I've seen two tanks with Reeflux 250w 12K SE. One with PFO magnetic and the other IceCap Electronic, and they both are too blue - even bluer than 14k's.
I have my single end 12k running on a 250W Icecap ballast (new model) and it really doesn't seem that blue. I've been told they run more blue on magnetic than they do on electronic ballast.
I think the 12000 kelvin is too blue and I like the 10000 kelvin. But all of us perceive the color in different ways and it is just a personal choice. Some people love the real blue from 20000 kelvin bulbs. And other people like Iwasaki 6500 kelvin bulbs which I think are yellow.
I have ran the 10k and the 12k and prefer the 12k. I like a little more blue, but not 15k or 20k amounts. The color perception is a personal choice. I ran XM 10k for a couple of years with T5 Blue+ supplimental to try and get some blue. Now I run 12k reeflux with T5 Super Actinics for the flourescense.
You are not far from me. You can come see my 120. I run 2 250 12K Reeflux with no actinic supplementation on Coralvue ballasts in Luminarc 3's. They are not that blue in my tank.
I am also running 2x250 12k reflux with coralvue ballast.
Now when I first installed the retro I noticed that one was just bright and not that blue and the other was very blue. The difference for the new bulbs was the position/turn of the bulb. I turned the bluer bulb like the other one and they where then the same not so blue. Even thou the bulbs where not burned in they where the same bulbs ballast and reflector.
fyi
The Coralvue 250w dimmable ballast I have pushes 280w and my other none dimmable coralvue pushed exactly 250w +/-1.
