Do 10K XM lamps look yellow on all magnetic ballasts?

[tymux]

Fellow reefers. I am in and out of this hobby a lot. Last time I was in I remember experiencing the switch from my Dual PFO ballast to icecap/aro ballasts. When I made the switch I remember my XM lamps going from a yellow color to a nice crisp white/blue color. I know that people have seen this happen, but my question is.......do all magnetic ballast overdrive the xm lamps to the yellow color?

I am currently running a Hamilton 60" 2 x 250 with magnetic ballasts. I just ordered up the 10K XM lamps, and am worried I will soon be seeing yellow. If I end up having to swap out ballasts to electronic....what is the cheapest way to proceed?

Thanks

Tyler:deadhorse:

[NatureNerd]

I used to use XM 10k's before switching to LED's. They had a very slight yellow tint with both my magnetic and solid state ballasts. I loved the look, very much like sunlight in the tropics. If you don't like that look, I suggest you don't choose XM 10k's. The slight tint is not due to overdriving. They should not have blue color. Crisp white, okay sure, but not blueish.

[falconut]

I started with 10K XMs on the hellolights magnetic ballasts over 7 years ago. They were a nice crisp white color. Then after a year, I bought another set of 10K XMs and they were yellow. I hated the look, so I switched them out for 15K XMs. So, you'll preobably see a yellowish color.

[tymux]

I won't mind a little yellow, but the difference I saw from the magnetic to electronic was VERY noticeable. I will be supplementing with T5's so I hope to balance it out with them. Right now, I am running hamilton 10K's that came with the unit I purchased......used. The person selling said they were new lamps, but one is burning yellow and the other closer to a nice white. I swapped the lamps between the two hamilton ballasts and the color followed the lamp not the ballast. If the XM's look like the side that is currently less yellow, I will be a happy camper.


I appreciate the feedback.

By the way....do you know if the PFO ballasts are essentially the same as any other magnetic ballast? Or in other words, how different do you think a PFO is from a hamilton magnetic ballast?

Thanks again.

[tymux]

I used to use XM 10k's before switching to LED's. They had a very slight yellow tint with both my magnetic and solid state ballasts. I loved the look, very much like sunlight in the tropics. If you don't like that look, I suggest you don't choose XM 10k's. The slight tint is not due to overdriving. They should not have blue color. Crisp white, okay sure, but not blueish.

So if the yellow tint is not due to overdriving, what causes it? I have never understood why people say that magnetic ballasts run so much hotter than electronic when everyone knows that magnetic ballast push the lamps harder. If you are getting more energy out of a lamp, you will use more energy, and if you do both of those things, then it will be hotter.

[tymux]

I would also love to see any photos of tanks running the XM 10k's. Ideally with actinic and with out to see the difference. Please put if you are running them with solid state or magnetic ballasts.

[Randy15]

hamilton 10k is a good white color

[socal55]

14 months ago, I installed XM 175W 10K bulbs, that I got at a good price, to replace Iwasaki 15K bulbs that were due for replacement. Much to my disappointment, I noticed a definite yellowish tinge to the light (I have magnetic ballasts). Last week, I replaced them with Hamilton 10K bulbs and now the color is back to a nice white color. Just to check to see if there was a difference, I only replaced one bulb and the color difference was obvious. I was quite surprised to see such a large difference between two bulbs that were suppose to both be 10K. The difference between the Hamilton 10K (that were used prior to) and the Iwasaki 15K was much less noticeable.

[hypnoj]

I used to run 10k xm bulbs all the time and they were always yellow to me. I would think any "white" 10k xm bulbs would be a rarity.

[sirreal63]

A lot will depend on the ballast, saying magnetic doesn't help, is it M80 (HQI), M138 or M58? There is a huge difference. I am assuming these are SE bulbs and not DE and what ballast is it? Hamilton has made them all over the years. :-)

Edit...I am assuming M58 or M80, but can't really guess which it is.

[karsseboom]

Them xm bulb made to fire on a magnetic probe start ballast. If I remember right.