Almost all of my tanks are MH. A mix of 250w Phoenix 14k's and 400w Radium 20k's. Hey, for those of you looking for bulbs that are no longer in production I would search eBay and local Craigslist. I've found all kinds of stuff! In fact, if you have the phone apps you can setup searches so that it'll alert you.
...THAT LAMP I LIKE IS NOT COMING BACK IN STYLE....:(
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Lousybreed
Well-Known Member
Interesting point for sure. But when the past has technology that is still competitive with the new technology then I think your past reference doesn’t apply. Halides are not a thing of the past. They are a viable technology, and for a reef tank one of the best options out there.
Don’t get me wrong. I have LED’s on some of my tanks. I build LED lights that grow corals like crazy. But LED doesn’t do anything better or cheaper than Halide and on my DT and main frag tanks I have MH, T5, and LED playing together. I really think that is the best solution. They all play a role. LED fixtures have the most marketing cash. It’s easy to get influenced by that.
Bpb
2500 Club Member
Reeflux 12ks, 2 XM 10ks and one XM 15k. All 250s. I have no use for them of anyone is interested.
Pm sent
Mark
Active Member
I think you misunderstand my statement. I'm not saying metal halides are not competitive. Nothing grew coral faster than metal halides for me. I ran them for 18 years on reef aquariums.
If you go dig around Reefkeeping.com TOTM on the web archive, you can find my 2001 75 gallon with SPS running Iwasakis: https://web.archive.org/web/20040413023413/http://www.reefcentral.com/totm/2001-03/index.php.
I have a lot of nostalgia there. I remember when orange capricornis was a rare coral. What I mean with the "not getting nostalgic and sad" about things is the fact that manufacturers are not manufacturing them anymore. Like it or not, there's not much of a market for them. I've had a metal halide fixture for sale for 2 years now. Nobody wants to buy it. It sits in my garage. I recently dumped a bunch of old MH ballasts, I couldn't give them away.
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Lousybreed
Well-Known Member
Got it. Where are you at? I would love to take that reflector off of your hands!
Mark
Active Member
yellojello
Active Member
Still running dual 250w radiums on my DT for past 7 years. Stocked up on a bit from Black Friday few years ago. I have one more set before I have to buy more and have been contemplating if I want to try LED. My frag tank I setup 2 years ago I got six bulb ATI T5 for a steal and in love with those lights too!
scriptmonkey
Valuable Member
May it rest in peace with my favorite lamp that is not coming back in style....
You think T5's days are numbered?
You think T5's days are numbered?
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You think T5's days are numbered?
I do not think any lamp days are numbered any time soon.
That being said I beleive t-5 will be gone before halides are.
In commercial use t-5 never really were that big. Main reason is they are a pain to replace the lamps and are some what of a maintenance issue.
Plus they were in style for a much shorter time and were a little more pricey making much slower to replace t-8.
Both halides and t-5 will be around a long time because there are allot of current installations out there so replacement bulbs will be made.
Dr. Dendrostein
Marine fish monthly
Did you write 65k, like in 65,000 kelvins?So it has happened, Just last week. I don’t want to say finally, as in I have some feeling of relief about this, but I knew this day would eventually greet me. And I’ll confess, I am not without mixed emotions about it. You see, with only a few months left on my last three running Iwasaki lamps, I made the call to restock. Only this time, my triennial requisite, a mainline directly to EYE lighting, for the 250 watt 65k halide bulb, was met with a foreboding, “The lamp you purchased previously has been marked for discontinuation.” And, by discontinuation, he meant they are done. As in gone for good! The last 27 available 65k Iwasakis I will ever be able to get my hands on. That is it my friends, the end of an era is upon us. Quite literally.
Now, I’m not exactly suggesting that this is the death of the halide bulb all together. Merely, that as the popularity of halides has been diminishing for at least a decade now, the popularity of this particular bulb, has been doing so for far longer. Reaching as far back as the introduction of the 10K even. And it's time has finally come. I’ll even go ahead and say, it’s with good reason, or at least no big surprise. The 65k is a seriously unflattering bulb for coral. By todays standards, most newer hobbyists would probably think there was something actually broken with the bulb at first sight. Mind you though, it’s a beautiful aesthetic. I mean I love it, and I will miss it dearly. As natural looking as artificial lighting can be. People have thrown the word “yellow” around for years regarding this bulb, but to me it’s just a really nice warm white. But, the thing is, this spectrum just will not produce the kind of visual effect, that pretty much any hint of bluer bulb will do. Even 10k. Other than the fact that PAR is really high, there not many other redeeming factors for typical home reef setups. But let me tell you this, I don’t know if I’d be where I am today, without the help of this bulb. And I mean that. I still very much believe that the best colors, and by far the most aggressive growth, I ever experienced, were in corals baking under the shine of the Sakis, overdriven on an m-80 magnetic ballast.
So I’m sitting here, and I don’t know weather to be nostalgic, or just accept it, and move on, because I have to contend with the fact that there will be a time now that I cannot run this bulb anymore. That is certain. But I’ve got, for the last time now, more sakis on their way, as I type this. I didn't buy all 27. Only 9, which is about 3-5 years worth, at the very most, I may really regret that decision. And it's very well likely I'll revisit this thread when the day eventually does come, that I have unscrewed my last expired Iwasaki from it's mogul socket. Certainly a more somber ceremony indeed.
All of this has got me thinking though. And I’m wondering. What other industry mainstays have fallen out of favor over the years? Or, just simply went away with little fanfare like the Sakis’ have? Maybe having been replaced by a “better” product or simply phased out. I mean I've seen lots of stuff come and go, but this one really strikes a nerve with me, as my relationship with this bulb is long and genuine. While it's been harder to find time to really sit down and devote a moment to writing anything, I don't think there was any way at all, I wasn't going to write a little something about this event. And there you have it.
So what do you guy say? Any other Saki users out there want to lament this occasion with me?
Or, anyone else just want to pay tribute to bygone favorites we've lost over the years...
Bpb
2500 Club Member
So you’re saying instead of switching to 10k halide, I can just run my 14k for longer?
OP
OP
Yes sir.
No 65K stands for 65 kelvin Not K as in 1000 because it is actually 6,500 kelvin..
The K makes it confusing because people assume the k mean thousands.
We just had to change it on our fixture schedules because it was confusing.
OP
OP
@Battlecorals -- Sorry if I missed this, but what bulb will you run now that Iwasaki are going away? What will be your replacement of choice
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