HQI lighting - differences in K values

[Ninong]

...and the CoralArc. They don't say what kelvin rate the bulb is, just this:

Very high colour temperature (bluish light)

That's probably a 20,000K lamp.

Very high colour stability over the whole lamp life

This could be a dig at certain 20,000K lamps that do not degrade equally. Their color shifts after only four or five months.

Enhanced colour rendition

That's probably just advertising hype.

For use over sea water aquaria
Provides the specific spectrum (400 - 480 nm) necessary to achieve the blue chlorophyll absorption for zooxanthellae symbioses to develop

They are describing a 20,000K lamp, officially called "blau" by Radium. At least that's what they used to call them. They didn't use any Kelvin rating at all, just "blau" (German for blue).

Maybe this is the same bulb as the Radium? Tomorrow if will try to find out.

Let us know what you find out. It's almost certainly a 20,000K lamp but the question is, "Who makes it and is it identical to the same wattage Radium lamp sold in the U.S." We already know that the 150w Radium 20,000K HQI DE lamp sold in the U.S. has excellent test results; therefore, it would be good to know if this is the identical lamp under a different brand name. It would be good for you to know. We don't have that problem over here.

[Ajsim]

Hi!

Today I received and installed the BLV 20.000K bulb. Like you already said, it really is blue! With my T5 unit (1 24W Giesemann blueplus and 1 24W Giesemann actinicplus) it was almost too blue too look at.

So I also changed my T5's, to 2 x ATI Aquablue Special. Now the lighting is much better! The ATI's produce a white light with just a hint of blue. Together with the BLV it already is much better than my previous setup.

I haven't had an awnser of the german vendor yet, so I may have to look further. Also, I've contacted Sylvania too see if their blue bulb is the same as the Radium. They haven't reacted to my question yet.

So, I just have to wait for now... But I will keep you posted!

[jeffsfish]

Hi. I know this thread is a bit old, but I was wondering if anyone had any advice on purchasing bulbs from a company called LSE, Inc. (Light Spectrum Enterprises). They state they are the same color and quality as Coralife, ReefLux and USHIO. I'm due to change out my metal halides and the price on these are reasonable at $20.00/bulb. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

[Ninong]

Hi Jeff,

I've never heard of them before, so I googled the name and this is what I came up with. They were established in 2007. Total number of employees: 5-10.

They are headquartered at 9845 Montour St., Philadelphia, PA 19115. Their main supplier is Ningbo Zhensen Impand Exp. Co. Ltd., 99 Shangwuzhai Industrial Zone, Wenzhou City, China. Number of shipments (July 1, 2007 - January 20, 2011): 8 shipments. Shipment description: UV lamp.

That's about all I know. So now you know as much as I do.

The "K value" of the lamp is only one thing to consider. Quality of materials, quality of workmanship, reputation of the manufacturer, and, most importantly, performance of the product. Several years ago, 14,000K lamps from China (ALS Sunburst 14,000K) were all the rage until it turned out they suffered from 'infant mortality.' In other words, they didn't last very long, often only three or four months. At least with that particular importer, free replacements didn't seem to be a problem except for the trouble of returning the defective lamp to the seller and asking for a refund. Oh, and the little problem of cleaning up the mess -- if possible -- if one of them exploded into your tank.

One more little problem with those 14,000K lamps was that they tested very poorly when subjected to independent tests compared to their advertising claims. I'm talking about PAR value. It's usually impossible to verify K values for most of the 14,000K lamps because most of them can't be measured. In fact, those particular ALS 14,000K lamps were bluer than the Radium 20,000K lamps. In fact, Radium doesn't even call their 20,000K lamp 20,000K. They call it as "blau," German for blue. It's just the vendors who call it 20,000K.

I prefer the appearance of the Ushio 10,000K HQI metal halide lamps. Actually those are the only ones that I have used after I replaced the original equipment Aqua-Medic lamps. The Ushio metal halide lamps for the aquarium trade are all made in the BLV factory near Munich, Germany. They're not made in Japan.

If you do decide to try those cheapy $20 Chinese metal halide lamps, let us know how they did.

[jeffsfish]

Thank you so much for the information and quick reply. Actually I have used these bulbs and was wondering if they were such a great deal. They've lasted for sure, but I've never had success with my corals. I'm newer to reefkeeping (fish only has always been my niche) and cannot figure out why I don't get growth. My water parameters are great so now I'm thinking it's been these bulbs.

Any suggestions on a good place to get the USHIO bulbs? I don't believe I've seen them locally at any of the stores I frequent.

Jeff

[Ninong]

I have purchased metal halide bulbs from both Premium Aquatics and Marine Depot. I used the 10,000K 250w HQI DE type. Don't forget that Ushio and BLV are identical, so if you see them branded BLV, then those are the same as Ushio. They're made in the same plant. Ushio (Tokyo, Japan) owns BLV and all of their aquarium metal halides are made in the BLV plant.

Lighting is one of the parameters that are important to coral growth. The others are pristine water conditions and adequate water movement. What size is your aquarium?

[jeffsfish]

Ninong,

Here's what I have: 210 gallon with a 6 ft Current Outer Orbit light fixture. In the light fixture I have three 150w no-name HQI bulbs 12000K along with 4 dual actinic (50/50) power compacts 98w each. Water movement and parameters are excellent. I use mainly salifert kits to test my water; water movement is generated by two 900gal/min powerheads and a Vortec propeller pump and a 5gal bucket sized Eheim cannister filter.

I think something is working correctly as my rose anemone has split twice and the 3 anemones are about the size of a dinner plate.

Looking back I've never been very happy with the way the tank looks. I've tried 12K, 14K and 20K in this fixture and the colors never pop like I see in the stores. The fixture came with 10K Current brand bulbs and I didn't like those as everything looked too yellow.

I guess I should have known that the LSE bulbs were too good to be true. They advertise they are the same as Coralife and Ushio, but apparently not.

I did find the Ushio bulbs on Bulk Reef Supply and That Fish Place for a fair price. I've had good experiences from both suppliers.

Thanks,
Jeff

[Ninong]

Your present lighting is really not the greatest for SPS corals. It will work with most softies and some hard corals but it's weak for the size of your aquarium. Don't get me wrong, it can be done but it's not what most people would consider optimal. One improvement that you could make while still staying with 150w HQI DE lamps is to switch from 12,000K to 10,000K. That will help somewhat.

Are you familiar with Dr. Sanjay Joshi's metal halide lamp studies? Sanjay has tested a wide variety of metal halide lamps with various ballasts and published the results. You can look up the test results for most of the popular brands. They vary considerably.

If you want to use just 150w metal halides over your tank you will probably have to stick with 10,000K. You could switch the 50/50 power compacts to true actinic power compacts to get the fluorescent 'pop' you are seeking.

If the color is extremely important to you, then I suggest you consider going with Radium 150w 20,000K HQI DE lamps. They probably have more PAR than any of the 12,000K or 14,000K lamps in that size range anyway but not as much PAR as a 150w 10,000K Ushio HQI DE.

P.S. -- If you read all of this thread, even though it's 2-1/2 years old, you know that the various brands and Kelvin ratings of 150w HQI DE lamps vary greatly. That should give you some ideas on where to go with your selection process. Good luck!