When to change my MH bulbs...

[Malibu361]

Just curious when about to change them..I run them 8 hrs a day since November 08 ..Any suggestions..?

 

[mckostya]

i heard 8 month, i heard one year...did you notice the bulb wear out?

 

[ClosetFishGeek]

This is a tough question to answer....typically when the light shifts spectrum....THis is where my appogee light meter comes in handy...:splitspin..I test my bulbs when they are new so I have a starting point and then test after the 7 month mark....My reeflux lasted roughly 10 months. A lot of people just replace bulbs yearly. This is tough to gauge...to many variables...?? Are they overdriven, Air cooled/fan cooled, photo period....No two bulbs are alike with operating conditions. My system(250w se w/electronic ballast) is run with a photo period of 5 hrs daily. And the bulbs are not directly cooled in any way nor are overdriven. Hope this helps.

 

[Malibu361]

I have a current outer orbit with dual 150 mh

 

[masterswimmer]

Sal, without a meter to gauge the baseline PAR when the bulb was brand new, you won't know what the spectrum shift has been over the course of five months, eight months or a year. It is too gradual a shift for your eye to discern.

If you begin to see nuisance algae begin to sprout up while your nitrates and phosphates are still at acceptable levels then it might be an indicator that your bulbs are due for a change.

Russ

 

[REEFGUY]

I do 8 months,better early than late

 

[cali_reef]

This is a tough question to answer....typically when the light shifts spectrum....THis is where my appogee light meter comes in handy...:splitspin..I test my bulbs when they are new so I have a starting point and then test after the 7 month mark....My reeflux lasted roughly 10 months. A lot of people just replace bulbs yearly. This is tough to gauge...to many variables...?? Are they overdriven, Air cooled/fan cooled, photo period....No two bulbs are alike with operating conditions. My system(250w se w/electronic ballast) is run with a photo period of 5 hrs daily. And the bulbs are not directly cooled in any way nor are overdriven. Hope this helps.

You must have an awesome meter because mine only measures PAR, not SPECTRUM.

 

[ClosetFishGeek]

You must have an awesome meter because mine only measures PAR, not SPECTRUM.

You are correct...so when my par starts to wean downward its time to change.....sorry...I should have been clearer. However spectrum does shift over time as the bulb ages. Unfortunately my meter only does measure par not spectrum...:splitspin. Hope this clarifies. Thank you cali........