Hamilton VS. XM

diesel_ftc · 02/20/2007, 12:00 AM

What is everyones opinion between Hamilton 14k VS. XM 15K 175 watt on a magnetic ballast. I have a 75g reef leaning toward SPS corals.

Froggy · 02/20/2007, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by diesel_ftc
What is everyones opinion between Hamilton 14k VS. XM 15K 175 watt on a magnetic ballast. I have a 75g reef leaning toward SPS corals.

I have never used the XM 15 K but I have also never read much good about them either. I used the Hamilton 14 K a few years ago and had little to no growth with SPS. It does have a nice color though so depending on what type of tank it is on ( softy/LPS) it would be a nice bulb as it looks nice.

If you have or plan on SPS, I would either go with the Iwasaki 15 K, Hamilton 10 K ( They both have about 71 PPFD/Par on Mag ballasts ) or the 175 watt usio 10 K. I prefer the color of the Iwasaki bulb as it is bright white and looks great with actinic supplement IMO. The Hamilton 10 K burns at a little over 8000 CCT so it looks yellower to the eye compared to the Iwasaki that burns at about 15000 CCT on Mag ballasts.

My personal choice for a stony tank is the Iwasaki bulb.

What type of corals do you keep or plan on keeping as that will make a difference in the bulb you choose ?

Sorry, just read you are leaning towards SPS corals. Not sure how I missed that.

I would skip the two bulbs you listed and go with a higher PAR bulb like the ones I listed.

FCdenzreef · 02/21/2007, 12:20 AM

posted under a friends name but it is my tank. right now my tank is mixed but has quite a few sps corals in it. i'm running ushio 10ks and think that the color is way to yellow even with my actinic supplementation. thats why i was going towards 15k bulbs. i really want to try the iwasaki bulbs but they are really pricy. the hamiltons and xms are less expensive. so what is going to give me the best color and growth for the peice?

andydavis141 · 02/21/2007, 01:35 AM

i have 180gal with 3, 175 watt 14k hamilton bulbs and ice cap ballast and i love them i've experimented with 10k, 14k, & 20k hamiltons and 14k were the best for me. i also have 2 six foot actinic VHO's. i have sps, lps, mushrooms, and anemoes ect... and have had great growth. good luck!!

FCdenzreef · 02/21/2007, 07:59 PM

anyone else? bump.....

supertech3 · 02/21/2007, 08:20 PM

IMO listen to Froggy he is dead on, I have tried both the Hami's 14k and the XM's 15k and am now running the Iwasaki's they definately blow away the other two they look nice at first but do not put out the par like the Iwasaki's. You know the saying you get what you pay for!

Henry Bowman · 02/21/2007, 11:15 PM

Yeah, Froggy and Supertech3 have got the right idea....

Yeah, if you look at Sanjay's info on bulbs the Iwasaki's kick all the other bulbs butts respectfully. I'd seriously consider them for an SPS dominant tank. There are folks that dont like the look BUT, if you look at the 10K Iwasakis' spectrum analisys, they're pretty close in color to that of a natural reef, the bluer bulbs, while more pleasing to some hobbyists are not the color that are most natural to the corals we strive to keep healthy.

andydavis141 · 02/22/2007, 01:18 PM

those guys make good points but you also should consider where your corals come from, are they from the reef or from a shop that cultures or frags, and what environment they are being taken from where they under iwasaki's i've presonally seen coral color change with different light(could be other causes because i cant test everything) you can also burn your corals so if you change your lighting, raise your bulb a few inches. and my tank is not soley dedicated to sps. look at my pics.

snslarison · 02/22/2007, 02:20 PM

Just FYI...the Iwasaki 15Ks are very white and will look nothing like Hami 14K or XM 15K. The high par numbers are related their whiter color. When Sanjay tested them on the ARO eballast (which is the one I use) they burned at 13,974K. On other ballasts it could be bluer though.

FCdenzreef · 02/23/2007, 08:55 PM

ok so i know that thw iwasaki bulbs are the best but they dont fit my budget right now so besides those bulbs what are a good 14k ish bulb for a 75 sps tank???

andydavis141 · 02/24/2007, 01:13 AM

hamilton technology.com 59.99

Froggy · 02/24/2007, 06:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by andydavis141
hamilton technology.com 59.99

IMO if you are leaning towards SPS then don't even bother or waste your time with Hamilton 14 K bulbs in the 175 watters.

For what it is worth, the Iwasaki's can be had for about 72.99 per bulb. $13.00 more per bulb over the Hamiltons is worth it and if it is out of your budget then I would not be leaning towards SPS. That will break the bank.

burned · 02/24/2007, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by snslarison
Just FYI...the Iwasaki 15Ks are very white and will look nothing like Hami 14K or XM 15K. The high par numbers are related their whiter color. When Sanjay tested them on the ARO eballast (which is the one I use) they burned at 13,974K. On other ballasts it could be bluer though.

Scott Larison,

Why wouldn't you use XM and ARO Ballasts?

You are an employee of HelloLights/XM Lighting who sell the ARO brand.

Nice job promoting (anonymously, which I believe is not permited on this forum) the products of the companies you work for.

Don't you think you should be identifying yourself as a HelloLights/XM Lighting employee on your posts?????

B

andydavis141 · 02/24/2007, 01:00 PM

nothing against froggy but he sounds a little like my pops. "if you can't do it my way then why bother" i don't dought that iwasski lights are the bomb, but yes you can do frag on a buget. all my sps were frags that i picked up for 9-30$$$ yes $9.00 -30.00. i buy small tiny frags no bigger than your finger bucause i want to grow them myself. so its definatly affordable if the shop does not have any small pices then just ask them usally from my experience they would be happy to do so. i'm always down to trade if you have a hard time finding cheap small pices.

aclos3 · 02/24/2007, 01:21 PM

Zero growth with the hamiltons? Ok, maybe their PAR is a little lower, but if you got ZERO growth, something else was wrong with your setup. I'm sure people have grown SPS under 14k hamilton 175 watt before.

Froggy · 02/24/2007, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by andydavis141
nothing against froggy but he sounds a little like my pops. "if you can't do it my way then why bother" i don't dought that iwasski lights are the bomb, but yes you can do frag on a buget. all my sps were frags that i picked up for 9-30$$$ yes $9.00 -30.00. i buy small tiny frags no bigger than your finger bucause i want to grow them myself. so its definatly affordable if the shop does not have any small pices then just ask them usally from my experience they would be happy to do so. i'm always down to trade if you have a hard time finding cheap small pices.

I guess my wording was poor. I certainly am not one to say that there is only one way to do things. It has just been my experience with the Hamilton 14 K's. My point about SPS and "breaking the bank" was leaning more towards how addicting they are and can be to purchase and not individual frag prices. It was my poor attempt at a joke regarding how ADDICTING buying SPS frags can be. Sorry if anyone took it the wrong way. Not my intention.

aclos3, I did not say I had ZERO growth but did have little to no growth meaning frags grew at a snails pace and did not color up well. The only change on my tank has been bulb choice and suddenly SPS are growing at a faster pace and coloring up. Something has to be said for that.

andydavis141 · 02/25/2007, 10:51 AM

froggy you got any pics of your tank? i would be intrested in seeing the color for the iwasaki and the health of your corals. yes sps is very addicting why do you think i still live with my parents.ican can afford rent but not pg&e and reef maintence plus cali is too expensive.anyway thanks for your wisdom and have a good day.

krzyphsygy · 02/25/2007, 11:31 AM

Actually sanjay's study showed the Iwasaki 65k to be the best par period.

Second was the XM 10k on every ballast he tried.

If you want coral growth....you will really have to make a choice in if its your eyes that are important, or the actual growth of the coral.

Froggy · 02/25/2007, 11:38 AM

Here are a few shots from my tank

ORA Chips acro

Birdsnest

Blue A. Insignis (bumped it prior to picture so no polyps showing )

Purple Digitata

A. Yongei

I have only been using the Iwasaki's since Dec. so I need more time but I like them so far.

Froggy · 02/25/2007, 02:06 PM

For reference here is the same birdsnest 1 month ago when added to the tank. I think it is showing promise under the Iwasaki's

andydavis141 · 02/25/2007, 07:42 PM

wow those are some nice pics my birdsnest was pink now it the same as yours was. i'll definitely give the iwasaki's a run on the next go. i have some great other colors so it will be interesting to see the difference. thanks again and nice reef.

02/20/2007, 12:00 AM	#1
diesel_ftc Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Fort Collins, Colorado Posts: 112	Hamilton VS. XM What is everyones opinion between Hamilton 14k VS. XM 15K 175 watt on a magnetic ballast. I have a 75g reef leaning toward SPS corals.

02/21/2007, 01:35 AM	#4
andydavis141 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: east bay, ca Posts: 122	hamilton i have 180gal with 3, 175 watt 14k hamilton bulbs and ice cap ballast and i love them i've experimented with 10k, 14k, & 20k hamiltons and 14k were the best for me. i also have 2 six foot actinic VHO's. i have sps, lps, mushrooms, and anemoes ect... and have had great growth. good luck!!

02/21/2007, 11:15 PM	#7
Henry Bowman Reefing since '87 Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Allegheny Mountains of VA Posts: 2,162	Yeah, Froggy and Supertech3 have got the right idea.... Yeah, if you look at Sanjay's info on bulbs the Iwasaki's kick all the other bulbs butts respectfully. I'd seriously consider them for an SPS dominant tank. There are folks that dont like the look BUT, if you look at the 10K Iwasakis' spectrum analisys, they're pretty close in color to that of a natural reef, the bluer bulbs, while more pleasing to some hobbyists are not the color that are most natural to the corals we strive to keep healthy. __________________ Have a good'un Current Tank Info: 90 gl SPS dominant / upgrade in the works

02/22/2007, 02:20 PM	#9
snslarison Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Downey, CA Posts: 1,430	Just FYI...the Iwasaki 15Ks are very white and will look nothing like Hami 14K or XM 15K. The high par numbers are related their whiter color. When Sanjay tested them on the ARO eballast (which is the one I use) they burned at 13,974K. On other ballasts it could be bluer though. __________________ "Ok you Primitive Screwheads, listen up! You see this? This... is my BOOMSTICK! " -Army of Darkness Last edited by snslarison; 02/22/2007 at 02:25 PM.

02/21/2007, 12:20 AM	#3
FCdenzreef Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Fort Collins, Colorado Posts: 443	posted under a friends name but it is my tank. right now my tank is mixed but has quite a few sps corals in it. i'm running ushio 10ks and think that the color is way to yellow even with my actinic supplementation. thats why i was going towards 15k bulbs. i really want to try the iwasaki bulbs but they are really pricy. the hamiltons and xms are less expensive. so what is going to give me the best color and growth for the peice?

02/21/2007, 07:59 PM	#5
FCdenzreef Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Fort Collins, Colorado Posts: 443	anyone else? bump.....

02/21/2007, 08:20 PM	#6
supertech3 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: El Paso Posts: 1,206	IMO listen to Froggy he is dead on, I have tried both the Hami's 14k and the XM's 15k and am now running the Iwasaki's they definately blow away the other two they look nice at first but do not put out the par like the Iwasaki's. You know the saying you get what you pay for!

02/22/2007, 01:18 PM	#8
andydavis141 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: east bay, ca Posts: 122	those guys make good points but you also should consider where your corals come from, are they from the reef or from a shop that cultures or frags, and what environment they are being taken from where they under iwasaki's i've presonally seen coral color change with different light(could be other causes because i cant test everything) you can also burn your corals so if you change your lighting, raise your bulb a few inches. and my tank is not soley dedicated to sps. look at my pics.

02/23/2007, 08:55 PM	#10
FCdenzreef Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Fort Collins, Colorado Posts: 443	ok so i know that thw iwasaki bulbs are the best but they dont fit my budget right now so besides those bulbs what are a good 14k ish bulb for a 75 sps tank???

02/24/2007, 01:13 AM	#11
andydavis141 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: east bay, ca Posts: 122	hamilton technology.com 59.99

02/24/2007, 01:00 PM	#14
andydavis141 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: east bay, ca Posts: 122	nothing against froggy but he sounds a little like my pops. "if you can't do it my way then why bother" i don't dought that iwasski lights are the bomb, but yes you can do frag on a buget. all my sps were frags that i picked up for 9-30$$$ yes $9.00 -30.00. i buy small tiny frags no bigger than your finger bucause i want to grow them myself. so its definatly affordable if the shop does not have any small pices then just ask them usally from my experience they would be happy to do so. i'm always down to trade if you have a hard time finding cheap small pices.

02/24/2007, 01:21 PM	#15
aclos3 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 394	Zero growth with the hamiltons? Ok, maybe their PAR is a little lower, but if you got ZERO growth, something else was wrong with your setup. I'm sure people have grown SPS under 14k hamilton 175 watt before.

02/25/2007, 10:51 AM	#17
andydavis141 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: east bay, ca Posts: 122	froggy you got any pics of your tank? i would be intrested in seeing the color for the iwasaki and the health of your corals. yes sps is very addicting why do you think i still live with my parents.ican can afford rent but not pg&e and reef maintence plus cali is too expensive.anyway thanks for your wisdom and have a good day.

02/25/2007, 11:31 AM	#18
krzyphsygy Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 2,148	Actually sanjay's study showed the Iwasaki 65k to be the best par period. Second was the XM 10k on every ballast he tried. If you want coral growth....you will really have to make a choice in if its your eyes that are important, or the actual growth of the coral.

02/25/2007, 11:38 AM	#19
Froggy Reef "Hobbyist"...right!? Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Canton, MI Posts: 2,160	Here are a few shots from my tank ORA Chips acro Birdsnest Blue A. Insignis (bumped it prior to picture so no polyps showing ) Purple Digitata A. Yongei I have only been using the Iwasaki's since Dec. so I need more time but I like them so far.

02/25/2007, 02:06 PM	#20
Froggy Reef "Hobbyist"...right!? Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Canton, MI Posts: 2,160	For reference here is the same birdsnest 1 month ago when added to the tank. I think it is showing promise under the Iwasaki's

02/25/2007, 07:42 PM	#21
andydavis141 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: east bay, ca Posts: 122	wow those are some nice pics my birdsnest was pink now it the same as yours was. i'll definitely give the iwasaki's a run on the next go. i have some great other colors so it will be interesting to see the difference. thanks again and nice reef.