What's the best...???

davidsreef · 07-18-2006, 06:14 PM

Hey!
I want a more "bluer" tank than what my 175W 10,000K XM bulb is giving me (I also have a 65w PC on the tank), so I am thinking of going to a 14,000 or 15,000K bulb. What are your suggestions and preferences for a brand for my 175W? Growth doesn't have to be very fast due to my small tank and its getting full very quickly.
Also, what is a good master test kit? Reason I am asking is I am starting to help out greg_s with his little store in Eau Claire, WI and we are looking for suggestions. He has a Hagen master test kit, but I don't like it, and it doesn't seem very accurate. I know that Salifart is very popular and accurate, but do they make a "master" test kit to cover all of the important tests?
Thanks again!!
David

mtfatwork · 07-18-2006, 06:19 PM

David I use the 15k xm's, but I think I am gonna switch to 20k soon here.

darasy · 07-18-2006, 07:05 PM

20k xms over here

davidsreef · 07-18-2006, 07:28 PM

Mary - What is your reasoning for switching? I had thought about 20k as well, but haven't decided if I want to yet but you guys are starting to change my mind

JnS · 07-18-2006, 11:47 PM

use the 20k, it has a higher PAR value

mtfatwork · 07-18-2006, 11:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JnS

use the 20k, it has a higher PAR value

I also like the blue color. It looks more crisp to me.

DevilBoy · 07-18-2006, 11:58 PM

David
Salifert has some kits available, i think one is called a reef kit or something to that effect. i will look for it and post the link here. and yes i would use salifert over any others

rihanssu · 07-19-2006, 12:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JnS

use the 20k, it has a higher PAR value

look into this, i'v heard that 20Ks actually have lower par then the 10 or 15ks.

JnS · 07-19-2006, 12:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rihanssu

look into this, i'v heard that 20Ks actually have lower par then the 10 or 15ks.

http://www.reeflightinginfo.arvixe.com/articles.htm

redwinger · 07-19-2006, 12:38 AM

20k xm is allways higher than the 15k xm bulbs. The 10k's kick the crap out of all of them on par. I ran the 250w 20k xm's for about 8 months and liked the color that they produced but the tank looked way to dim for me. Switcehd to 10k and run 440w of actinics and it is much more appealing to my eye.

davidsreef · 07-19-2006, 10:19 AM

Thanks everyone for the help on the bulbs. I think you guys have changed my mind and I will go with the 20k XM. That's supprising for me to hear that the 20k have higher PAR than the 15k. Crazy.
Devilboy - thanks for the info on Salifert.

David Grigor · 07-19-2006, 03:23 PM

Not for sure why Salifert not having a "Kit" is important. I personally don't want to buy a kit with some tests in it that I may not need. I prefer to buy them individually anyway and you will find that you use up some regents more quickly than others so after the initial purchase you would probably end up buying individually anyhow.....

Downside to using 175W IME is that you don't have quite the flexibility as with higher wattages to play around with bulbs without really sacrificing light. If this were me, I would do like John Redwinger did and add additional supplments to achieve the color I want and not go to a higher K bulb than a 10K in the 175W size.

davidsreef · 07-19-2006, 04:46 PM

David Grigor - Good point about the individual kits vs. master kit. You sold me.
About the lights, I do have 65w PC actinic, so I have some supplemental lighting. This is over my 20g, so if I upgraded to a 250W MH, I might have heat issues, otherwise I would have loved to have a 250W. Does my 65W PC seem enough? It would be hard for me to fit another, but I suppose it could be done

David Grigor · 07-19-2006, 05:24 PM

PCs being rather flat they do take up quite a bit of space. 20g would certainly be a challenge. You may get buy with stuffing more bulbs ( or just getting more output from a single bulb ) if you went with VHOs or T5s as your supplements. Also, depending on the corals you have going with a 20K XM may not be bad but you will be sacrificing some light as a result. Worst case, you would just have to put the 10K bulb back if it isn't working out and be out the cost of the bulb.

davidsreef · 07-19-2006, 05:36 PM

I was thinking of trying a 20k and see how I like it. If I don't, I can always go back to the 10k. I would loose some light, but right now that isn't a big concern due to my current corals growing quite fast. Although I will take that into consideration.
Thanks for your input!