SE Iwasaki & XM compared

VaderWS6 · 01/26/2006, 09:46 PM

I just received my replacement SE XM 250watt 10k's today, and they're totally white! I'm running them on a PFO dual 250watt HQI ballast, and they look absolutely great. They're not as bright as the Iwasakis are, but still look awesome. The Iwasakis burn so bright that they raise my aquarium temperature about 2 degrees higher, and the arc tube glows red for about 20 seconds after they shut off. I'm having a hard time trying to decide which bulbs to use first. The Iwasakis are definitely brighter, and actually look a little more natural than the XMs. You can see more colors with the XMs though. Iwasaki PAR is 950 whereas the XM PAR is around 850, so I might just go with the Iwasakis the first year. Running SE metal halides on an HQI ballast kicks so much ***!

Sorry guys, but I can't get any pics up because my Fuji Finepix A330 just doesn't capture their intensity. Take my word for it, the PFO HQI ballast is the way to go for SE bulbs!

VaderWS6 · 01/27/2006, 09:26 PM

Decided to go with the XMs for the first year. They just look so awesome, and really bring out the colors. Very clean looking light. We'll see how long they last on the HQI....

01/26/2006, 09:46 PM	#1
VaderWS6 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Kentucky Posts: 1,644	SE Iwasaki & XM compared I just received my replacement SE XM 250watt 10k's today, and they're totally white! I'm running them on a PFO dual 250watt HQI ballast, and they look absolutely great. They're not as bright as the Iwasakis are, but still look awesome. The Iwasakis burn so bright that they raise my aquarium temperature about 2 degrees higher, and the arc tube glows red for about 20 seconds after they shut off. I'm having a hard time trying to decide which bulbs to use first. The Iwasakis are definitely brighter, and actually look a little more natural than the XMs. You can see more colors with the XMs though. Iwasaki PAR is 950 whereas the XM PAR is around 850, so I might just go with the Iwasakis the first year. Running SE metal halides on an HQI ballast kicks so much ***! Sorry guys, but I can't get any pics up because my Fuji Finepix A330 just doesn't capture their intensity. Take my word for it, the PFO HQI ballast is the way to go for SE bulbs! __________________ 2001 black T/A WS6~M6 ASC#6979 331rwhp/348rwtq Mods: !CAGS, Pro 5.0, TSP lid, BGRA, Raptor shift light, Strange 4.10 gears, Strano springs, SLP Bilstein shocks, GMMG exhaust Current Tank Info: Main reef:75 gallon w/ 2 250watt Radium 20k run on a PFO dual 250watt HQI ballast w/Lumenbright mini reflectors. 4 110watt VHO actinics for dawn/dusk,Geo kalkreactor,Litermeter 3,Xtreme 160 skimmer,2 Vortech mp40w's

01/27/2006, 09:26 PM	#2
VaderWS6 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Kentucky Posts: 1,644	Decided to go with the XMs for the first year. They just look so awesome, and really bring out the colors. Very clean looking light. We'll see how long they last on the HQI.... __________________ 2001 black T/A WS6~M6 ASC#6979 331rwhp/348rwtq Mods: !CAGS, Pro 5.0, TSP lid, BGRA, Raptor shift light, Strange 4.10 gears, Strano springs, SLP Bilstein shocks, GMMG exhaust Current Tank Info: Main reef:75 gallon w/ 2 250watt Radium 20k run on a PFO dual 250watt HQI ballast w/Lumenbright mini reflectors. 4 110watt VHO actinics for dawn/dusk,Geo kalkreactor,Litermeter 3,Xtreme 160 skimmer,2 Vortech mp40w's