light bulbs

[smitty484]

i just started a new tank it has been running for 2 months i was told to replace my bulbs but i dont know enough about lighting to just pick up some bulbs. My light is a 48" current with 6 t5 ho bulbs 4 are blue 2 are white.

 

[ZANYMASTER]

If you're looking at brands,Look at Geissman.Go with 3 white,3 blue.

 

[SevTT]

i just started a new tank it has been running for 2 months i was told to replace my bulbs but i dont know enough about lighting to just pick up some bulbs. My light is a 48" current with 6 t5 ho bulbs 4 are blue 2 are white.

...Is this a new fixture? 'Cause if so, those bulbs still have a lot of life on 'em. If not, then Geissman and UVL are perennial favorites, but, frankly, any common T5HO sold for aquarium use will be fine. You can match the ones in your fixture -- if the whites are the same, they're probably two 10K kelvin bulbs; if one's significantly yellower than the other, it's probably a 6.5K kelvin bulb, and the blues are probably 50/50s -- a mix of actinic and 10K phosphors -- if they're bright, or actinics if they seem dim.

Does the fixture have individual reflectors for each bulb, or at least a single-piece reflector which has been molded so that each bulb has its own reflector trench? 'Cause if not, you can get a LOT of extra light in your tank by retrofitting new reflectors.

 

[cowfish]

I have a 48" 6 bulb fixtue running on my SPS dominated reef. I'm currently using -

3 ATI Blue +
1 GE 6500 Daylight
1 ATI Actinic white
1 ATI Aquablue Special (12000K)

Supposedly ATI bulbs put out more PAR than Geissman though G's are very good too. My tank has a bluish look, but not overly so - maybe around 14000K? All the corals are doing well (nice colors and growth though this is obviously just my opinion) - blastos, duncans, acros, zoas, millipora, etc.

There's a relatively new brand on the market - Wavepoint. I haven't heard or seen any long term results, but limited comparisons put their bulbs with the highest PAR. However, it should be noted that PAR alone is not the be-all-end-all of marine lighting.