mdenny
Reefing newb
are ebay 14000 k bulb any good ?
ebay bulbs
- Thread starter mdenny
- Start date
Smitty
Reef pro
Just remember...you get what you pay for. They will work, but the light output/par isn't gonna be that great probably.
reeffreak
Reef pro
Cheap bulbs have low PAR.It will depend on who makes the bulbs.
You never mentioned what type of bulb?MH,T5,PC?
You never mentioned what type of bulb?MH,T5,PC?
vonjankmon
Reefing newb
Has anyone ever done any kind of testing with different bulbs? People always say you get what you pay for and I am inclined to agree to a point but I have to wonder if there is any significant difference between a 20 dollar bulb and say a 30 dollar one.
reeffreak
Reef pro
Yes,there are test done on different T5 bulbs on Reef Central.There are huge differences in bulb quality.Some bulbs put out nearly twice the PAR as cheaper bulbs.For example a ATI Aquablue Special 12k bulb puts out nearly double of a Slimpaq 10k bulb commonly found in stock Current fixtures.
There are test done for different metal halide and LEDs as well.
There are test done for different metal halide and LEDs as well.
BL1
.............
Here are some tests for MH bulbs and ballasts
Performance Data Query Results
Performance Data Query Results
Performance Data Query Results
CnidarianReef: Lamp Tests
Manhattan Reefs - Sanjay's Lighting Guide
vonjankmon
Reefing newb
Searched around a bit and the below link is all I could find for the different PAR values of T5 bulbs.
T5 lamp PAR readings - Reef Central Online Community Archives
I think the most interesting thing to me looking at those numbers is the fact that the GE Daylight bulb has the second highest PAR there and is more than likely by FAR the cheapest bulb there.
T5 lamp PAR readings - Reef Central Online Community Archives
I think the most interesting thing to me looking at those numbers is the fact that the GE Daylight bulb has the second highest PAR there and is more than likely by FAR the cheapest bulb there.
ccCapt
Reef Hacker
I have borrowed a friends PAR meter and have tested a few different metal halide bulbs. There is no doubt there is a huge difference between cheap, no name Ebay bulbs and good quality name brand bulbs.
The biggest problem I had with Ebay bulbs is they either change color fast or just die. I've had Ebay bulbs fail, as in not fire up, after 2-3 months. They start out with decent PAR when new, but the PAR drops off real fast.
Here's a little comparison between a $15 Ebay bulb, a $60 XM bulb and a $60 Iwasaki bulb:
Ebay 14k MH - 230 PAR
XM 10k MH - 615 PAR
Iwasaki 15k MH - 625 PAR
Considering they all use the same amount of electricity, I would rather pay more for a good bulb that puts out almost 3x the PAR as opposed to a cheap bulb that may fail in a short amount of time.
mdenny
Reefing newb
yea i may have to get some xm bulbs more bang 4 my buck
fastrd400
It wasn't me!
Check out soslighting.com They carry Ushio, Hamilton and Phoenix bulbs. Super nice guys, and I can guarantee the best price on a 250W Phoenix DE you will ever find. I just ordered 4 bulbs and paid 48.00 a piece on them, with free shipping.
