# Which Metal Halide bulbs?



## elchacal (Jan 4, 2007)

Hello and Merry Christmass fellow APC forumers!!

I am searching some 150W metal halide bulbs which are neither too yellow, neither too blue.
Just a natural Daylight for my planted tank.

Everybody talk about 6500 K ones, in general, but......which is your experience using specific metal halide brands? Any place to buy them?

I read good reports about 6500 K Blau Aquaristic bulbs but didn´t see them in person.

Thanks a lot from Spain and have a very smooth end of the year.
Regards.


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## ashappard (Jun 3, 2006)

maybe best to look at some tanks in operation and see if the ballast/bulb combo suits your taste. For me 10000K looks nice, 6500K is too yellow, 8000K is too green. but that is all personal preference and each bulb temp will grow plants fine if the intensity is good. 

I've used coralife / ADA / fishneedit.com bulbs. I usually go for the cheaper ones, they look fine when driven by a good ballast. I'm still mainly using old icecap ballasts, dont think you can buy them anymore.


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## elchacal (Jan 4, 2007)

Thank you very much Ashappard,

I´ve seen Coralife 6700 bulbs for a good price on ebay (47 USD) and I´m thinking of buying them.
Perhaps they would be one of the best options.

Thanks!
Regards.


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## TAB (Feb 7, 2009)

I tend to like bulbs in the 10-14k range.

Every ballest will light a bulb diffrently.

I'm running ushios right now, I forget if its 10k or 12k.

Thats with a blue wave ballest and a reef optics 3+ reflector.


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## elchacal (Jan 4, 2007)

Thanks TAB,
several peple recommended me to use 10000K bulbs as 6500K may look too yellowish.
I´m now using 10000K but from a very cheap brand on Ebay. 
I don´t like the way these bulbs reproduce colours, because under them all the green and red plants tones looked just the same.
Because of that I was planning to search some bulbs with more cromatic accurately.

My ballast are 2x150W Tridonic ones.

Thank you very much.


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## TAB (Feb 7, 2009)

just becuase a bulb says its XXXXX it does not mean its actually XXXXX. bulbs also color shift over time. I've yet to see a "cheap bulb" put out good light for any length of time.


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## elchacal (Jan 4, 2007)

Yes, you are right, some cheap bulbs give a very good service.
For that reason I got the ones I´m using now.

I think the key is to try some bulbs and decide which you like most.
I thought of Coralife ones because they are medium priced and references on the web are good.
If I could get Blau bulbs I would doubt between both brands.

Thanks!


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