which bulb for my halide?

[405ndn]

i got a 175w dual halide and was wondering which kind of bulb i should use. i want good growth but also want nice color from my corals. I have a 20k and a 10k right now cuz thats what came with it. Any suggestions?

[Ehaze]

DE or SE?

[schaef]

I have a 250W fixture and I use Phoenix 14Ks. I tried the 20Ks and 10Ks. I like the 14Ks because of the slight hint of blue plus no actinics really needed. Dont think Phoenix makes a 175W but there are a few others to choose from like Hamilton or Icecap. good luck

[Ehaze]

14k for growth/color, 20k for color/little less growth. know the reflectors have a huge deal to do with par.

I just seen, 175 are DE, so I would go with the XM 15k

[Toddrtrex]

175s are SE --- single ended. The only 175 DE bulb that I have seen are knock offs for the Aquatraders (( or something similar )).

I personally would skip the 15K XMs, depending on the ballasts, the 20Ks will have a higher PAR.