StripesTheEel
Aquarium Advice Addict
Quite a special tank mate.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing.
New 125 pics
- Thread starter ccCapt
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OP
OP
ccCapt
SW 20 & Over Club
I decided to give XM 20k bulbs a try. I borrowed 4 mo old bulbs my friend used till he switched to Radiums. I'm going to borrow a PAR meter and check the actual difference between these and the XM 10k's. It's will be a huge difference I think. These bulbs are dim and blue, in fact so dim that my wife even asked what happened to the lights on the tank and I never told her beforehand I changed bulbs.
So here's a few comparison pics.
20K
10K
20K
10K
20K
10K
PAR measurement will be coming in a few days.
So here's a few comparison pics.
20K
10K
20K
10K
20K
10K
PAR measurement will be coming in a few days.
maxima423
Aquarium Advice Addict
very nice pics ^_^
mellowyellow
Aquarium Advice Freak
Great pics. I'm lovin' the 10k it brings out the color so much better than the 20k. Which one are you going to use? Which is your favorite?
Mitchell0605
Aquarium Advice Addict
Tough choice. The 10Ks bring out the true colours but the 20Ks make the colours look really saturated and bring out highlights. I'd decide on PAR.
Aquarium1
Aquarium Advice Addict
Too bad you couldn't do both lol. They both look really awesome in their own ways.
Jimbo7
Aquarium Advice Addict
20k all the way. The colors look soo much better. I'm interested to see the PAR difference though.
OP
OP
ccCapt
SW 20 & Over Club
Thanks for the comments everyone. 
I don't like the 20k at all. I'm used to bright, white light and these are just like real bright actinics. In fact, my actinics come on 1st and when the MH's start coming on, there is no change in color, it's just a little brighter.
I already know the PAR comparison from Sanjays site (the 10k puts out about 2x the PAR) but I want to see real life #'s in my tank. I would bet the 250w 20k puts out less PAR than the 175w Iwasaki 15k's I used previously.
I don't like the 20k at all. I'm used to bright, white light and these are just like real bright actinics. In fact, my actinics come on 1st and when the MH's start coming on, there is no change in color, it's just a little brighter.
I already know the PAR comparison from Sanjays site (the 10k puts out about 2x the PAR) but I want to see real life #'s in my tank. I would bet the 250w 20k puts out less PAR than the 175w Iwasaki 15k's I used previously.
Jimbo7
Aquarium Advice Addict
Sanjay is such a testing beast. His articles are so sweet.
Its all a matter of preference really, if you are used to the bright white, then stick with them. Personally, I really like the blue and how it makes the colors pop. Sometimes I just crank just the blues on my LEDs and it looks almost like there is a blacklight in there, everything is crazy florescent.
Its all a matter of preference really, if you are used to the bright white, then stick with them. Personally, I really like the blue and how it makes the colors pop. Sometimes I just crank just the blues on my LEDs and it looks almost like there is a blacklight in there, everything is crazy florescent.
OP
OP
ccCapt
SW 20 & Over Club
Sanjay is a great guy. He's local to me and we are members of the same reef club, so I've spent many hours talking to him. He knows his stuff....and he likes the 10k look too.
Jimbo7
Aquarium Advice Addict
So jealous.
OP
OP
ccCapt
SW 20 & Over Club
Here are the unofficial results of my PAR tests. I also added the results from the 175w bulbs I tested a while back. Everything was the same for all the bulb tests. I left on the VHO SuperActinics and left on all the pumps/powerheads so there was alot of ripples on the surface.
1 thing to note is the 250w XM 10K didn't register a # at 6" from the bulb above the water. The meter goes to 1999 and it showed a 1. I moved the probe down to the surface, about 12" below the bulb above the water and got a 1420.
The is the PAR reading outside my house in the direct sun.
And the results from the bulb tests.
1 thing to note is the 250w XM 10K didn't register a # at 6" from the bulb above the water. The meter goes to 1999 and it showed a 1. I moved the probe down to the surface, about 12" below the bulb above the water and got a 1420.
The is the PAR reading outside my house in the direct sun.
And the results from the bulb tests.
Aquarium1
Aquarium Advice Addict
dang! That's a lot of light lol. I'm sure your coral love you for getting them lol
Jimbo7
Aquarium Advice Addict
Very sweet. Want to ship that PAR meter to me I swear no one out here has one, I'm dieing to know what my LEDs put out. I take it you are going to the 10Ks then for good?
I swear no one out here has one, I'm dieing to know what my LEDs put out. I take it you are going to the 10Ks then for good?
ryshark
Aquarium Advice Addict
Nice side by side pics with the 10k/20k. Those 20k look bluer than Radiums..... maybe it is because you have the actinic on too. Its cool to see tests like this, thanks.
I wonder how double the PAR relates to growth. I doubt coral grows twice as fast, but I am just guessing. For me I like to get great colors first as long as I am getting some growth. The way I see it is, after everything is full grown and the tank is full..... then what
I wonder how double the PAR relates to growth. I doubt coral grows twice as fast, but I am just guessing. For me I like to get great colors first as long as I am getting some growth. The way I see it is, after everything is full grown and the tank is full..... then what
Jimbo7
Aquarium Advice Addict
You frag everything and send them to us!
OP
OP
ccCapt
SW 20 & Over Club
Yes, the 10K's are already back in.
The XM 20K bulbs are 4 months old and I borrowed them and the PAR meter from the same guy. He switched to Radiums because he said they last longer and the XM's are only good for about 6 months before the PAR drops way down. He said the colors from both bulbs are pretty much the same.
Actually I was somewhat suprised at the PAR of the 20K being how dim they are compared to the 10K. If you like a blue look, they are definitely usable.
I'll wait till the corals in my tank get too big and overcrowded and worry about what to do with them then.
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Jimbo7
Aquarium Advice Addict
Does he have any of the same information for the radiums?
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OP
OP
ccCapt
SW 20 & Over Club
He only said the XM and Radium have about the same PAR. I'm sure he has #'s, but everyone's tank will get different results because of reflector performance, surface ripple, flow, water clarity, etc. He uses electronic ballasts and according to Sanjay's site, the Radium is at 66 PPFD and the XM 73 PPFD, so they are virtually the same.
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