XM vs Hamy vs EVC vs Radium

[Reef Bass]

Yes you may. Thanks for asking.

Ken Bull

 

[ellisz]

How blue are the EVC 20ks compared to the XM 20ks and do you use an electronic ballast or magnetic? I tried a XM20k for a short period so I am familiar with amount of blue it has.

 

[Reef Bass]

When I switched over I did so one bulb at a time so for a week I had the XM in one fixture and EVC in the other. It wasn't so much that the EVC looked much bluer as it was that the XM looked a touch whiter. Of course, MH bulbs need a little burn in time so comparing a fresh EVC with a older XM directly isn't entirely valid.

I use a Sunlight Supply BlueWave dual magnetic ballast.

When I initially decided to go with 20,000K bulbs I was a bit concerned that my tank would look too blue, but after seeing the awesome colors that resulted I am sold on them.

 

[ellisz]

It would help if there were more tank shot pics out there. These bulbs have been around awhile but there is not as much info(RC Posts) out there as there is for XM or Reeflux. The Sanjay tests are a plus though. Graphs are not my strong point though

I like the numbers of the 14's but I definitely want more blue than the Reeflux 10k's. The Reeflux 12ks are a good color but PAR is not so good. I have seen Reeflux 20ks in the 175w and I was not impressed. Not sure if the 250w would be any different.

 

[Reef Bass]

Here you go Mike. A quick shot of my sps tank with EVC bulb halides on and T5 actinics off. Please pardon the reflection and crappy over all quality. I had to shoot it with my point and shoot as I couldn't back up far enough with my dslr and macro lens to show the whole tank. It should suffice for at least showing the overall look of the bulbs' color.

 

[ellisz]

Thanks! I appreciate the time you took to get the pic. Not too blue and looks good
I am definitely going to try the EVC's. My reeflux's are turning more pink so they are done!

Thanks

 

[smariner]

Very nice photo and thanks for showcasing the EVC lamps in that photo to give everyone a look at a full tank shot with them!

Thanks again,
Chad D. Bryant

 

[crispyreef]

Ken, looks like you got some nice frags on the bottom

 

[Reef Bass]

You're welcome Mike and Chad.

Thanks Chris. Yeah, I do. :dance: A lot of those came from Jeff. He had good taste in sps. I started them on the bottom to acclimate them to my twin suns and they've colored up a ton and are growing nicely. I'm working on placing frags higher up now. I wish all the green algae didn't show up so well! Fortunately it has peaked and is on its way out now.

I'm going to need a bigger tank eventually. Or more likely, yet another...