Do bulbs make that big of a difference?

sleeper · Apr 21, 2009

Hey guys, I have a std 55g with a 216wt 4 bulb T5ho fixture. Anyway I purchased that light in OCT 08, so the bulbs are about 6 months old. I was never really happy with the coloring plus they are odyssea bulbs. 2 blue actinic and 2 12K daylight bulbs. Would changing to a UVL or Geissman bulb make a huge difference or when I'm ready to replace should I just stick with the odyssea combo I have. (they are on sale for $7.90 a piece). Are the UVL bulbs at 20 bucks a piece worth the price?

BShells · Apr 21, 2009

Good bulbs make a HUGE difference. I'm not very familiar with the UVL, but the Geissman bulbs are well worth the extra money, IMO.

EliteReefs · Apr 21, 2009

so yourself a HUGE favor and take the following advice .

bulb quality makes a HUGE difference. a quality bulb is worth every cent.

think of it like this. you spent 100's to 1000's or bucks on your corals. sure would suck to have them lose color and or die just because you chose to give them poor lighting condition. light is there life line and you get what you pay for. from all my testing on everything from NO thru MH the bargin basement bulbs are crap.

BTW. if you are replacing the bulbs VERY often then the above advice does not apply as firmly. BUT at that point you would be spending the same if not more then if ya bought the good bulbs in the first palce

meisen · Apr 21, 2009

Yep, totally agree with the above. Bulbs are a complicated thing to sort out: you have longevity, PAR, spectrum and just the overall look to your eye of the bulb.

Really generally lower Kelvin (more yellow-white) bulbs put out more PAR per watt and last longer. Higher Kelvin bulbs bring out colors better but have lower PAR and dont typically last nearly as long. I know there are exceptions but thats a good starting point to begin your research.

Also, you might need to experience it for yourself but when bulbs hit a certain age (seemingly different for each model and also depending on how long you run them for), the corals will often stall in growth and lose their color. It hurts a little to have to shell out $200+ for new bulbs every year (or less) but your corals will be much better off.

Hope that helps.

Sr5_Reef · Apr 21, 2009

ati, german bulbs. Will make a nigth and day difference.

revhtree · Apr 21, 2009

Yes they do!

sleeper · Apr 21, 2009

Thanks for the advice. From my reading I hear alot about Geissman bulbs. Are these the best bulbs to get or just a common product. If I'm gonna spend the extra money I want to make sure I get the best product. And will a 12k Geissman bulb put out more PAR than a 12k bargain basement bulb?

I asked this because I would like a little more color, so could I go to a 14K and Actinic combo and get the same PAR that I get out of my current 12K and actinic combo with crap bulbs?

Poseidon · Apr 21, 2009

http://tfivetesting.googlepages.com/home

Start there.

I have used Geismann, ATI, and UVL bulbs, they are all high quality and work well. However some of the other brands look like CRAP. I would only do UVL on an IceCap ballast, which you don't have, so that leaves ATI adn Geismann, I would keep it simple and try a 50/50 mix of ATI Blue + and Aquablue Specials. It will give you a crisp white tank, and great balance of coral color and growth rate.

mevstheworld · Apr 21, 2009

I just switched to Aquascience from ATI & UVL and REALLY like them. My tank looked great before, but now is Amazing.... my $.02

sleeper · Apr 21, 2009

Thanks guys for all the advice, more is always appreciated. Afrer all those who chimed in I will definatly go with a better quality bulb when I replace. This will probably be a month or so but I will post before and afters so everyone can see the difference. It's never to early to start researching for your next reefing purchase. Thanks again.