Growth Sequence Under 250W XM SE Version

[NAYM]

Dec 2004 is the time due to change my bulbs.

Decided to be a little adventurous. Got myself the XM bulb as it is reputed to have high par second only to iwasaki B)

This is my old bulb BLV 10k on the left & Blueline 10k on the right

My first impression of XM 10k is white! But later I realised it wasn't probably because it needs some time to burn in The outlook of XM is yellow. About the same is BLV which is the main reason why I used T5s to supplement my MH.

This pic is taken upon installation of the new bulb. It looks whiter than blv because it was probably new.

The outlook of it under my tank

And so I decided to keep track of the growth on my sps to judge if it is really worth the hype given to this bulb

 

[NAYM]

More side by side visual comparison

 

[NAYM]

This is the result I've got after 2months of 9hrs daily usage

17.12.2004

19.02.2005

another

19.12.2004

19.02.2005

yet another...a small frag

19.12.2004

19.02.2005

crappy pic of birdnest. hidden behind some acros

19.12.2004

19.02.2005

my supposedly plating monti

19.12.2004

19.02.2005

Conclusion...little noticeable growth probably these acros aren't directly under the bulb

 

[NAYM]

these few has grown considerably as compared to blv

19.12.2004

19.02.2005

another...no wonder people say digita will grow in toilet water :lol:

16.12.2004

19.02.2005

another...looks like a staghorn to me

11.12.2004

19.02.2005

the injured tips has healed completely

03.09.2004

19.02.2005

this is one showing impressive growth

19.12.2004

19.02.2005

this only giving me growth at the tips but the centre portion is lacking in light

19.12.2004

19.02.2005

this yellow fiji grade acros is growing quite fast although it is rather far away from the bulb

19.12.2004

19.02.2005

 

[NAYM]

Bear in mind I am not implying that the growth are attributed solely to the bulb But from my observation, lighting is one of the many factor contributing to it.

here are some showing me no/little growth & lost in colour

19.12.2004

19.02.2005

this is rather disappointing...i thought the original colour was nice

19.12.2004

19.02.2005

this is forever slow growth

19.12.2004

19.02.2005

this is worst...become ghotly white...maybe i should consider changing it's prime location since she don't like the bulb <_<

19.12.2004

19.02.2005

19.12.2004

19.02.2005

 

[NAYM]

my final conclusion from my observation, is that different corals will adapt differently.

Some may like it & some may not. As I am facing limited space in my tank, I do not have the luxury to shift my corals around :?

If you can see...some has given me good growth after using XM bulb & giving me positive feedback. Some has dislike it & has gone totally downhill.

Maybe it's my camera settings, those corals who is showing me positive results has a lighter shade of brown.

Overall, the bulb has given me a mixed results. I think I will continue to use XM 10k if everything else remain unchange XM has defininitely given me better growth result than BLV/Ushio


Nick

 

[Mihai]

That's nice growth for 2 months! Thanks for sharing!
Mihai