metal halide lighting can you use higher than 7000k colour rating ?

Martin103

New Member
blue spectrum is for vegging .. so i've seen some aquatic bulbs that have like 14000k,20000k and even 30000k bulbs would these spectrums of bulbs be better for vegging as they are more blue ? than the standard 6700k?
or isit ideal between 4000k-7000k?
the more blue the better right ?
 

<Grasshopper>

Active Member
10000k is good for coral growth it has more par. 14 k is a little more blue and will really make your corals pop. 20000k bulbs are way actinic and will show the best coral and fish color. Use 6000 or 7000k bulbs for plant growth. I would leave the upper spectrum for the saltwater reefers like myself : )
 

Martin103

New Member
10000k is good for coral growth it has more par. 14 k is a little more blue and will really make your corals pop. 20000k bulbs are way actinic and will show the best coral and fish color. Use 6000 or 7000k bulbs for plant growth. I would leave the upper spectrum for the saltwater reefers like myself : )
just the answer i needed thanks alot (Y)
 

BlueB

Active Member
10000k is good for coral growth it has more par. 14 k is a little more blue and will really make your corals pop. 20000k bulbs are way actinic and will show the best coral and fish color. Use 6000 or 7000k bulbs for plant growth. I would leave the upper spectrum for the saltwater reefers like myself : )
This is true, but not all 10000k bulbs are created equally. Ya gotta look at the spectral output of all the bulbs because some have a better chance at being useful for horticulture. For example, the hortilux blue bulbs are actually rated at 7400k because they are considered an almost pure white light. If you look at the spectral analysis, however, you will see that it falls a bit short at the 460nm wavelength which sucks balls. There are some 10000k bulbs out there that put out a hefty spike at 460nm and also contain quite a bit of red and other colors so do some research before buying into the advertising bullshit that is everywhere. I've been experimenting with all kinds of light for the last 10 years and have found that no matter what type of bullshit light you use, if you add a bunch of deep red LED's to your lighting your growth is gonna accelerate 10 fold. 460nm and 660nm are the key wavelengths, but it's not an exact science because plants adapt REALLY well to crappy light sources such as HPS and MH.
 
Top