[golfish]

I added 3x20 amp curciuts a few weeks ago. Finished the plumbing and added 150 pounds of Kaelini (aka Tonga, aka Vanisi) rock last week. I'm still playing with the lights and will probably stick with 400 watt Radiums on the HQI ballast. I'm running a Radium and Ushio right now cause one of my Radiums crapped out. I have a replacement bulb coming next week along with two 20K Coralvue's.I've heard good things about the Coralvue bulbs and their half the cost of the Radiums.

here's a few pictures

[scubadude]

Originally Posted by golfish

I added 3x20 amp curciuts a few weeks ago. Finished the plumbing and added 150 pounds of Kaelini (aka Tonga, aka Vanisi) rock last week. I'm still playing with the lights and will probably stick with 400 watt Radiums on the HQI ballast. I'm running a Radium and Ushio right now cause one of my Radiums crapped out. I have a replacement bulb coming next week along with two 20K Coralvue's.I've heard good things about the Coralvue bulbs and their half the cost of the Radiums.

here's a few pictures

Lookin very nice Mark! couple of questions though.

Is there one or two static returns? Looks like you have 2 but one of them isnt plumbed?

The ball valve right after the intake of your closed loop, is that for water changes cuz there is nothing hooked up there just a barb fitting from what I can see?

Also sounds to me like your still pondering your lighting scheme....Im with you on the coralvues, starting to hear good things about them (actually I heard some bad things, but I thing it was some ppl jumping the gun) The only thing I dont like is they have to run on their ballast to be real effecient (atleast compared to Joes studys) Im just curious why you havent jumped on the XM bandwagon (their bulbs seem pretty cheap too)?

Last question, you are calling Kaelini aka Tonga aka Vanisi...are you meaning you got a mixture of 3 different kinds of rock or you saying that they all look the same?....Havent really got a chance to check out the Vanisi yet, and I know that Kaelini is coming from tonga so that statement kinda through me off.

Rocky

[scubadude]

The more I look at your pics the more questions I have....Ok im looking at the pic w/your ER and it looks like you have a modification on there....wats the scoop?

What model of litre meter you using and where'd ya get it? Im in the market for one and shopping around.

[Papa Doug]

Looks like its coming along fine Mark. Sure a large difference in the two lights. Looks like the same modification as my Euroreef. Using a return line to the water surface, instead of the slide/foam thingy.

[Poseidon]

Looking pretty Cool!!

I noticed the Sea Swirls in one pic, then when I look at the front tank shot I see 2 HUGE pvc elbows. That looks like a pretty cool mode in itself. And like Doug mentioned the Mod on the ER skimmer? What does that accomplish? My friend has an ER and it has worked well for about a year, now all of a sudden we can't get a "dry Foam" it just spits a crap load of water up there!!

[Papa Doug]

I dont know if Marks is the same, {perhaps he,s using a ball valve}, but mine just had the return pipes down to the 6 or 7in. of sump water. With a pair of 45d elbows, it could be adjusted to keep the return across the waters surface. Thats how I always got the best results with my old F1 Euroreef.

[golfish]

Rocky,

yes, I have two returns but I'm only using one for now.

Yes again, the ball valve is for water changes. Its 3/4" so I can hook a garden hose up to it to drain and hook my extra Mag 12 up to fill it from my mixing drum ( I have female fittings on both ends of the hose)

The XM bulbs are cheap, they also seem to be built cheap. I'll have the CV's up this week, I let you kow how they do.

I bought the rock from Jeff's. Kaelini, Tonga, Vanisi is all the same stuff from the same place.

The mod just gets rid of the foam\sponge and quiets the skimmer down a bit. Nothing big but its real cheap to make.

I think the Liter Meter is the original one. I've had it for about 4 years,bought it from some guy at AL who couldn't use it. Its real easy to use and very dependable.

Doug,
Yeah, it always cracks me up when I read post from guys saying their 10K's are crisp white. I'm just using the 10K until I replace my Radium or get the Coralvues.

Poseidon,
The huge PVC elbows you see are 1.25". The 1" SS's use 1.25" fittings. Since the Amp Master 3000 has very little head its putting out tons of flow, the larger fittings spread the flow better. My wife hated the white PVC fittings so I just changed em out with grey sch 80 fitings. I also added a coupler so I could dip down into the tank a little further. My skimmer seems to work as good or better with the mod. I just wanted to get rid of the foam. It too is 1.25" fittings and pipe. I use a Tee at the top and an elbow.

[scubadude]

Originally Posted by golfish

Rocky,

The XM bulbs are cheap, they also seem to be built cheap.

Hmmmm, could you please elaborate

[golfish]

Rocky,
Cheap meaning they cost less and built meaning they don't seem as reliable/ consistant. I just installed one of my Coralvue bulbs and it didn't fire, at all. Give me a few hours to mix and match with the two ballast and I'll let you know....looks like the Coralvues aren't all that either.

[golfish]

Rocky,
I don't know why but it took forever for both bulbs to fire. Their running now and I'm very happy with em. They seem the same as the Radiums. I was hoping for something a little brighter. Give me a few weeks and I'll post a side by side picture with the Radium. I have a new Radium and one that's 2 months old.

[golfish]

Here's both NEW CV bulbs after a few hours

[scubadude]

The CV's Look great and Im sure they are a great bulb, however this is inevitable

DEBATE TIME

Originally Posted by golfish

Rocky,
Cheap meaning they cost less and built meaning they don't seem as reliable/ consistant.

uhhhh, and then you say

Originally Posted by golfish

I just installed one of my Coralvue bulbs and it didn't fire, at all. Give me a few hours to mix and match with the two ballast and I'll let you know....looks like the Coralvues aren't all that either

LMAO, sorry bro I couldnt resist....I had to bust yer chops on this one, but back to the Reliable/Consitant statement. Dont you think both CV and XM are way too new on the market to really give us any reliability data other than short term problems (which you just had one, really isnt a problem though?) Are you using the CV ballast to fire them?

I dunno if you are following JBNY's studys on the bulbs but XM has been much more consistant than the CV's the CV's are effecient on their ballast but are not on other ballast, where as the XM's seem much more consistent on just about any ballast ....maybe im missing something here?

[JB NY]

I agree that both of those lamps, in their introduction, seem to be suffering from reliability issues. My XM10K burnt out on me in the first month. It was replaced, but I have heard others who are having problems, here and there, as well.

The Coralvue seems to be having some initial problems as well. I know the first run had some issues with the probe, for the built in igniter, not protruding into the arctube far enough. People have also reported build quality issues with the lamp as well. Someone even posted a pic of the outer envelope coming loose from the base! I also wasn't happy with how the coralvue performed on all ballasts save the coralvue's electronic ballast.

Personally I think these lamps are too new to recommend either. I like the color of both the lamps, I think the XM10K is a good replacement color and PAR to the Iwaski. The XM20K looks close to a radium but doesn't seem quite as bright. The Coralvue 10K looks a little nicer than the Ushio. I find the coralvue 20K and 15K too dim to be a good replacement for the radium though. Although I hear that they changed the 20K from what I had, to be more blue, but I haven't seen it.

I am hopeful that these are growing pains for coralvue and XM and they will be eventually be lamps that people will be able to use and rely on in the future.

I personally kept my Ushios on my tank after my testing because I wanted to see how the other lamps hold up long term. However, I am planning on running an XM20K on a prop tank I'm setting up, it more of a test tank anyway.

-Joe

[golfish]

Rocky, Joe
I only know a few guys that have ran the XM's. All of them were very unhappy. I really should keep my big mouth shut on things I haven't used personally. The info I have comes from a few personal friends. I like these CV bulbs. The price is right and the color is awsome. We'll just have to see how long they last and how they compare to the radiums. I'll stick a 2 month old Radium in the mix in a few days just to see how it looks.

I only run MH's so just running Ushio bulbs are out of the question. They look too yellow. I love the Radiums but after 6 months on the HQI their dead. I guess I'm just hopefull the CV's are the next best thing. If the XM's change things up and beat the CV's you can bet I'll be first in line.

[scubadude]

Originally Posted by golfish

I really should keep my big mouth shut on things I haven't used personally. The info I have comes from a few personal friends. I like these CV bulbs. The price is right and the color is awsome. We'll just have to see how long they last and how they compare to the radiums.

Dude not at all.....I like it when you open your big mouth Seriously its to see both sides of the fence! I wasnt bashing you Mark, I do think there is a fine line here between the XM's and the CV's .....Its funny cuz SueT emailed me asking me how I like em and I love the XM's now she is using them and she loves em, I hope she still likes em...Sue? They burned in yet?....and I know you boys over in CA know yer stuff but you guys are hewked on the CV's ....maybe we are just picking the fly poo-poo out of the pepper here (being too picky) when it comes to comparison but hey as far as im concerned the leading thing that drew me to XM's and CV's are the price....Right now I can buy XM's 175w10k for $48 retail and I think CV's are right about the same...maybe even cheaper...So I totally understand when it comes to pocketbook making the majority of a decision....The hobby is long due for a MH bulb that doesnt make us slap our accountants!

[scubadude]

Thanx to Joe aka JBNY for doing this study first off it has saved many ppl alot of guesswork and money!

He was kind enough to let me post these pics, and if you guys havent seen the study that he has done then I highly recommend you visit his site at

http://www.cnidarianreef.com/

You can click on the link on the right that says " 250 Watt Metal Halide Testing"

He also has a Sweeeet tank and website!

Heres the comparison of CV and XM 10k 250w bulbs

First the CV10k

Now the XM10k


Looks to me like the CV is a tad bit whiter than the XM...but geez its close you can see the different coloration in that millie in the top of the pics that is growing like a banshee on his glass

[JB NY]

Yeah they are pretty close in coloration. It seemed that certain corals allow you to see the differences better than other. Places to look on those pictures to see differences. Look at the coralline on the overflow, the purple acro in the middle, the orange monti on the right and the green millepora on the top right.

I think the CV brings out the colors on the corals slightly more than the XM10K. But the XM10K is a lot brighter.

I think to get a good idea of what the color of the lamp looks like you have to run it by itself. Running it side by side with a different lamp throws off the coloration of things as some of spectrums of the light tend to mesh together and give a look that isn't quite what the lamp looks like on it's own.

[zhenya]

Hi Joe,

After trying the 15K bulbs I went back to the 10K CV bulbs as of yesterday.
In those two pics that Rocky posted, what ballasts were those bulbs fired with? Was it PFO HQI or the standard ballast?
Thanks for letting us see the pics here.

I'm not sure why Mark's bulbs didn't fire, both of my bulbs,the 10K and 15K,had fired from the first time I turn them on with the HQI ballast. So far so good I must say.

[scubadude]

Originally Posted by JB NY

I think the CV brings out the colors on the corals slightly more than the XM10K. But the XM10K is a lot brighter.

See I think its the other way around....or are you saying the CV makes the corals look like their more natural color? Your mille growing on the glass looks like it has much more color w/the XMs but the CVs seem brighter to me

The pictures i posted from Joes site are w/out actinics

[scubadude]

Heres the 20k comparison between CV and XM

Heres the CV

and heres the XM


Man there is alot more difference in those bulbs! The CV looks white and the XM looks blue