Best 175 watt T5 combination

[lactrain]

I have a 55 gallon mixed reef mostly softies and LPS and just a couple of Monti's.

I am running a light fixture with 2x54 watt T5 Aquablue Plus (D-D aquarium solutions) and 2x175 watt Ushio 10K metal Halides running on a M137 (Pulse) Venture magnetic Ballast. I find this combination to be a bit eye popping. My fixture is a fixed fixture meaning that I am not willing to add any more Actinic suplementation or make modifications to this fixture. Though the ballast could be modified to a M57 (Probe)

I would like a more soothing apeal but I am just not sure what type of bulb combination i.e. 20K halide 10k T5 .... 14k halide no actinic .... another brand 10K with actinic supplementation.

Any recomendations here.

 

[clamm]

THis isnt a easy question to answer cause each bulb manufactorer is very different. For example, this weekend I saw 2 identical fixures one with a XM 10K and one a Coralife or Coralight...dont know which...but the xm appeared purpleish while the coralife was more blue even though they both stated they were 10K's

Best advice, find a tank with color you like and ask what they are using...individual taste vary as well...


Personally I like XM 10K with Blue Plus T5's... Thats what im running...

 

[lactrain]

I hear ya .... mainly im looking for recomendations, personal opinions .... based on experience .... what it is im thinking that when i purchased my fixture i probably should have bought the M57 ballast Xm Coralife those all require one .... geismen ushio AB all the big money bulbs run on the M137 so im thinking of swithching out my ballasts ....

any pictures clamm

 

[skyedolphan]

Hey Len how are you stranger
u know me I changed bulbs like others umm change... well forget it LOL

anyway I know that when I was running the 20k xms with the 2x96 10k PC you had liked the look
I have since gone from 2x250 14k megachromes also semi blue but still a bright white
to CRA 2x 250 20k and really like these HTH

 

[lactrain]

20K XM with 10K PC .... yes that is the look that I want .... your tank was gorgeous and everything was thriving ... what was your light cycle, halides first then 10k pcs....

Dawn your the greatest!!!!

remember that orange Monticap frag .... she has grown into the most beautiful showpiece ....

What type of ballast were you running electronic or magnetic do you recall.

Len