Show me your 20k Radium tanks?

[stony_corals]

Originally posted by Todd March
Yeah, 250W Radiums are HQI bulbs, which is why they look so terrible and overly monochromatic blue on most eballasts... The 400W bulb is not HQI and a very different beast...

Or is it due to the fact that in the US, 400 HQI ballasts aren't HQI, but are HPS instead?!?

[Rogger Castells]

Originally posted by stony_corals
Ok, that's just a dream right here in that pic. How are your semilarvatus with your sps and lps?!?

No dream, The semilarvatus love the corals .....Just kidding, in the most part they are well behaved, i see them picking here and there but no damage, they do pick aggressively to rtn'ing coral.

[Todd March]

Originally posted by stony_corals
Or is it due to the fact that in the US, 400 HQI ballasts aren't HQI, but are HPS instead?!?

Yeah, I guess this would be true... Some of the eballasts out there run the 400W Radium pretty close to it's specs—which is like 360W—and I think it looks okay (nothing like the dim and blue underdriven 250W on eballasts). But I think most would agree that the 400W Radium really shines on the SunAgro HPS ballast (aka PFO HQI), where it runs closer to 460W and is much whiter with a pronounced actinic-ish effect (but yes, will only last for 6 months with this much wattage running through it).

[GQuinn]

Originally posted by Wayner2
Is the color of the 250 W Radium identical on a SLS Galaxy balast compared to a PFO HQI Ballast?

I was wondering if anyone had an answer to this question?

Gary

[Todd March]

Originally posted by GQuinn
I was wondering if anyone had an answer to this question?

Gary

Eric at **********.com says their pretty darn close, and it looks it to my eye as well. But as for "identical", I'm sure some official testing would not validate that...

[mpoletti]

Originally posted by GQuinn
I was wondering if anyone had an answer to this question?

No they are not the same. The gallaxy are a tad more blue whereas the HQI's are more crisp. I have both the gallaxy's and the Blue Wave's. I tried the PFO, but liked the option of having the same SLS plugs incase I ever wanted to switch.

[GQuinn]

Thanks for the quick replies.

Gary

[benf]

So, are the 400w Radiums supposed to be more or less blue on eballast? Right now i have 2 on identical eballast and one is burning blue and the other white. I plan tonight to switch the two and see if its the bulb or the ballast.

[Todd March]

Originally posted by mpoletti
No they are not the same. The gallaxy are a tad more blue whereas the HQI's are more crisp. I have both the gallaxy's and the Blue Wave's. I tried the PFO, but liked the option of having the same SLS plugs incase I ever wanted to switch.

So Mark, it sounds like even the Galaxy, as good as it runs the Radiums, still produces a little of that under-driven eballast blue hue...?

[FFrankie]

Originally posted by benf
So, are the 400w Radiums supposed to be more or less blue on eballast? Right now i have 2 on identical eballast and one is burning blue and the other white. I plan tonight to switch the two and see if its the bulb or the ballast.

LEt us know what happens benf. I am useing the eballast with good results but it seems to me the HQI drive them better.

[benf]

Originally posted by benf
So, are the 400w Radiums supposed to be more or less blue on eballast? Right now i have 2 on identical eballast and one is burning blue and the other white. I plan tonight to switch the two and see if its the bulb or the ballast.

must be the bulbs, cause its the same one is still blue and the other still white

[FFrankie]

Thanks for the update benf!

[arc eye]

I guess I will throw my experience out there as well.

My current lighting setup is MH only, one large lumenarc and a 400w coralvue dimmable electronic ballast. The ballast is supposed to underdrive by 30% on its lowest setting and overdrive 10% on its highest setting.

I have been running a reeflux 12k for the last two and half months, but it was a tad white/yellow as a stand alone bulb at full power. When I turn the power down it became a lot bluer............go figure.

Anyway, this weekend I picked up a 20K radium since I wanted a bulb that was a bit bluer when run at full power. So far the radium at full power looks pretty darn close the the 12k when I used to run it at the lower settings.

I'm sure the spectrum may change a bit as the bulb burns in, but if it becomes more white it really won't be much different from a 12k reeflux which is a much cheaper bulb.

IMO so far, if the bulb is going to be a stand alone go radium, if it is going to be supplemented go reeflux (but only on eballasts).

I'd post pictures................but I'm not good with the white balnce and they also turn out super blue

hope that helps at all

[Todd March]

Originally posted by arc eye
I guess I will throw my experience out there as well.

My current lighting setup is MH only, one large lumenarc and a 400w coralvue dimmable electronic ballast. The ballast is supposed to underdrive by 30% on its lowest setting and overdrive 10% on its highest setting.

I have been running a reeflux 12k for the last two and half months, but it was a tad white/yellow as a stand alone bulb at full power. When I turn the power down it became a lot bluer............go figure.

Anyway, this weekend I picked up a 20K radium since I wanted a bulb that was a bit bluer when run at full power. So far the radium at full power looks pretty darn close the the 12k when I used to run it at the lower settings.

I'm sure the spectrum may change a bit as the bulb burns in, but if it becomes more white it really won't be much different from a 12k reeflux which is a much cheaper bulb.

IMO so far, if the bulb is going to be a stand alone go radium, if it is going to be supplemented go reeflux (but only on eballasts).

I'd post pictures................but I'm not good with the white balnce and they also turn out super blue

hope that helps at all

arc, glad to hear your experiences. They really jive with my own. My favorite reef lighting of all time is the Radium 400W running on overdriven HQI/HPS. I've seen two setups now with the Reeflux 12K, one on eballasts and one on PFO mag ballasts, and they both reminded me very much of the Radium. Great color with a nice actinic punch. I think Coralife very much designed the Reeflux 12K to emulate the classic Radium...

[GSMguy]

you think coralvue designed something Todd? Doubtfull.

[Todd March]

Originally posted by GSMguy
you think coralvue designed something Todd? Doubtfull.

Ha,ha, Nick, good point...!

Whoever designed the bulb anyway...

[Mikigo]

I have both 400w Radium on HQI and 400w 12k Reeflux on Coravu eballast. Reflux is tad bluer. Radium is little brighter and give more actinic. Corals look better under Radium in the first 3 months. From 3-6 months, coarls look about the same. After 6 months, need to change out the Radium. Reeflux last about 10-12 months before fading. So for me, I have 4 Reeflux and 2 Radium. This seem to work for me.

[Todd March]

Originally posted by Mikigo
I have both 400w Radium on HQI and 400w 12k Reeflux on Coravu eballast. Reflux is tad bluer. Radium is little brighter and give more actinic. Corals look better under Radium in the first 3 months. From 3-6 months, coarls look about the same. After 6 months, need to change out the Radium. Reeflux last about 10-12 months before fading. So for me, I have 4 Reeflux and 2 Radium. This seem to work for me.

GREAT info, Mikigo... Based on your experience, do you think with the new "super duper" full sized reflectors like the Lumenarc III or Lumenmax Elite, that a single 400W Radium could cover 36" x 24"...?

[ReefBum]

Here is mine. I have 3 400W Radiums supplemented by 8 39W UV Actinic White HOs.

[benf]

Reefbum, which ballast?

[cashman95]

Hi all, I just ordered a new 400watt Radium bulb to go with my new Lumatek ballast. From what I have been told the Lumatek is supposed to drive bulbs a bit harder than the Galaxy ballast...we will see. This could be only on 250 watt systems???!!! I will post updates!

[PnoyReefeR]

Originally posted by cashman95
Hi all, I just ordered a new 400watt Radium bulb to go with my new Lumatek ballast. From what I have been told the Lumatek is supposed to drive bulbs a bit harder than the Galaxy ballast...we will see. This could be only on 250 watt systems???!!! I will post updates!

Im running this set up on my cube.. looks good..

[ReefBum]

Originally posted by benf
Reefbum, which ballast?

Sfiligoi

[Wayner2]

Awesome Tank ReefBum!, love the aquascaping and love those Radiums!

[cashman95]

reeferpnoy, do you have a pic of this cube?