14k MH bulb dim

ThePurple12 · May 29, 2020

I just got a CoralVue 14k 150w metal halide bulb from Ebay. I put it in and it's waaaay dimmer than the previous 6,500k bulb. It's so dim that the corals almost look shaded. When I stare into it (dumb, I know), I can look at it for a while without being blinded, much more so than the previous 6,500k.

I doubt its ability to grow my seagrass and corals.

Is this natural for 14k bulbs, or should I return it?

ThePurple12 · May 30, 2020

bump?

flyfisherman · May 30, 2020

Dont stare into bulb. Maybe a bad bulb, but should look less yellow, more crisp white/blue. If worried, get a 10k but that will be yellow too.

ThePurple12 · May 30, 2020

flyfisherman said:
Dont stare into bulb.

I know, I was just trying to gauge the brightness;Bucktooth;Bucktooth

flyfisherman said:
Maybe a bad bulb, but should look less yellow, more crisp white/blue. If worried, get a 10k but that will be yellow too.

It's less yellow, but it's not crisp, just dim.

WVNed · May 30, 2020

In general going up in K does look dimmer to the eye. Is your bulb working right? I dont know.

20k 250W

10k

The shots are done with the same setting on the camera ISO 125 f8 1/60 sec
the lower K bulb makes more light our eyes can see

I have some 14k bulbs coming to find a happy medium between these two.

ThePurple12 · May 30, 2020

WVNed said:
In general going up in K does look dimmer to the eye. Is your bulb working right? I dont know.

20k 250W

10k

The shots are done with the same setting on the camera ISO 125 f8 1/60 sec
the lower K bulb makes more light our eyes can see

I think mine's a bad bulb then. I'll try to get a picture

WVNed · May 30, 2020

Does your ballast have a knob. Mine gets bumped to the wrong position sometimes and dimms one of the bulbs.

WVNed · May 30, 2020

The other mistake I made was running the higher K bulbs too low on the tank because it looked dim.
They are making the same amount of light.
I had to raise them back up.

ThePurple12 · May 30, 2020

Thanks for the suggestions. No knobs, and raising the fixture didn't do anything.

Here's what it looks like, and it's much worse in person:

WVNed · May 30, 2020

No, that doesn't look like a 14k bulb. I get blue and no yellow from mine.

ThePurple12 · May 30, 2020

Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. It must be a defect.

WVNed · May 30, 2020

I am running Hamilton bulbs. You might look into those.
https://hamiltontechnology.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=24_89_96

jda · May 31, 2020

Get the Phoenix 14k. There is no need to mess around with anything else in DE bulbs.

Bpb · May 31, 2020

Correct. If you have a DE fixture. Use Phoenix 14k bulbs. Period. Unless you want to run a 10k tank there’s no need to shop around. Phoenix 14k is as close to a perfect DE bulb for growth and looks balance as you’ll find today

oreo54 · May 31, 2020

ThePurple12 said:
Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. It must be a defect.

You know, it's kind of tricky.. You have "eye bright" 6500k next to a somewhat eye dull 14000K bulb.

w/ all the green in the 6500k bulb it will always look brighter..
The degree is a matter of interpretation..

I assume also the 6500k is same power 150W.

Eye, and even cameras are a terrible tool for judging light output..
That said, does look underpowered...

I assume you looked w/ the 6500k off?

Oh and if the same fixtures, swap the 2 bulbs out, to eliminate a ballast problem..

C. Eymann · May 31, 2020

How long has it been burning? more than a few hours? if so and it still looks like this, probably a bad gas mix in the envelope.

ThePurple12 · May 31, 2020

C. Eymann said:
How long has it been burning? more than a few hours? if so and it still looks like this, probably a bad gas mix in the envelope.

I took it out and replaced it with the old 6500 yesterday, but I had it running all day with no change.

DogsRule · May 31, 2020

Not sure if this is the issue, but some bulbs are designed to run with a specific ballast. Not having the correct combination can really alter the look & performance of a bulb. Research to make sure your new bulb is compatible with your existing ballast. HTH

ThePurple12 · May 31, 2020

DogsRule said:
Not sure if this is the issue, but some bulbs are designed to run with a specific ballast. Not having the correct combination can really alter the look & performance of a bulb. Research to make sure your new bulb is compatible with your existing ballast. HTH

My ballasts say HID Electronic Ballast. I‘m new to MH. Does this mean anything?

I can‘t find any information on the CoralVue bulb, it appears to be discontinued.

oreo54 · May 31, 2020

ThePurple12 said:
My ballasts say HID Electronic Ballast. I‘m new to MH. Does this mean anything?

I can‘t find any information on the CoralVue bulb, it appears to be discontinued.

Some info..

Coralvue 150W 14k DE double ended - buy online

Coralvue 150W 14k DE double ended Coralvue 150W 14k DECoralvue? metal halide bulbs feature the highest color quality for aquarium lighting. The Coralvue?

www.whitecorals.com

.....has also developed high quality electronic metal halide ballasts to power these bulbs. We offer our ballasts in single, dual, triple, and dimmable lamp models.