Frustrated and need help!

Who can recommend a good MH replacement builb? I don't have a lot of money to spend, so I would prefer to stay away from the $70+ bulbs because I basically have no coral to speak of and I am going to start adding slowly after I get the algae issue under control.
 
Whoa! I have been getting cyano and other algae in my 20G for no reaosn I can imagine. The 2 35 watt CPL are very old. I never heard this before. Anymore info on olf bulbs causing algae?

Sen, this is strictly talking about MH bulbs but,
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-03/sj/index.php said:
Metal halides lamps have a finite life and deteriorate with use. While the lamp may be rated for several tens of thousands of hours of use, in typical reef applications the lamps� output may drop by 30% or more in a year, necessitating a change of lamp. Several effects take place in these arc tubes that ultimately affect the lamp�s light output: deposits of electrode material build up on the arc tube�s wall, changes occur in the arc stream�s chemical composition, the quartz deteriorates to a more crystalline form that is opaque to light, etc. Each time a MH lamp is turned on; tungsten sputters from its electrodes and, over time, blackens the arc tube�s wall. Figure 4 compares a new lamp (left) to a lamp used for over a year (right). The deterioration in the lamp�s arc tube manifests itself as a change in its spectrum, shifting the lamp�s color temperature toward lower Kelvin values. This is often referred to in the hobby as a spectrum shift, and results from decreased output at different wavelengths, with larger reductions at smaller wavelengths i.e. towards the blue end of the spectrum

A short quote from DFS Lighting FAQ
How often should I replace the bulbs and why?
The intensity of a bulb diminishes over time. Even though the bulb will still light up, it may not emit the spectrum or intensity necessary to support healthy growth of photosynthetic organisms. In many instances, diminished light output can encourage nuisance algae growth.



I could not find any articles dealing specifically with them causing the algae. I'll keep looking though.
 
I think that says it all right there. As a resident cheap a$$, I have to wonder when the bulb wares out and it shifts away from the blue spectrum, do 14k or 20k bulbs last longer than 10k bulbs? Just thinking outloud since 14k or 20k bulbs would have more "room" to shift than 10k bulbs...but maybe I'm just a moron.

My LFS (which happens to be petsmart) was sold out of actinic bulbs, so I am running without them until I can get a some shipped.
 
After reading through this thread, and recently battling some nasty cyano of my own, I would definitely agree that is the old lights. I had bulbs on my fixture that were almost a year old when the 6 month cyano appeared. I upgraded to LED's instead of changing bulbs, and the cyano went away pretty quick
 
I am really curious how LEDs affect corals. Since it is such a fixed spectrum of light...does it still provide the beneficial spectrums for growing?
 
I have a hard time believing those output claims. While the PAR outputs are ok (you can get better with a 250w XM 10k bulb. I find it hard to believe that they're getting those numbers from 1w LEDs. Almost all of the LED fixtures you'll find for reefs are using 3w LEDs (with and without optics).
 
I have had my 4 year old actinic lights off for about 2 days now, and the difference is staggering! Every morning I would have at least 4 -6 big blocks of algae on my glass and there is virtually no algae growth these last few days. The true test will be when I get back from vacation...middle of June...before I can get my new lights installed.

I will keep everyone posted about this, thanks so much for everyone's support!
 
It has been a full week with the actinic lights turned off and WOW is there a difference! I overhauled the tank this weekend, tore down all of the filters, scrubbed all the glass, etc. It has been 4 days since that clean up job and I have yet to see any algae growing on my glass or rocks. Under the old lights I would have 4-6 inch round blotches of thick algae growing almost every night!!

Thanks everyone for helping me solve this issue!
 
I finally got my new halide's today and they are installed! I marked my calendar to re-order in 8 months so I have them set and ready for replacement!
 
I posted too soon...the light is totally different, 50% brighter and the colors are amazing! I am now a believer in changing bulbs before they burn out completely! Thanks everyone!
 
I found a few DIY solutions, but I blew my $$$ this month on lights so I'll have to wait. My algae growth for the last 3 weeks has been about >5% of what it used to be...its amazing the difference.
 
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