question for all 250w S.E. M58 users

kinerson · #1 12/30/2007, 09:12 AM

What type of lamp do you use with a M58 ballast?

I'm looking for a icy blue color verses burn your eyes out blue to use with this ballast but I want to make sure it can support sps well. Sanjays site is helpful but you just don't know how blue one lamp is compared to the other.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Greg

kinerson · #2 12/30/2007, 02:33 PM

Someone must use this ballast?!?

TomRep · #3 12/30/2007, 02:52 PM

I use them. All I've used so far are AquaCool 14k's (Ebay bulb), Iwasaki 6500's, and XM 10k's. Looking at trying the Reeflux 10k's next.
tom

Nanook · #4 12/30/2007, 09:36 PM

[moved]

luke33 · #5 12/30/2007, 09:44 PM

For a nice crisp blue color the hami 250 14k is the only bulb i could fine that i liked. It is a very nice color, decent par and a pretty good price. That was the only blueish bulb that would fire up with that ballast. I don't know if the 20k xm will fire with it or not, but there par sux anyhow. HTH

kinerson · #6 12/31/2007, 08:23 AM

Actually the par on the xm 20000k is ppfd=73 while the hamilton ppfd=53. I like the hamilton color as well but I have never seen the color on the xm or other lamps run by the m58.

Luke- do you keep sps in your tanks under the hamilton lamps? If so, how do they do?

Thanks,
Greg

luke33 · #7 12/31/2007, 09:22 AM

I don't run mh's anymore and only ran the hami for a short period until i got a IC ballast. I'd imagine they would be fine in your tank but i'd keep them towards the top. They did fine under a radium, but i only have a few sps frags, more into lps and softies. Have t5's now.

kinerson · #8 12/31/2007, 01:03 PM

Thanks Luke