Best 250W Metal Halide bulb out there
- Thread starter LPAJ5280
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sexycorals
Bringing Sexy BACK!!
SE radium
DE phoenix
just my opinion.
DE phoenix
just my opinion.
CookieJar
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kinda like asking what's the best chalice? so many opinions.
I like XM20K, but I really go for the blue look which isn't for everyone. The radium 20K is also a nice bulb, a little brighter than XM20K but still has blue to it and real good PAR (significantly more than XM20K).
I like XM20K, but I really go for the blue look which isn't for everyone. The radium 20K is also a nice bulb, a little brighter than XM20K but still has blue to it and real good PAR (significantly more than XM20K).
For growth, XM 10K SE
For color, Radium SE or Phoenix DE
I started 7 years ago with 10K Ushios with 2x140w VHO Super Actinics. Next came 2 sets of the XM 10K and growth was explosive but requires the actinic supplementation. I followed those with 2 sets of Reeflux 12K which is pretty blue and did not need supplementation but growth was dismal. Now I am running the XM 15K which I like better than the Reeflux 12K but growth is still pretty slow and the tank seems pretty dim. Next up will be radiums if I can find them at a decent price somewhere.
For color, Radium SE or Phoenix DE
I started 7 years ago with 10K Ushios with 2x140w VHO Super Actinics. Next came 2 sets of the XM 10K and growth was explosive but requires the actinic supplementation. I followed those with 2 sets of Reeflux 12K which is pretty blue and did not need supplementation but growth was dismal. Now I am running the XM 15K which I like better than the Reeflux 12K but growth is still pretty slow and the tank seems pretty dim. Next up will be radiums if I can find them at a decent price somewhere.
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My Tank Thread
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Radium SE
46gReef
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I've been running XM 20k's & they are a little too purple for me, I 'm actually going to switch them out soon & am contemplating between phoenix 14k & megachrome 22K, I like a lot of blue, my bulbs are 250W de.....
reefermadness
Active Member
Radium 20K SE....I am on my third batch.
reefermadness
Active Member
Change your fixture..You can run the bulb on the HQI ballast.
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LPAJ5280
University of Northern CO
Thanks,
It seems like the consensus is phoenix, radium and XM. I like the XM myself, but it does need that actinic supplement. I think I'm gonna do some testing with all three though. I'm curious about the life span of each too which I'm going to test. The university needs new bulbs and our physics dept. has an $80k photospectrometer. I'll post a new thread in a year with the results.
We are also doing testing on LED panels, but it gets a little sticky when the results come out because noone wants to hear their light isn't good enough. ha.
It seems like the consensus is phoenix, radium and XM. I like the XM myself, but it does need that actinic supplement. I think I'm gonna do some testing with all three though. I'm curious about the life span of each too which I'm going to test. The university needs new bulbs and our physics dept. has an $80k photospectrometer. I'll post a new thread in a year with the results.
We are also doing testing on LED panels, but it gets a little sticky when the results come out because noone wants to hear their light isn't good enough. ha.
Sea MunnKey
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Sea MunnKey
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Whiter and less Blue ... experiencing good growth overall. Tried XM20K before ... less bright and Purplish.
Paul
Sea MunnKey
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Do you find any positive reaction (growthwise) from the corals? The XM20K's are way too purple/blueish for my liking. I've tried AquaLine (AquaMedic) 20K 250W and one of my all time favorites if not for their steep price ... IMHO.
Paul
