PAR, How much does it really affect growth?

[j.prostrata]

Originally posted by Horace
400w XM 20k for the win

On M59 ballast..

[easye123]

Originally posted by silvers
Iwasiki(spelling) 15k have a great crisp white color w/ awsome PAR.

i have 175w halides but i switched frrom 14k hams to 15k iwasakis and after a month or soo i can se way much more growth than the hams.
HTH

[MCsaxmaster]

Just a note: the differences in calcification from using different bulbs can be pretty dramatic. A lot of higher Kelvin bulbs are pretty darn dim compared to lower Kelvin bulbs. I realize I'm an oddball in this regard, but 10 K XM bulbs and a lot of other 10 K (with or without actinics) looks great to my eyes--a lot like what I see in the ocean. Higher K bulbs often look very strange, very fake to me. I realize I'm crazy.

cj

[specsirl]

It's not my water that's making the XM 10k bulbs look yellow. They're just yellow. I can put a piece of white paper under the lights and it gives it a dirty yellow appearance. I am running them off of a PFO HQI ballast. I think that I just got some bad bulbs. It happens.

Just ordered ballasts for the 400W upgrade...radiums here I come!

I think it's a matter of personal preferance as to which bulbs/color you like. For me I prefer the more blue look while others prefer something more white and crisp to the eye.

[Horace]

Radiums are nice, but cost too much for my taste. Im not willing to pay $80/bulb and then replace them every 6 months.

I will stick with the XM 20k which looks awesome as well and replace it every 10-12 months.

The Helios 20k is another option, still more expensive than the XM20k, but also a great looking bulb, very similar in color to both the Radium and XM.

[specsirl]

Originally posted by Horace
Radiums are nice, but cost too much for my taste. Im not willing to pay $80/bulb and then replace them every 6 months.

I will stick with the XM 20k which looks awesome as well and replace it every 10-12 months.

The Helios 20k is another option, still more expensive than the XM20k, but also a great looking bulb, very similar in color to both the Radium and XM.

Thanks for your input! Any thoughts on the Ushio 20k?

[ReefWreak]

XM10k FTW. I willnever use another bulb again if I can afford the XM 10ks in the future. I was running XM10k until I splashed water while doing some mundane maintenence and it cracked both bulbs. I was broke so I bought 2x250w 14k Hamiltons because they were half the price of the XMs. Big Mistake. I hate the blue look, and my growth is now "just acceptable." My growth used to be nuts, and the bulbs where the purest clearest white, it reminded me of diving in the shallows of the Florida Keys. Now this blue is all awkward to look at and makes it feel artificial. Maybe it's because I've got so much blue, the hamiltons and then 440w of 2 year old VHO superactinic.

[orangekush4]

I have used all kinds of bulbs.I have used 10K XM and now i use
14K Ham.All of the bulbs i have used are 250W on caps.I didn't see that much of a differants in growth on my SPS.I can tell you my LPS hated the XMs.I dont minde little slower growth and great color with the HAMs.

[aiko670]

10k xm's rock. I overdrive mine with 250watt HQI ballasts.

When your screwing your bulbs make sure the inner sleeve is horizontal over the tank. The orientation of the bulb will change the color.. It's weird but it's true. I read it in another thread and it made all the difference in the world.

I get great growth from mine!

[jaefei]

BLV 10kk and XM 10kk, which is better ?

[wrassie86]

Originally posted by specsirl
It's not my water that's making the XM 10k bulbs look yellow. They're just yellow. I can put a piece of white paper under the lights and it gives it a dirty yellow appearance. I am running them off of a PFO HQI ballast. I think that I just got some bad bulbs. It happens.

Just ordered ballasts for the 400W upgrade...radiums here I come!

I think it's a matter of personal preferance as to which bulbs/color you like. For me I prefer the more blue look while others prefer something more white and crisp to the eye.

Remember that the HQI ballast is overdriving the bulbs(there meant for double ended),so the usable life is reduced a bit. Also as aiko670 said check the way the nipple is pointing and if possible point them up and see if bulb color changes.They should be a nice white.

[stony_corals]

XM 10K on PFO HQI are more yellow due to overdriving them...... Remember that Radiums are HQI bulbs and you should run them on that type of ballast. You can not beat the color of Radiums on HQI, bright blue white.... very nice...