sure thats the right choice.there 10k's are crisp whit and next up is white with some blue and so on.

 

I can only suggest what has been tested or I have personal experience with. I prefer to stick with the known trusted brands within the reef lighting community.

 

OK.THANKS.. maybe someone else might know and chime in. thanks again

 

My honest opinion would be to bite the bullet and go with the named brands
the initial outlay is greater but the benefits are genuine IME

With the no brand and often Chinese imported lamps, the color temperature can change rather rapidly, with some reports on the www. of shifts downwards within 3 months of purchase

this could give you issue with algae should you continue to run these by that time much lower Kelvin lamps after a few months


my experience
I can pay 500 rmb local price for XM 15k SE halides
I can pay 180 rmb local price for non branded 14 K lamps SE halides

I had to try them naturally
I figured if I got 6 months out of them, I was still in the black in terms of value for money

within a few weeks there was a noticeable colour difference between the 2 lamps
the left hand side of my tank had a purplish hue to the rockwork, the right hand side, looked more yellow
I replaced both lamps with the XMs

Steve

 

I get where your coming from.gues i should just buy a new t5 or compact unit and sell this metal halide set up i have.idk

 

If you aim is a mixed reef with mostly soft corals, than a T5 fixture will certainly help with running costs and avoid any heat issues IME

 

i have a orbit fixture on my 75gal that is mixed 4 65watt bulbs.2 10k 2 atinic 40 6500k; so i might go with the same fixture for my 125gal it has 95 watt bulbs 4 dual daylight, 2 dual actinic, 6 lunar lights.it works for my corals in my 75 so i guess ill go for it.by any chance does anyone know what a halide set up is going for used these days.here are some pics.

 

i currently am running dual 175w hamilton 20k bulbs on my tank. the color is great and I would recommend it in the 175w range. If i had a 250w I would go with 20k radiums.

also stay away from the cheap chineese bulbs. they are cheap for a reason, they don't last. This does not apply to the led's as they have some nice ones out there, but metal halide.