MH XM 10k good combination?

[snowslide]

I have been running two XM 10k 250 Watt MH bulbs in my tank for over the last couple of years with really good success as far as coral growth! The problem is that they add quite a yellow tint to the tank.

I purchased another 250 Watt Icecap ballast to use some type of actinic light in there to counter some of the yellowness, though haven't had much luck finding a bulb I've been happy with yet.

Does any one have any good suggestions for a good actinic MH bulb that I could try? Should I give up on my XM 10ks and use some other 3 bulb MH configuration? Or should I supplement my MHs with some T5s to get good actinic coloring?

Any and all help sure would be appreciated!!!

[Nanook]

All personal preference. Aesthetically speaking, Radiums on 250w HQI ballasts are very pleasing to the eye:) Ushio 10K and XM 10K are on the yellow side. There are not many 14K bulbs that are bluish-white like they should be which means you usually have to jump up to a 20K bulb to get any blue color.

It takes a lot of supplemental actinic lighting to make up for a 10K bulb, IME, IMO. One bulb I have not tried yet because they are so pricey is the AquaConnect 14K's. Being I have four metal halides over each tank, that would be $800/year which is about twice as much as I am willing to spend.

[snowslide]

Thanks Nanook.

So you're saying I should maybe consider just 1 of my XM 10k bulbs and then use 2 of the 20k Radium bulbs to help drown out the yellow tint or just give up on 10k all together and switch to a 14k bulb to go with Radiums?

[Toddrtrex]

Heck, I would use all Radiums. I have 2 over my 58 (( along with 1 96 watt 50/50 PC and 1 96 watt dual actinic )) and I am very pleased with the color. Haven't been running them long enough to comment on the growth, but I had great growth with 20K XMs, so I suspect I will see the same.