Best Bulb

[Kchighrider]

What is the best bulb for SPS growth and color. I am running a Dual 250 PFO ballast. I have 20k china bulbs in right now all my sps look pretty good and I like the color I am getting but I want to be sure I am using the BEST bulb I can with this ballast bc I have just changed my tank around for SPS ONLY!!!

 

[Alex T.]

If you like what you see and your corals look happy then go with it and stick with it. Every once in a while you see a tank of the month that uses a different methodology (whether it be lighting, filtration, sump design, animals being kept etc.) and people learn from it. Reef keeping is still a young hobby and there are many ways to skin this cat.

That being said, I like the look of Radiums on Galaxy ballasts. But, I also like the versatility of switching bulbs to tweak colors in a t5 system. It can be done many ways. Keep your animals happy and they'll grow and color up if parameters, husbandry and stability are in line.:beer:

 

[Buzzword]

I also run Radium bulbs on Galaxy ballasts and have found this to be the best color and growth I have gotten out of not just my SPS but all my corals.

 

[karsseboom]

Well thats an easy one....get radiums with out question

 

[Captmrbles]

I have used a coralife 10k which was pure white. My last was a JBJ 10k which I was a bit more blue. I will have to try radium next.

 

[JR719]

Radium

 

[galleon]

Iwasaki

 

[Steve175]

Radium

 

[akaimal]

20k radium

 

[Kchighrider]

Yeah but I have heard and read all over that you have to have electronic ballast for radiums which this is not. Can I run radiums with dual PFO magnetic ballast?

 

[Alex T.]

Yeah but I have heard and read all over that you have to have electronic ballast for radiums which this is not. Can I run radiums with dual PFO magnetic ballast?

The 400 watt Radium is actually not a 400 watt bulb, and needs to be driven around 365 watts if run to spec. With that being said, an old Blueline e-ballast will run these bulbs close to spec, but the appearance will be more blue than on the much coveted 400 watt HQI PFO ballasts. But...there's a tradeoff. Getting that sparkling white with a hint of blue on the PFO HQI, overdrives the 400 watt Radium to over 450 watts, and so does the Galaxy electronic 400 watt ballast. This means about 6 months of life for an $85 bulb before it shifts color spectrum.

The 250 watt Radium is a single ended HQI bulb that is specified to run on an ANSI M80 ballast. In other words, a 250 watt HQI ballast like the older Sunlight Supply Bluewave HQI ballasts. They've since discontinued these ballasts, but Aqua Medic still makes the Reef Cube 250 watt HQI and Hamilton Lighting Technology still makes a 250 watt HQI ballast as well. Running a 250 watt Radium on a 250 watt HQI is "the look" that many rave about...and you probably will too. A point to mention is that it's actually not even a 250 watt bulb. On its' specified M80 ballast it pulls 333 watts which will give you a year of dependable life. Running this bulb on a normal 250 watt ballast will underdrive the bulb and shorten its' lifespan. I know many will tell you that it looks great on their e-ballast, but it WILL DEFINITELY diminish the lifespan of the bulb unless it's run on an M80. And with the cost of these bulbs, it just makes good sense to run them on the M80.

How could you ever doubt the results and look on an M80 with a Radium 250. For instance...

http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/current-issue/article/58-tank-of-the-month

 

[allsps40]

I have been running Oddysea 250w 20K bulbs on Icecap ballasts for about 2 years now with great results. Good growth and color. Only $10 on ebay. Oh I am not claiming these to be the best that would be Radium, XM or Phoenix only that they work very well and are dirt cheap. When I tested the PAR compared to a Phoenix 14k they where both nearly the same at the same depths.

 

[Jeremy Blaze]

The Sun. All others are just opinions. Many good bulbs out there. Far to many varibles to say which one is the best.

 

[Dog boy Dave]

The bulbs that help make the color and growth that you are looking for are the "best". Since I run 6 400 of different wave lengths over my system I have found that a mix give me the most pleasing rendition to my eye. My fav is a ushio 10 k flanked by two 14 lamps on either side. As far as color goes, After a month or so some corals look deeper and richer under under the 10 k and others will look better under the bluer light. They all look good underneath a mix. If i could only run one it would be 10 or 15 k. I dont like the blue tanks as they hide a lot of the true color if the corals are really popping. The level of nutrients available in the tank also influence the coral's response under different lights so your methods would influence your results. What works best for you might not work for someone else with their methods. If your tank is rocking, nothing even comes close to the deep rich colors you can get from corals that are blasted with 10 K lamps but most people dont have the patience or expertise to make it work.