250 watt to 400 watt, Hamilton 20K to Radium 20K

[kevin_e]

What can I expect from a growth rate improvement assuming water quality is a constant and ideal?

I guess what I am asking, is the improved rate of growth worth the adding cost to switch? (I have everything I need but the bulbs)

 

[kevin_e]

No insight?

 

[cugly]

If you can handle the heat and the bill go for it. I like the 20k radium. But i like to also supplement with t5 to get better colors. And i run the halides 6 hours a day. And it worked for me. But now i am running 250w and i find it to work same as for growth

 

[SeargentSlice]

I think a lot has to do with the reflector than the bulb concerning par and spread. I can tell you in my 30 inch deep 150 XH 250 radiums in lumen bright reflectors on electronic baallast HQI setting. I'm getting 420 mid tank to 240 on the glass bottom. You can run a 250 watt radium on 400 just like all 400 watt radiums are overdriven. I got closer to 600 mid tank and 400 on the glass over driving them . They burned a lot whiter than blue but in my experience Way too much par unless you're running really high nutrients and acclimate corals slowly to the light. So in short my opinion is I never ran 400 because of my readings with 250s . I can't tell you that the 400 might throw different spectrum that would cause corals to react differently but I didn't see the need to run them. In my opinion 250s are spectacular in LB reflectors even in summertime here in Ohio my heaters still run at nite into the day until lights come on and my tank tops out at 80 degrees.

 

[kevin_e]

If you can handle the heat and the bill go for it. I like the 20k radium. But i like to also supplement with t5 to get better colors. And i run the halides 6 hours a day. And it worked for me. But now i am running 250w and i find it to work same as for growth

Right now I am running 2x 55-watt ATI Blue Plus bulbs with 2x 250-watt Hamilton 20,000K bulbs. The heat and bill aren't much of a concern for me as I am probably looking at $5 more a month and $30 a month total ($15 each) on my lighting split with the roommate.

Will I find much better results with the 400 or is worth the time and energy to switch over?

 

[kevin_e]

I think a lot has to do with the reflector than the bulb concerning par and spread. I can tell you in my 30 inch deep 150 XH 250 radiums in lumen bright reflectors on electronic baallast HQI setting. I'm getting 420 mid tank to 240 on the glass bottom. You can run a 250 watt radium on 400 just like all 400 watt radiums are overdriven. I got closer to 600 mid tank and 400 on the glass over driving them . They burned a lot whiter than blue but in my experience Way too much par unless you're running really high nutrients and acclimate corals slowly to the light. So in short my opinion is I never ran 400 because of my readings with 250s . I can't tell you that the 400 might throw different spectrum that would cause corals to react differently but I didn't see the need to run them. In my opinion 250s are spectacular in LB reflectors even in summertime here in Ohio my heaters still run at nite into the day until lights come on and my tank tops out at 80 degrees.

I am running the PFO parallel reflectors.