250w 15,000k Xm Or?????

[mujtba]

has anyone used these:
250W 15,000K XM HQI Double-Ended Metal Halide Bulb
250W 14,000K "Double Ended" HQI - Ushio
250W 14,000K HQI "Double-Ended" - Coralvue
i have 14k phoneix 250 x 2 right now and corals seem healthy, but everything seems more brownish.. I want some color in the tank, and I know the higher the K the better color, but I do want growth too...
So are anyone of those above good?

 

[costa13]

I would look at the 20000k XM you will get more PAR out of them, than you would with the 15000k XM bulbs. Also have you thought about adding VHO's or T5's? That way you can go with a 10000k or 12000k Coralvue bulb with superactinics, and get the color and growth you want.

 

[mujtba]

But what is the PAR with the coralvue 12k bulb?

 

[costa13]

I don't know the exact number but it is pretty high. There is a person named Sanjay on -- and he has tested all the different bulbs and ballasts out there has a couple of articles comparing them. Just google his name and click the fourth one down.