Switch from Hamilton 14k's to Reeflux 10k's

I will be puttin up pics very soon, the bulbs are a LOT brighter looking so im wondering if I need to change my photo period temporarily. Right now I was running my 14k ht's for 10 hours a day, i put these bulbs on around 3 and will have em turn off an hour and a half early then usual and turn on an hour an a half later than usual. Is this 3 hours decrease to 7hrs sufficient for a intro photo period?

 

That sounds pretty good to me.

 

I just received my Reeflux(RL) 12k bulbs yesterday, but I havent installed them yet. I would like to get your opinion on the RL. What do you think? Are they white or a white/blue?

Luna

 

Better show than tell

Hey Luna, My camera sucks :-/ but this is what I got so Im including it. Personally I'm loving the new bulbs 8), everything is so much brighter, my fish are glowing but I dont have any actinic supplement and I think if you add those it would be the finishing touch and be perfect even though its mostly a crisp white with a slight bit of blue. It does make my oscellaris clowns look a different shade which I dont like as much as I did with the 14k's and my yellow and blue tang look great. I have two hangin pendants over the tank, any suggestions on how I can add some sort of actinic supplement without blocking out light, even if not, I'm still a lot happier with these bulbs but I think next time I will go for the 12k's perhaps.

1st Picture of old bulbs on. Hamilton 14k
2nd Left Hamilton 14k Right Reeflux 10k
3rd New Reeflux 10k
4th New Reeflux after it got dark out and no light coming in the house through the blinds, looks more bluer.

All bulbs 175w MH run on PFO electronic ballasts

 

The new bulbs look great. I forgot to ask you, did you get the SE or the DE?


Luna

 

SE, wt bout you? When are you planning on puttin them in?

 

DE for my application. As far as when am I installing them, that would be in a couple of months b/c my current bulbs(MH & PC) where installed in April of this yr and still have some life left. Im also installing a new PC ballast. I like to buy inadvance.


Luna

 

Guess i need a new ballast on my system. I just picked up the reeflux 10ks and mine is MUCH more yellow than that. Even with actinics the tank looks somewhat yellow. (Odyssey ballast BTW. I know, I know :)

 

your odyssea ballast isn't burning the bulbs completely. They are getting probably half power.

 

Thats an understatement. My previous ballast(Odyssea) would burn 12k bulbs like if they where 20-ishk bulbs. Under powered fo sho! I'll be honest when I tell you guys that Im dying to install my new Reeflux bulbs.



Luna