3x 400w Radiums with SPS

S

Scinature

New member
Hey there,

It may be a stupid question, but I have just upgraded my lighting from 6x80w ATI to a Giesemann fixture 3x 400w Radium with 4x 80w T5.

To be honest, the T5 looked brighter than the halides do now. The display is sps dominant, the tank measures 6ft x 2ft x 1.5ft, with most of thr Acropora being in the middle of the water column.

So, is this lighting enough with just the Radiums on? And is it worth running T5's to supplement? The tank just seems a lot dimmer than the T5

Appreciate your guidance!
 
Don't let those bulbs fool you.

I've never ran MH so I can't speak from experience. Though 400w Radiums are very powerful and I can assure you that your acropora are plenty covered.
 
It should be plenty of light IMO. We ran a couple 250W Radiums over our 120g years ago. Like the previous poster said, don't be fooled by the coloration/lack of brightness. I moved on from Radiums only because (at least the 250's) seemed dim compared to sub 20K bulbs. We have been running Ushio 14K's (400W) for a couple years now and looking into something different at the moment.
 
Those lights are the golden standard for growing SPS. You're fine.

It's less bright because less light is bouncing to the front of the tank into your eyes. The MH are beaming straight down.
 
Really appreciate your help, guys! At the moment I am supplementing with 2x 80w blue plus, and 2x80w giesemann actinic blue. I do like the colour of the tank, but could the Acropora benefit with any other combo, such as a coral plus, etc?
 
Scinature said:
Really appreciate your help, guys! At the moment I am supplementing with 2x 80w blue plus, and 2x80w giesemann actinic blue. I do like the colour of the tank, but could the Acropora benefit with any other combo, such as a coral plus, etc?
Click to expand...

Radium MH bulbs are iconic for providing "all needed and more" for sps to attain their full potential in aquariums. One can say anything about MH, but never that the light emited isnt excellent for coral health.
Quite honestly, I would personally do all four T-5's as E5's(blue led T-5 bulbs)so you could not only have the light needed by corals through the radiums bulbs, but also enjoy Led blues at dusk/dawn a d also add pop. These bulbs also have lower heat and would help you with bulb cost, leaving that expense only for the radium bulbs every 10-12 months or so.

I would check as there seems to be a new version of the E5's out, 25% brighter.

You would have LEDs and MH together in a sleek fixture. IMO all you need!

Here is a link to the bulbs:

http://www.euroquatics.com/e5-lamps/
 
ReefCowboy said:
Radium MH bulbs are iconic for providing IMO "all needed and more" for sps to attain their full potential in aquariums.
Quite honestly, I would personally do all four T-5's as E5's(blue led T-5 bulbs)so hou can not only have the light needed by corals through the radiums, but also enjoy Led blues at dusk/dawn a d also add pop.

You would have LEDs and MH together in a sleek fixture. IMO all you need!

Here is a link to the bulbs:

http://www.euroquatics.com/e5-lamps/
Click to expand...

That's great! I will definitely look into that. How long would you recommend running.the halides for? At the moment, they're on for 4.5 hours.
 
Scinature said:
That's great! I will definitely look into that. How long would you recommend running.the halides for? At the moment, they're on for 4.5 hours.
Click to expand...

I ran mine for 6 hrs a day, although some here do longer. I woukd ramp up from 4.5hrs to 6-7 hrs a day.
The blues you can run however 10-12 hrs a day without any issues.
 
Sounds like a plan!
The pink Acropora especially were struggling colour wise, always looking fairly dull. I know my nitrates are running very low, but hopefully the radiums help!
 
I pretty much have the same setup (3x 400w Radiums - 6' tank w 2x 80 watt pure actinic) and I"m hoping my purple/pink acro colors up. Seems some of the reds and pinks are dull. Yours?

I changed from 2x 10k 250 watt lights thinking part of the reason my stuff was brown was due to lighting.

I know it's still early for your pink acro - I have a red and a purple both SPS guys that aren't doing well. Better, but not well.
 
I am switching out my 250 radium for the 400 this month when I replace the bulb. I had considered a 10k bulb for a minute though....

Corey
 
I'm honestly surprised you're finding your 3x 400w Giesman fixture isn't as bright. During the summer months I run two 8x54W ATI Sunpower (1 dimmable unit / one standard) that have 2 lamps each removed to accommodate a LED mod.I did. During the winter months I run two Hamilton Technology Cebu Sun dual 400w fixtures with 4x 54w T5. Granted, this is an 8' tank, but it's 36" deep. The difference between the LED/T5 hybrid and the MH/5 hybrid is pretty substantial. I am running the Hamilton 14K lamps, but I have 4 Radium ready for next winter. This is a shot of the tank at the beginning of the month under the MH/T5 hybrid.

The%20Tank%202_zpsgj8vew2o.jpg
 
Scinature said:
To be honest, the T5 looked brighter than the halides do now. The display is sps dominant, the tank measures 6ft x 2ft x 1.5ft, with most of thr Acropora being in the middle of the water column.
Click to expand...

Wow, really?
I'm doing the same Giesmann Spectra fixture with just 3x250W Radiums and T5 over a 6'x4'2'.
How high is your fixture? Mine is ~9" above the water line.
 
Very yellow IMO. Not like the 6500 from the 80s and early 90s, but definitely lacking in the the blue area. Big time bright.
 
jonwright said:
I pretty much have the same setup (3x 400w Radiums - 6' tank w 2x 80 watt pure actinic) and I"m hoping my purple/pink acro colors up. Seems some of the reds and pinks are dull. Yours?

I changed from 2x 10k 250 watt lights thinking part of the reason my stuff was brown was due to lighting.

I know it's still early for your pink acro - I have a red and a purple both SPS guys that aren't doing well. Better, but not well.
Click to expand...

The pinks will not color up with your current lighting. The 400K Radium bulbs give corals the best color! The only down fall is that pinks to be vibrant needs some 10K exposure to keep that vibrant pink.

Used the same combo for years. Great choice.
 
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