QUESTIONMARC

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Could old MH bulbs.. harm your tank?

meaning if you run them past their due.. say if you had bulbs that according to manufacturer.. need to be changed around 9 months.. and you run them 13.. what would happen in those overdue months?? and could it harm your sps/corals??

thanks.
 

aaron

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I believe the colour spectrum of the bulb can shift as it ages and you may lose intensity but I am sure it varies from bulb to bulb and that the change is a gradual degradation rather than a situation where one day its fine and the next its not.
I would not be surprised if manufacturers down play the useful life claims of their bulbs too keep themselves safe from a worst case scenario and to get people to buy more bulbs.
 

Wolverine57

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Somewhere I've read, that Metal Halide bulbs can last for several years. However, it is suggested you change the bulbs every 12 to 18 months. This is due to the spectrum output of the bulbs changing from blue to yellow as time passes by.

I would not to wait until your MH bulbs burn out, or you can see the change in the color spectrum. You should set a schedule for changing your bulbs. I would agree with Aaron, mentioning, that manufacturers would down-play the life spam of the bulbs just to seel more bulbs.

Within the 9-10 month I would buy new bulbs just to have them readily available to change in the event the bulbs does burn out or if you see the change in the color spectrum.
 

mckostya

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You may NOT see the difference because you see the tank every day & the spectrum of light decreases slowly over time. The affect on the corals can be drastic.

Once you add the new bulbs...you will set back & say.......OK....what a difference.

Perhaps par reading would be helpful. Also the old bulbs are probably outputting 20-40% less than they should. So if you do in fact switch to new bulbs, acclimate the corals slowly. You may shock SPS with all that new light...
 

QUESTIONMARC

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could the color shift so much to the point where it burns the tips?? that is what I am mostly interested in knowing???

and yes.. after speaking with ushio.. they claim at running their bulbs for 6 hours a day you can get close to 2 years out of them.. and that is right from the guy who designs them! But i do believe 9-12 months is a good period to swap them out.. unfortunately with everything else going on.. i waited a little too long.
 

pecan2phat

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Wallingford, CT
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I actually read an article recently that MH bulbs are "useful" for 18 months to 2 years :eek:
The guy went on to say that a MH bulb can actually fire for something like 9 years and that they can be used for other lighting purposes.
 

ming

LE Coral Killer
Location
Flushing, NY
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Running the bulbs too long causes the spectrum to turn more yellow, therefore the colors of the corals might not be as vibrant and more brown, and the intensity goes down also making the coral grow slower.
Burnt tips is not from old bulbs though
 

Deanos

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Reportedly, the "shift" in color spectrum in aging bulbs also promotes/accelerates the growth of nuisance algae and cyanobacteria. Trust me, I know :lol2:
 

QUESTIONMARC

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Yea.. the Cyanobacteria I have been through.. changed the bulbs on sunday so shouldn't have that problem anymore.. yes using sugar.. levels all read fine.. this one is interesting.. i hope there isn't a foreign substance in the tank.
 

qy7400

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Long Island
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You didn't mention if SE or DE bulbs, on the SE bulbs the UV shielding is in the bulb so look for any cracks in the glass. On the DE the UV sheld is the glass between the bulb and tank, any damage to the shielding will harm the tank.

If the bulbs are still in good shape your only issue will come when you replace them, color and strength will be greater so you may want to re-acclimate the corals to the light.
 

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