New metal halides: opinions/expertise needed

J

jrthomas40

New member
well i am looking for some new 250w MH...i have used 14k geismann and 15k XM are on the tank now....didnt like the color of the geismann they were kinda yellowish more like a 10k...the XM's light is a nice color but most of my coral are kinda dull but growing and spreading REALLY fast....i have a 14k powerpaq from current on my frag tank coral color is great, tank color is also but hasnt been setup long enough to see or tell growth....anyway my question is in all the experience most everyone has had what is your favorite type of bulb
 
I woul look in the Equipment forum at the top post.. Mh bulbs compared or something like it.. Lots of good info in there.. One thing is the 15k bulbs put out less par then the 20k in almost all cases.. So if you want the blue look you would be better off going from xm15k to xm20ks.

I dont really have a favorite 250 bulb. I've used several. I like the radiums, XM and even coral vues. All 20k. XM 20ks seem to be the best bang for the buck if you like the deep water look. I've tried 14k and 10k Bulbs, I just don't like the yellow look.. Corals always seem dull and brown to me under 10ks.

Will
 
i havent seen that post in the equipment part...i like the look of the 15k and growth is ok but i have heard that the XM 15k doesnt have that great of PAR and the 20k is the best XM bulb...it has been compared to the Phoenix 14k bulb which is the way i am kinda leaning....which has been said to have a blue comparable to most 20ks and produces the growth of a 10k....if i dont go with the phoenix bulb i will probably try the XM 20k

8ball....what bulbs do you use if you dont like the 14k or 10k?
 
what kind of ballast do you have? that plays a huge role on which bulb you need to get the best par. i run xm 20ks on a m58 ballast which is the best par on xms. btw stay away from xm 15ks they have really bad par.
 
i am running a sunlight supply blue wave 7 dual hqi ballast....i dont know what the M58 or whatever those numbers are...and its 2 late i have been running the xm 15k since august
 
I've seen Hamilton 14k 250 SE's on a Blueline E-ballast and the color, intensity and growth were all good imo. But if you're looking for a slight blue tint you probably won't like it without actinics.

I've also heard good things about both the Phoenix 14k and the ReefLux 12k, people seem to like them both a lot.

I've also seen Ushio 20k 250 DE and it was too blue for my tastes. The growth under it was fine, but it just didn't look natural. And now I can't remember if that thought was with or without his PC actinics on. It's a 2-3 year old memory now.

I personally have a 175w MH so it's likely not any help but I run an Iwasaki 14/15k Aqua2 SE on a PFO magnetic ballast with VHO actinics. I'm happy with the color with or without the actinics on, slightly blue or clear white.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12425811#post12425811 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jrthomas40

8ball....what bulbs do you use if you dont like the 14k or 10k?
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Its not that I dislike the 14k and 15k bulbs its just most of them put out less light then thier 20k counter parts.. Weird I know.. Well Now I'm using 2x400Xm 20ks,, 3x250Xm20ks,, 1x250Hamilton 14k and 1x150 Phoenix 14k. Most all my bulbs are Single End except for the 150watt Phoenix. If you use DE bulbs I'd probably get Phoenix 14ks. They really have that 20k look put tend to put out more Par then most 20ks. Not to mention they arent to $$$. But really it just comes down to what you like.. Everytime you see a tank just ask what bulbs they are using ;)
 
FWIW I've also heard good things about the Reeflux bulbs, I'm like 90% sure they are made by Coral Vue.. I used Coral Vue bulbs for a couple years with pretty good results..I only changed cause I got a few bulbs that didn't match.. As in they were suppose to be the exact same brand new bulbs but even after burn in they had a different color even on the same ballast.. Made me a little nervous about them..So I started trying other brands.

Will
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12428596#post12428596 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jrthomas40
i am running a sunlight supply blue wave 7 dual hqi ballast....i dont know what the M58 or whatever those numbers are...and its 2 late i have been running the xm 15k since august
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thats fine. go with the 20ks and you want be dispointed. i have a couple se bulbs you can try just pm me. but not sure if your using de bulbs or not.
 
yeah...i am using DE last time i bought bulbs i told myself to go phoenix cuz i have never heard of anything bad said about them....i love the color of the xm 15ks without actinics with them it is more white but none the less i am looking for something that is going to help boost the color of my coral without sacrificing growth and i know the only way to boost color is to probably increase kelvin and PAR
 
my sps are growing like crazy under the xm's but probably dont have all the color they should have....i may move them to my frag tank with the current power paqs and see how they do right now i have a piece that has probably grown 1/4-1/2 inch in the last month to month and 1/2
 
hmm....instead of jumping to buy new MH i put one of my super actinic in i had 1 actinic white and 1 10k...so maybe the blue actinic will help with color since they are on longer than the MH
 
yeah i bought some radioactive dragon eyes well i fragged the frag put half in my frag tank and the other half in my display to test my theory of my lights washing out the color in my coral and in a matter of days the ones in the main tank have already lost color compared to the ones in my frag tank....

i am thinking that i am going to try the PHOENIX 250w 14k
 
what kind of ballast do you have? that plays a huge role on which bulb you need to get the best par. i run xm 20ks on a m58 ballast which is the best par on xms. btw stay away from xm 15ks they have really bad par.
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Agreed!

FWIW I've also heard good things about the Reeflux bulbs, I'm like 90% sure they are made by Coral Vue..
Click to expand...

Good bulb!

anyone heard of SPS (south pacific sunlight)???
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Yes, they are sold and distributed exclusively by Sea Dwealing Creatures...

Stay away from them!
 
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