# coralife bulbs



## ninjaturtle (Apr 12, 2011)

what do you guys think is better for a 7.5inch high 2 gallon tank?

one Coralife 13W PL 10,000K

or

one Coralife 20W screw-in 50/50 PC bulb?


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## caker_chris (Apr 22, 2010)

with that size of a tank why not go led, better lighting.

a par 30 or par 38 bulb would go nice with a tank like that.


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## ninjaturtle (Apr 12, 2011)

LED seems to be too expensive plus toomuch work. i just wanted something simple and wont give me a headache 

so imwondering which of the two listed bulbs are better? n whether i can find it in the GTA?


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## caker_chris (Apr 22, 2010)

well a par 30/38 bulb is very simple, it just screws into a regular light socket. If you want to go the other route I would go with the 50/50 bulb because the 10k bulb is going to be yellow and most people dont like that.


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## ninjaturtle (Apr 12, 2011)

hmm if im gona be regular sockete then its worth looking in to.

if u dont mind, could u give me a list of all the parts n pieces required?
i really appreciate ur help


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## caker_chris (Apr 22, 2010)

get something along the lines of this

http://www.homedepot.ca/product/1-light-clamp-lamp-white-finish/913641

and then get something like this

http://www.ecoxotic.com/ecoxotic-par38-aquarium-led-lights.html

and your done.


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## ninjaturtle (Apr 12, 2011)

haha the simplicity of this makes me feel stupid for even asking.

but thank you.

is it possible to use the Philips brand Par30/38 or GU10 bulbs as opposed to the ecoxotic ones? its rather pricey....  n im only looking in to mushrooms, zoas n maybe a few LPS

this is only a 7.5" deep tank by 10" wide if it help...


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## caker_chris (Apr 22, 2010)

well you can really get any par38 bulb you want the reason why I steered you in the ecoxotic ones was for the colour temps of the bulbs for the appeal.

there is also other manufactures with aquarium purpose par38 bulbs u just have to look around.

NanoTuners, rapidled are a couple of other options.

keep in mind also that while these bulbs are expensive they work out to being cheaper than replacing other bulbs every year.


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## ninjaturtle (Apr 12, 2011)

hey,

i called bigals... they told me a 13W Marineland 10,000k = $21.99

10W coralife 50/50 screw-in = 15.99
20W coralife 50/50 screw-in = 25.99

n then i ran in to this... http://www.hellolights.com/13w505010000kdayactinic03.aspx

any comment with Hellolights? are they reliable?

they have just what i need and a very fair price too


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## ninjaturtle (Apr 12, 2011)

btw, the regular par30/38 bulbs at home depot are only 4000-6000k roughly... is this even any good?

my current PC light is 7200k... wouldnt it be better than the home depot par bulbs?

pls enlighten me and thanks!


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## Will (Jul 24, 2008)

A PAR38 will be overkill, stick with the PAR30. I'd go for something 14000K. Occasionally on sale for approximately $50, maybe less now.

also rapidled.com


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## ninjaturtle (Apr 12, 2011)

what about those Par 30 bulbs that are sold at home depot?

will they work for mushrooms, zoas n softies?


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## Will (Jul 24, 2008)

Wrong spectrum, the colours will look all wrong and they could encourage nuisance algae. Will they grow them? Probably well enough, but the colours just wont pop. That's half the desire of a reef tank.


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## ninjaturtle (Apr 12, 2011)

i dont mind the tank looking white.

my main concern is that things will grow... and im happy.

would it be better if i used a household Par38 over the Par30? Or would it be better to stick with my 13W 7200k PC bulb?


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## caker_chris (Apr 22, 2010)

with that small of a tank and the corals you plan on keeping you can pretty much use any bulb and the corals will live.

the reason why I am steering you in the led direction is because of a few reasons.

1. they make the tank look much better than PC bulbs
2. the colour temperature is going to be more pleasing to look at then your current bulb.
3. the overall cost will be lower than with the PC bulbs because of electricity as well as bulb replacement.

In reality you would like to have a colour temperature of at least 10k but most people prefer a 14 - 20k look.

If you do decide to go with PC bulbs I would suggest the 50/50 bulbs.


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## ninjaturtle (Apr 12, 2011)

yea, ive emailed a bunch of American online retailers... they have 13W PC fixtures for $15-20 a piece... and 50/50 bulbs are less than $10...

if shipping is inexpensive (considering how lightweight the fixture+bulb is), i think im gona go with this setup...

then ill get the white/blue look + a light hood will look cleaner in appearance. 

my brother studies arts and he said he can possible find scraps of acrylic and cut a piece for me as a cover or something for the fixture to sit on... that is if i dont go with the clip-on types. the metal hoods were less than $20 as well.


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## adrenaline (Jan 17, 2011)

seperate note, be weary of acrylic lids. They tend to flex/bow over time. especially if there is any heat near them. I used an acrylic lid on a 10 gallon nano reef with led lights with no prob, but lights hung below and leds were cool to the touch. I have 1/4" thick acrylic lid on one of my 55 gallon cichlid tanks, it bows in the middle over time. I just have to flip it over from time to time (power compact bulb sits directly on it). it's cut to flip universally luckly.

PC bulbs to give off some heat, so depending on the thickness of the lid expect a little bowing on it. or use some weldon and reinforoce it a bit to prevent it if you want to avoid this from happening.

Acrylic is fun to work with. Bit of a nuissance if you don't have patience though 

I made a sweet looking lid for my 10 gallon using clear mouting legs from the Coralife t5 HO fixture, to raise the lid up, and used the Current USA led lights mounted below it. i had 2 10K white led fistures, and used 2 pairs of LED moonlights for the actinic. look REALLY good

This wasn't strong enough to transfer over to my 29 gallon tank where they are now housed sadly


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