buying new lights, need some input

[Anonymous]

Here's what I've used and what I've thought of it

XM 10k 400 and 250w - great brightness, too yellow
xm 20k 400w - too blue, too dim
iwasaki 6500 400w - great brightness and growth, too yellow
reeflux 12k 250w - great color, too dim

I think I'm just going to break down and buy some 250w de hqi gear. That said, should I go with reef fanatic or icecap ballasts? Should I go with phoenix 14k bulbs or hamilton 14k bulbs? I see that the phoenix have a little better par, but I have never seen what they look like. I like the phoenix 14k look.

I'm going with the 250w as opposed to 400w to try to do my part to save some energy. I'd also like to get by without actinics for the same reason, though that is not as important as using the 250w.

 

[bleedingthought]

I'm going with the 250w as opposed to 400w to try to do my part to save some energy. I'd also like to get by without actinics for the same reason, though that is not as important as using the 250w.

If it's not as important, then go with the XM 10k and add actinics. :wink:

 

[Len]

Between RF and Icecap, you can't lose. The differences are minimal and any measured differences may be attributed to quality control (of either lamps or ballast). For 250W DE, I would go Phoenix. For 400W, either XM 10K or Ushio 14K is my pick, but if you want actinicness, consider Ushio 20K or Aquaconnect 14K ($$$).

 

[Anonymous]

I was going to suggest the Phoenix 14kk if you wanted to go with our actinic. I never tried them but I here good things.