XM BULBS

[Vili_Shark]

Hi,
Please let me know if any of ya have experience with XM metal halides.
I just got 2X250W double ended to repleace my 2X250W 10000K AB.

The XM marked as 20000K, but suppose to go down to 14000K in about a week.

it's with me for aweek now, I saw it's getting whiter, but I think the Aqua line, were more intense.

 

[t gallo]

i tried and still use the 250 xm bouble endend bulb 20k, and yes the par or intensity on this bulb is weak compared to ab or ushio. i tried all three bulbs on e ballasts from champion lighting, but if your into the blue look there great bulbs as far as coloring up the corals, rather expensive actinic suplementation. i also depends on the hieght of your tank or how far there mounted above your tank but they seem weak to me also.

 

[Vili_Shark]

OK,
They got more intense now.
They started as Radiums.

The guy who sold them to me said I wont need Radium/VHO/T-5 actinics with them.

Are the XM substitute for actinic?

Are they substitute for 10000K bulbs?

 

[Vili_Shark]

Hi,
Is anybody here who have the XM bulbs combine them with other bulbs? and if they do, which kind of bulb???

T, my tank height is 29.50" and I place the lights 13" above the water.

 

[ravenmore]

I'm eventually planning on alternating 2 x 250 watt iwasaki's and 2 x 400 watt XM's over my 55+. I figure 1 bulb per every foot of tank will keep the colors from "banding" in the tank.

Any bulb that is more "blue" will be less intense because it doesn't have the other spectrums present. More spectrums = more light. Iwasaki's actually have more blue than a lot of high color temp bulbs, but other spectrums are present that combine with it or overide it until the overall color appears yellow. A lot of these other bandwiths are used by coral's symbiotic algae for photsynthesis. But aesthetically to us it's not usually appealing.

BTW - I have no idea where these bulb manufacturers come up with these color temp ratings. I studied photography and astronomy in college. From these I was always taught that "white" to our eye is ~5500k. That's what sunlight is at noon on a clear day (depends a little on latitude and altitude as well). I have no freakin' clue why according to metal halide manufacturers 6500k is yellow, 10000k is crisp white, 140000k is blue white, and 20000k is blue. If you used daylight balanced film (most films are daylight balanced) and took a photograph of a subject lit with true 6500k light or higher the photograph would be very very blue.

Man, sorry I'm rambling. Not sure how much of that is actually related to what we're discussin' or not. (feel a little like Cliff from Cheers....). Too little sleep and not enough coffee yet I suppose.

Anyway I hear the buzz on the XM's and XDE's (M's for mogul, DE's for double ended) is that they are a more intense alternative to radiums. I'm going to give them whirl with the iwasaki's to see if they cut some of the yellow.

 

[Anonymous]

I have a 5 foot tank and I am running 2 250 XDE's and 2 250 10K AB's, along with 3 46 inch vho super actinics. I find the x bulbs to have nice color, but no punch.

OK,
Are the XM substitute for actinic?

Actinic is really a personal preference thing. You really don't need the, rather only use them if you like how them make the tank look.

Are they substitute for 10000K bulbs?

It looks like it. Surely you could run a tank of the XDE bulbs, what remains to be seen is how the animals like it as a sole light source. I think it would be fine, but not 'bright' enough.

 

[Anonymous]

I am just now converting my tank from 10K DEs over to 20K XDEs. I have a 29 gal with two 250W DE pendants over it (the pendants from Champion Lighting).

The two 10K 250W DEs were just too bright, and seemed a bit yellow. I changed out one of the DEs for the XDE, and it's a very nice blue, though just one is a bit dim to light the whole tank (the two lights are on a staggered lighting schedule), so I'll have to burn more electricity by keeping them both on during the daylight schedule. They put out very nice light, however - good blue color, and the coral colors come out nicely.

 

[JeremyR]

I don't see how they can be a replacement for 10k's.. if you have to run 2 of them to get the intensity needed. Sounds more like a softy light or supplemental light. To be a replacement for a 10k it would need to put out the intensity and grow SPS like the 10k DE's do IMO.

 

[Vili_Shark]

Hi,

My bulbs are turnning whiter and whiter.

Still not intense as the AB 10000K, but I can say, it looks much better than a week ago, when I thought I installed 2 radiums.

My friend got 2X400W screw type and they are also turnning whiter, he got in the next tank 2X400W radium (running together with 10000K) and after few days you can clearly see the difference between the XM and the radiums.
My friend changed Iwasaki 400W to these XM, and the colors of the Corals are way better.

My main question is:
Can I run a tank which is 157 Gallon and 29.50" height with 2 double ended XM bulbs 250W, or do I need to add something, and if I do, what is it?

 

[Anonymous]

My main question is:
Can I run a tank which is 157 Gallon and 29.50" height with 2 double ended XM bulbs 250W, or do I need to add something, and if I do, what is it?

Depends - I'm running 2 such bulbs over my 29 gallon w/ 18" height + a VHO actinic bulb - then again, I have clams + SPS so they need lots of light.

 

[Vili_Shark]

OK,
I got 157G with 29.50" height, and I got many clams+many SPS alot of rocks and abit of space left for some water.

I moved all this to a new flat, and now all my corals and clams are in my LFS, I'm running the water with the rocks and meanwhile upgraded my main pump to Deltec 5250 (amazing) and put 2X250W XM double ended instead of my 10000K AB which I had to change anyway.

My question remains the same, do ya guys think it's enough?
Or should I add more light and if I should, what should I add.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm curious to see what everyones long term results with these bulbs are. I currently have 2x 250w DE HQI with AB 10k bulbs - great growth and intensity but color is too yellow for me even with some actinic supplementation. I am thinking of getting a 250 20k to stick in between them on my next tank - 215 gallon 72 x 24 x 28.5 " hoping that will balance the color out. Or I could just go with 4 pendants over the tank since it has euro bracing and not that damn Oceanic center brace like on my 75.

^bump

 

[JeremyR]

I run 2x250 AB 10k with a 150w radium in the middle on a 4' tank, and I really like the color. Alot of it is subjective.. but I just don't think vili's tank will be bright enough with 2 of these lamps and nothing else.

 

[Anonymous]

I run 2x250 AB 10k with a 150w radium in the middle on a 4' tank, and I really like the color. Alot of it is subjective.. but I just don't think vili's tank will be bright enough with 2 of these lamps and nothing else.

I agree completely. My tank is a foot shorter than his, and I couldn't imagine it with only 2 250's.

 

[Vili_Shark]

Righty, Jeremy,
What should I add then?

Should I add another fixture with 1X250W 10000K AB with electronic ballast???

Right now , the two XM are running in AB Aquastarlight.

I can buy another single Aquastarlight, or should I add something else.

Your help would be highly appreciated ,since I'm bringing back all my SPS+Clams+Fish from the LFS next week.

 

[Vili_Shark]

Hi guys

I need help here as by this weekend, I'm taking my live stock back home from the LFS.

Your help will be appreciated.

 

[Anonymous]

It is really up to you to decide. I would do at least what I have on my tank, given your tank is bigger than mine. But some people do less.

I would add at least one more 250.

 

[JeremyR]

Does the tank have a centerbrace? If no then you could add a 10k and put the highest light stuff in the middle.. if it was MY tank tho I'd be running 2 10's and maybe a 20 in the middle.

 

[mhurley]

I've got four 400 watt Radiums on my 330 gallon tank. I bought two 400 XM's just for grins to try them out. I swapped one out so far (Radiums are only 3 months old). I like the XM look. More crisp white/blue than Radiums. I don't have my digi cam handy or I'd post comparison pics.

Mike

 

[Vili_Shark]

Hi,
Thanks for your help.

I have a centerbrace, I think I might add another XM 250 on top of it, it wont be as good as without the centerbrace, but it'd be better than nothing.

The colors with the XM are absolutely much better than with the AB, so far I have only my rocks inside, but the colors look better.

It get's me into a dillema:
1.to add 1X250W XM

2.to change it all and install 2X400W XM.

I'll put my corals in, this weekend and see their reaction, I'm quite sure I'll need more light, just dont know how much more do I need.