20K vs 14K Metal Halide Bulb?? Advice Needed

[gooberz]

I live in Florida and if i had all those MH i would work just to pay for electricity... LOL

 

[Dog boy Dave]

Live in Fl with 6x400 and one 250 radium driven by an icecap electronic ballest. The 250 radium on this ballast runs much more white than the 400 radiums. In my opinion, the 250radium is a more pleasing color compared to the 400 radium lamps.

 

[gooberz]

Wow Thanks for the Info^ Now i have to try to find one.. Most places are out of them..
Henry

 

[allsps40]

Hello,

It is a Single ended 250 Watt Bulb. I was trying to eliminate having to add more fixtures and stuff but want to make sure the SPS will still grow with 20k bulbs?
Yes they will and well. I use a DE 250w MH and thats all and my sps grow nicely.
Thanks

Also what Bulb would your recomend for SE fixture 250 watt.. Have an Electronic Ballast from Hello Lights.

Radiums are the best IMO. Just pick the correct ballast some will shorten the life of the bulb by half. Electronic ballasts are the best and will run any bulb.

 

[Nanook]

Electronic ballasts are the best and will run any bulb.

This is a common falsehood with the Radium bulb. The Radium 250 watt bulb is designed to be run around 270 watts. Underdriving the bulb with an electronic ballast can potentially cause premature spectral shifting, effectively shortening the usable lifespan of the bulb.

 

[Nanook]

The Radium lamp will appear different on different ballasts. Note the 250-watt and 400-watt Radium lamps are designed for different ballast types.

The 250-watt Radium lamp is recommended and designed for a HQI ANSI M80 magnetic ballast. This is the only ballast that allows this lamp to operate at the designed wattage (270-watts nominal). Using an electronic ballast will cause a drop in light output and the lamp will appear more blue. An electronic ballast will not provide the higher lamp wattage the Radium 250-watt is designed for. The Radium lamp will operate right around or below 250-watts depending on the ballast.

The 400-watt Radium lamp is recommended and designed for a low lamp current ANSI M135/M155 magnetic ballast. This is the only ballast that allows this lamp to operate at the designed wattage (360-watts nominal). Using a HQI magnetic or electronic ballast will drive the lamp past the wattage rating (overdrive the lamp). With a HQI magnetic or electronic ballast the lamp will provide higher light output and appear more white. These ballasts will operate the lamp past the wattage rating (at or above 400-watts).

 

[allsps40]

Thanks for the info Nanook. I knew some ballasts will shorten the life of Radiums know I know E ballasts are one of them.

 

[Nanook]

No probs I learned a lot from Paul Erik when he posted here regularly a couple years ago. I think he owns a lighting business and is super knowledgeable. Here is another paragraph with some good information:

In North America we use ANSI codes to match lamps and ballasts properly. Unfortunately European lamps and ballasts do not conform to these same standards. They use a totally different set of specification standards. In the aquarium industry HQI can refer to DE (Double-Ended) or SE (Single-Ended) lamps. The term was and is used to define European high lamp current specification lamps. HQI is widely used to refer to DE lamps which are mostly high current lamps. It is not as simple as just pulse start and probe start. Pulse start and probe start only refer to the starting method and nothing about the operating parameters. You can have 2 different types of pulse start lamps: low lamp current and high lamp current. Low lamp current pulse start lamps are considered the standard pulse start lamp in North America. Most European lamps are actually built to a different electrical standard (a higher lamp current) but are still pulse start lamps.

The Radium lamps and a few other manufacturers̢۪ lamps bring another level of complexity. The Radium 150, 250, 400, 1000 watt lamps for example are not standardized but optimized for a certain ballast (European type ballast). I have personally tested many different ballast and lamp combinations, and I am working with European lamp manufacturers to search for compatible ballasts for these types of lamps because European and North American ballasts are different. Some European lamp manufacturers still do not know the proper North American ballasts for their lamps and some do not even have a North American equivalent. The Radium lamps are recommended for use with the following North American ballasts:

HRI-TS 150W/230/B/RX7S (Radium 150-watt 20,000K): Magnetic ANSI M81

HRI-T 250W/230/B/E40 (Radium 250-watt 20,000K): Magnetic ANSI M80 (HQI)

HRI-T 400W/230/B/E40 (Radium 400-watt 20,000K): Magnetic ANSI M135/M155

HRI-T 1000W/230/B/E40 (Radium 1000-watt 20,000K): Magnetic European high lamp current (HQI) ballast. Currently no North American substitute available.

Using any other ballast will result in the lamp operating out of specification. Meaning the lamp operates at a different power level resulting in a different color appearance and brightness level compared to what the lamp is designed to operate at. Electronic ballasts work in a totally different manner compared to magnetic ballasts. Electronic ballasts will generally push these not so common specification lamps out of spec. It is best to consult with the lamp manufacturers for assistance on ballast and lamp combinations.

 

[Nanook]

I found this link for his business with a google search a while back:

http://www.ahclighting.com/id4.htm

 

[ati70cutlass]

put some cree leds on there

 

[gooberz]

Well, after much thought and little success finding Radiums i ended up with Ushio 20k SE 250 Watt. It turns out that it will be a while before we see Radiums on the Market as they are having some trouble bringing them into the country. They are having to rework the design of the bulb because of the glass and radiation it puts out is not standard with the US. I will keep you posted on the look. :beachbum:

This is what my tank looks like currently with the Ushio 10K

 

[agcneves]

In my aquarium I use 4 Radiums 20K with electronic ballast IceCap and the growth is satisfactory and I never observed fall in the coloration.
I already used Reeflux of 250W 20000K and I found very good, but I prefer Radiums. I never used XM.

In time, I found pleasant your coloration, but it could be a little bluish for my taste.
Good luck!

 

[Nanook]

Premium Aquatics has the Radium 250 watt bulbs listed as in stock on their website.

 

[joshbd]

I've actually got a very similar setup to you (45G Cube, Lumenbright reflector). Over last few years tried the following bulbs on an electronic Lumatek Select-A-Watt ballast. This ballast allows for the selection of different wattages, including 150W, 175W, 250W, and "HQI" (250+W).

1. Phoenix 14K 250W SE - I like it a lot, but just felt the colors looked a little washed out. I mostly ran it at 250W, but also tried the HQI option from time to time. It looked best at 250W IMO.

2. Radium 20K 250W SE - I ran it on the HQI setting, hoping it would be similar to running on an actual magnetic ballast, like it's supposed to. Maybe it was the ballast, maybe it's me, but it just was a little too blue/purple for my taste. Also, didn't get the best growth.

3. Hamilton 14K 250W SE - This is my current bulb, and actual like the color the best so far. Nice crisp white, but with enough blue to give the corals a little "pop". Growth seemed a bit better too.

Anyway, looks like you already got a bulb, but some food for thought for next time!

 

[Frick]

put some cree leds on there

LOL I heard "Don't use a lamp that has been perfected for the needs of a coral, put some technology designed for mag flashlights in there." Halide discussion bud.

I have been running the Radium 400 on a eballast for over year and just relamped recently. I noticed the spectrum went out the window quicker with this ballast. :headwallblue:

 

[tcoral]

This is a common falsehood with the Radium bulb. The Radium 250 watt bulb is designed to be run around 270 watts. Underdriving the bulb with an electronic ballast can potentially cause premature spectral shifting, effectively shortening the usable lifespan of the bulb.

That is what could have happened to me running Radiums on my Galaxy ballasts? My radiums seemed to only last 3 months or so . What would be a good 250w mogul bulb to run on a galaxy? (and get the most life for the buck?).

 

[urbaneks]

I'm running the EVC 20K's and love them. Very nice color without the windex look.

 

[chrishayes]

Since no one has mentioned them, Ill through my .02 in on ushio 14k. They are VERY bright but that comes at the cost of really any low nanometer range. So you HAVE to suppliment them unless you like the look of natural sun shining in your tank. They have the slightest bit of blue but hardly enought to notice however growth was really good.

Since swapping tanks I had to run a spare 70w hqi phoenix fixture over a rubbermaid tub and the colors came right back that I thought were gone. It convinced me that I wont stray away from radiums in my new tank which is the same as yours.

This is the 250 radium se on a galaxy select a watt ran on hqi. Its far less purple in real life. Its a very crisp clean ice blue. I like it but its not as bright as I was expecting. They also have to burn in a few weeks to get to its intended spectrum.

Also, I have a place to get the radium that is off the map so if your having trouble finding one let me know by pm as i think youre not allowed to post vendor names right?

 

[stoneyj33]

Coral vue has a 14500k se, I like it alot better than the ushio. It doesn't give your tank the brownish color.

 

[DarkXerox]

Yeah I just switched from using a Phoenix 14k 250W DE on an electronic for the last 5 years to the Ushio 14k. With actinic PC's, it has a real good color to it and my acro and clam growth is finally starting to take off. It's a very clear white without supplements and all the reds and greens in my tank are a lot more apparent.

You definitely get used to the less blue look after a couple weeks. I'd say check around your area to see if you can borrow bulbs to try out. It really depends on what you like and you have to see each bulb on your specific tank to make a good decision.