MH BUlbs
 

well its time to change bulbs and im undecided i want good growth but better colour then my XM 10000k. Its for 250 watt. Whats your opinions?? i cant run any extra lights like actinics because i have no space to do so. This is a PFO pendant. Im thinking maybe the XM 20000k??? anyone have one??? whats your thoughts???

I liked my 20,000K XM bulbs, but things do appear pretty blue. Under them I got great coloration, growth seemed to come in waves, rather then being constant all the time. Overall I loved the color they brought out in my livestock.

were you running actinics or suplimental lighting as well or just the halids?

Just the MHs for a long time, a year. I just stepped up and added in T12s as supplimental lighting.

were you growing sps?? and if so how was growth???

I had SPS, clams, and some LPS. Growth was pretty good, although it seemed to happen in waves, at some points I would see great growth in my SPS, and then there would be a lull in which nothing seemed to grow. My clams continued to grow constantly, and I didn't see any lags. Most LPS thrived, although not everything grew that much.

alright cool cool thank you very much. ya lps dont grow fast anyways except candy cane that grows pretty quick in my tank. And "had" what happened you dont have anymore??

I took down that tank yesterday, it was a 230g display. My SPS, and clams are now in a 30g with MH, PCs, and moonlights. The LPS has moved to a 90g tank with MH and T12 supplimentation.

cool cool. Im also looking to possbiley upgrade my skimmer. Im thinking aqua c remora, it has to be a hang on as i dont have a sump and am inable to have one due to my stand on my 56 gallon corner bow tank. Right now im running a saline solutions counter current air driven and it pulls blacky green rank stuff. I just hate having to replace air stones. And i was wondering if youd suggest anything maybe more efficent or if i should just stick with what i have.

Without Actinics, the best 250w bulb I've found is the EVC 14k. I've tried a ton of bulbs and these give me exactly what I want.

I recently changed my 250W Geisemann bulbs for Aquaconnect and I have to say I really really like these bulbs. I also cannot suppliment with actinics and the Aquaconnect have a nice crisp white with just a hint of blue.
FWIW the XM 20000K bulbs have a very poor rating. I have tried them and they are VERY blue which is probably an indication that you are not getting very much beneficial light penetrating for your corals.

I'm sorry I don't know much of anything about HOB skimmers. You could try posting that question in the Reef section, or you can probably take a look under product reviews to get some ideas.

The Aqua C Remora is one of the better HOB skimmers, in my opinion. You'd do well do go with it. I have a Coralife Super Skimmer and it's overflowed on me at least half a dozen times. I'm always paranoid now and dial it way back when I go to bed or work.

The Remora is a good skimmer,I have no complaints about mine.I picked up a Tunze nano skimmer last week,and have to say its impressive the crap it takes out,not really a HOB skimmer tho,it mounts intank/sump.But if the larger Tunzes skim as well as the nano,I would say maybe a Tunze 9005 or a Remora would be good for a tank that size.

I have a Remora pro and I really like it. As for bulbs, I run a 175watt XM 20kk and I love it.

Also look at the Deltec MCE-600. It's like twice of the Remora the price but it's like none other.

i changed my 10k to a 20k about a month ago i to just run a 250w MH with no actinic supplement brings out nice color heres a before and after pic just to give you an idea

before
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...9/IMG_0194.jpg

after
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...9/IMG_0275.jpg