[Tonz of fun]

Anyone have a clue as to why my tank is so yellow and green tinted? I have 4 blue and purple T5s and a 14k MH???

[rlcline76]

Did this just start happening?

[e_baer]

Maybe it is because of what you were saying last night. with the coraline not in all the way.

And he was saying how it has been like this for a while.

[Tonz of fun]

It has always been this way. I was told that it was because I was using to yellow of a light. But even after having months of the new 14k bulb its still a crappy color. I have blue, green and red corals and they all look greenish brown...

[e_baer]

Im sure all your params. are good, but do you have a UV? my friend had the same problem, and he just got a UV and withing 24 hrs it was much clearer and pretty looking.

[Tonz of fun]

I have a 15w Aqua UV sterilizer...

[glampka]

And on the 8th day God created bulbs!! All things are not created equal. One 14K bulb will NOT be the same as someone else's 14K bulb. The thing you need to do is go out & get a multitude of bulbs from different manufacturers, put them in your set up & see how appealing they are to you. Once you decide on the right combination - VIOLA!! You have it. Stick to those bulbs & you'll be one happy little camper!!

[Tonz of fun]

Originally Posted by glampka

And on the 8th day God created bulbs!! All things are not created equal. One 14K bulb will NOT be the same as someone else's 14K bulb. The thing you need to do is go out & get a multitude of bulbs from different manufacturers, put them in your set up & see have appealing they are to you. Once you decide on the right combination - VIOLA!! You have it. Stick to those bulbs & you'll be one happy little camper!!

Very good point. Hmm maybe I should ask around for anyone who has had nice color from a 14k bulb...

[jimw369]

Originally Posted by glampka

And on the 8th day God created bulbs!! All things are not created equal. One 14K bulb will NOT be the same as someone else's 14K bulb. The thing you need to do is go out & get a multitude of bulbs from different manufacturers, put them in your set up & see have appealing they are to you. Once you decide on the right combination - VIOLA!! You have it. Stick to those bulbs & you'll be one happy little camper!!

Well yes, but it can get costly. I now have 19 T5 bulbs 11 of which are in the closet.
I dont know where Tonz got his new fixture or what brand it is but now that Glampka brings it up I have to agree. The same T5 bulb from different manufacturers is not the same. I am becoming a fan of ATI and GE. Geisman bulbs are not measuing up IMHO.

[Tonz of fun]

My guess is its the MH bulb. The corals look nice when its just the t5s that are on. Problem is there is just not enough light.

[rlcline76]

My T5 collection is in my other closet...

[glampka]

Same holds true for MH bulbs. They are not created equal. Add them to the collection.

[thelastmucci]

this thread scares me....I was hoping that when I get my tank some time before I'm dead that I wouldn't have to buy bulbs for it but now it looks as though I might. ughh.

[Tonz of fun]

Originally Posted by thelastmucci

this thread scares me....I was hoping that when I get my tank some time before I'm dead that I wouldn't have to buy bulbs for it but now it looks as though I might. ughh.

You can look forward to replacing MH bulbs every 8 months and replace t5 bulbs every 12-18 months.

[jimw369]

Originally Posted by Tonz of fun

You can look forward to replacing MH bulbs every 8 months and replace t5 bulbs every 12-18 months.

Dont know if it really applies but its a good read about MH 14,000K bulbs.


Light Output of the Phoenix 14,000K DE MH Bulb Over Time by Allen Chantelois - Reefkeeping.com

[robe25m]

All this is correct, the best time to test new bulbs is when its time to replace the old..

I cant wait to get 3 new 250w MH bulbs and 4 new 96w pc's, I replace my bulbs yearly.

[NATIVEVAMAN]

Almost all mh bulbs are useless past 6 months because there is a serious color shift at about that time.Many tests have been done to show this is the case.The flourescents used with metal halide have there life cut in half due to the heat generated by mh bulbs.That includes t-5,cf and vho bulbs.Since the general color shift is away from blue and back towards yellow this may be your problem.Of course it may just be that the water itself is yellow and you need to run a carbon filter for a while.