Does bulb brand matter?

[flip_lx]

My lights need their bulbs replaced shortly and i've found some nice deals on "noname" type on ebay and local stores, do i need specific coralife bulbs or will a generic 21" straight pin work just fine? I'm assuming 10k is 10k and actinic is actinic regardless of manufacturer

for reference my lighting setup is a coralife 2x65 watt setup:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+113345

[MT79]

I'm assuming 10k is 10k and actinic is actinic regardless of manufacturer

If things were only that easy heh. Many times there will be a difference from manufacturer to manufacturer, even if it's just a little. Cheaper bulbs may not last as long, and may be more prone to spectrum shifts w/ usage. Hopefully someone w/ experience w/ them and can offer more info.

[Lance M.]

I've got basically the same fixture as you except with lunar lights. I was thinking about going with 22'' Current replacement bulbs since they are about $3 cheaper than the coralifes but I decided to stick with Coralife since I already like the look the bulbs give and I needed a 32 watt bulb for my ten gallon that I could only find at hellolights so going all coralife.

And as MT said bulbs vary from manufacturer to manufacter. And I think if you get the cheap stuff then you get what you pay for so I might as well spend a couple extra dollars on bulbs that I know I like and perform well.

[BillD]

I hardly think that buying tubes from Philips, GE, or Sylvania, is buying poor quality. They are cheap because of the volume of their builds, not because of the quality.