10K with the look of 14k/20k

[Shawnts106]

Hey, Im wanting to use XM10K's on my 210 and am sooooo soooo worried about not having the colors too..

I was going to do 3 250watt XM10K's on the 210AGA with 4 110watt (440total) of URI VHO actinics... I am thinking its not going to give me that 14K look... so then I thought, no big deal Ill just get 2 160watt URI VHO Actinics to mount on there with the other 440watts of VHO actinic...


What do you guys think... do you think this is going to give me the 14/15K look or not...

I really really want to stay with the XM10's because of the GREAT growth people get out of them.. but do want that blueish look too..


So please help me decide how many actinic VHO's Ill need to make those 250watt 10's look like 15K's...

 

[Shawnts106]

anyone?

 

[Briankook]

Shawn, why don't you go with the XM 15000K? Good color & growth. Too blue for you?

 

[humboldt reefer]

I hear radiums on hqi ballasts give a real nice 14k look.

 

[Shawnts106]

Xm15K is crap... and the par sucks bad...

Radiums dont last long enough...


... nuff said.. haha

 

[Briankook]

ok

 

[Shawnts106]

geeze, choices choices choices...

I would really like to get a 14K or so, but I do want the extreme growth and the color... thats the only problem Im having...

 

[gnrlee]

I had XM10K's and I had awsome growth. The color on the other hand was crap! I even had 2 110w uri actinics. Didn't even help with bringing out the color. Just my experience. I switched to 15k's. Not really crap though.

 

[Briankook]

gnrlee, I agree. The XM 15,000k's are great. (I didn't want to say that earlier in this thread after Shawn's reply, I just said "ok")

 

[acropora nut]

go with a 10k or 12k reeflux bulb from coralvue

 

[smokez01]

i use the CVRL 10k 250w DE bulb, been using it since february and am having great results, its a very nice bright white with a tad bit blue

 

[Funky_Fish14]

My XM 10K was perfect crisp white... a little actinic made it perfect 14K look(2 NO T5 actinics with a 400W halide). I would say you should be fine with the 10Ks and some actinics. Maybe just the two 160W and two shorter ones, not 6 though.

Chris

 

[Shawnts106]

Funky, do you have a picture???

where greens NEON and where blues NEON and where reds NEON???



I think the more Actinics with the 10ks the better


BTW:

gnrlee, I agree. The XM 15,000k's are great. (I didn't want to say that earlier in this thread after Shawn's reply, I just said "ok")

Please post your experiences and dont hold back

According to everything Ive heard from them they have crap PAR, but the color is good, and growth is minimal.

 

[jjackson]

I have 3 250W MH halide over my tank currently ... the outer 2 are 10k xm and the middle is 20k with 4 - 110W Actinic VHO...

I will most likely be switching to all Hamilton 14k when it is bulb change time... but for now... I am happy plus it gives me one more lighting option ... VHO on then 20k on then 10k and reverse for off.... anyhow here is an older pic.

I will try and get a current picture... that one was taken before I was running carbon, since I started to run it my water is crystal clear and any yellow tinge is gone.

 

[Briankook]

Shawn, here is a quick thread of my frag growth with the XM15000k. Last month I switched to a 10000K & hate it, I'm switching back to the 15000. This is what I was referring to:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=864020

 

[david8956]

If you can find them, the Aquaconnect 14 k's are the only way to go in my opinion.

I used to run XM 10 k + two VHO actinic.....still too washed out & yellow looking for me (all on Icecap ballasts) JBNY runs XM 10 k + VHO actinic, and his colors look great. Mine were just much more yellow than his tank looks in his photos.

 

[shelburn61]

I think the XM 10k gives everything a dull look, but the PAR is good. I would go with the phoenix 14k rather than spending the $$ for the AC 14k. If Iwasaki comes out with the 250w 14k soon that might be a good option too.

 

[twon8]

phoenix is only de, if se is what you are looking for they are not an option.

 

[SunnyX]

If you dont want the XM10K's why not get the 400W 20KXM's and supplement them with daylight VHO's?

I recently switched from 250W XM10K's(Great growth and color) to 400W 20KXM's. The 20K's really make everything pop more, although things still look unnatural to me. Corals in my tank now look like fake or plastic coral.

 

[Horace]

For what its worth, I am going with 2x250w Phoenix 14k on EVC ballasts with 2x54w UVL T5 Actinics. The phoenix has a 20k look with good PAR as well. The actinics should make the corals pop even more and I may even stick an AB T5 bulb in there if I need to brighten things up (T5s are great for that).