i believe its the high par values of 6500K bulbs that contributes to the high growth rates. But the XM SE10K 250W on HQI ballasts come pretty close to the same PPFD (PAR) values as the Iwasakis without all that yellow - the Iwasaki's PPFD at 189 compared to the XM's at 182.
If you want to find the best PAR for the type of ballasts that you have, use the "Search Performance Data" function on Sanjay's website
http://www.reeflightinginfo.arvixe.com/index.htm Very handy feature for those who already have their ballast and even more handy feature for those who are looking to buy a ballast.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dyspnea
20k bulbs you'll see far better colors over any other lesser rated bulb (10,14,15k etc) But the downside is the loss of growth rates. With 6500k bulb you'll see awesome growth but yellowish colors.
Try a 10k or 15k and offset the color change with actinics
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