Difference between regular hqi bulbs and hqi sps bulbs?

[SalteeDogg]

Shopping for some new bulbs and noticed they sell sps hqi bulbs. I do plan on having alot of sps in the tank so been considering them. Was wondering what the difference in the bulbs are. I thought you could keep sps under regular hqi's. I have heard 20k sps bulbs look more like 15k.

 

[daugherty]

the sps is the company name. sps does make good bulbs

Select Ballast

 

[ccCapt]

What exactly do you mean by SPS bulbs? Are you talking about BlueLife South Pacific Sunlight brand bulbs or metal halide bulbs for growing SPS corals?

HQI is a European standard for double ended (DE) bulbs. To fire true HQI bulbs, you need a pulse start magnetic HQI ballast. There are no single ended (SE) true HQI bulbs. The Blue Life SPS bulbs come in SE only and are not HQI. I was considering using the 250w Blue Life SPS 10k bulb because it has good PAR and a nice color.......but I was told by the "Lighting Guru" the bulbs are junk and lose their PAR and shift colors fast.

 

[SalteeDogg]

What exactly do you mean by SPS bulbs? Are you talking about BlueLife South Pacific Sunlight brand bulbs or metal halide bulbs for growing SPS corals?

HQI is a European standard for double ended (DE) bulbs. To fire true HQI bulbs, you need a pulse start magnetic HQI ballast. There are no single ended (SE) true HQI bulbs. The Blue Life SPS bulbs come in SE only and are not HQI. I was considering using the 250w Blue Life SPS 10k bulb because it has good PAR and a nice color.......but I was told by the "Lighting Guru" the bulbs are junk and lose their PAR and shift colors fast.

Actually there is a guy on my local forum that has 20k sps hqi bulbs. I didn't know sps was actually a brand, I thought when I heard people say sps bulbs that it was for sps corals :frustrat:...

 

[SalteeDogg]

There are no single ended (SE) true HQI bulbs. The Blue Life SPS bulbs come in SE only and are not HQI. I was considering using the 250w Blue Life SPS 10k bulb because it has good PAR and a nice color.......but I was told by the "Lighting Guru" the bulbs are junk and lose their PAR and shift colors fast.

Here's sps double ended hqi bulbs 20000K Metal Halide Bulb - Blue Life SPS (South Pacific Sunlight), Double-Ended

 

[ccCapt]

Here's sps double ended hqi bulbs 20000K Metal Halide Bulb - Blue Life SPS (South Pacific Sunlight), Double-Ended

I stand corrected. I was unaware they made DE bulbs, however they are not HQI. From the description on the page...."Unlike some other bulbs, SPS Metal Halide bulbs are manufactured with built-in igniters (starters) that allow them to be used with any type of ballast."
True HQI bulbs must be fired with a magnetic pulse start ballast which overdrives them. An electronic ballast will fire them, but at a lower than recommended voltage so you don't get the intended color or PAR output. A magnetic probe start ballast will not fire them at all.

Here are the only 250w Blue Life SPS bulbs that were tested.
250w SDC performance