Can anyone recommend a good 175w halide bulb?

[trmiv]

I've been trying to find a nice 175w bulb to replace my Radium for two reasons. 1) Less heat/energy
2) The radium is too intense for the distance I like to run my light off the water

To lower the light spill on my fixture I like to run it a little low, around 9-10". At that height the radium just frys my frogspawn that is up high in the tank. I've tried acclimating that thing for weeks by screening that part of the tank. Once I get all the screens off it does fine for awhile then starts to retract. A frag of it that I have on the bottom does fine, so I'm convinced it's just getting too much light up there.

So I'm looking for a new 175w bulb. My ballast is switchable so i can easily go back and forth. I purchased a 14K Hamilton, but I'm just not happy with the color at all, just far too white and lacks any of that pop the radium has. Even with my two XHO reefbrites the white hamilton just drowns them out and the green corals lose their glow. For now I've switched to a 20,000K 175w Plusrite which I like better than the hamilton, but I'm not overly happy with the color.

So can anyone suggest something similar in color to the radium at 175w? I like a blueish look with some good pop.

Ones I'm considering
175w 12,000K Reeflux (heard this is closer to 20K?)
175w 20,000K Ushio
175w 20,000K Hamilton
175w 14,000K Phoenix (although I believe this is a 150w in a mogul base??)
175w 20,000K XM
175w 20,000L Coralvue
250w 20,000K XM (I've heard the XM is rather low in par, so the 250w may work)

 

[alton]

It has been years since I used one, but the 175w 12K Reeflux worked

 

[Drae]

I like the ushio 20k bulbs personally. Edit. That's after sps have grown out though.

 

[outy]

Ive tried them all. The best has been plusrite 14K

Running 20K and there great and all, just a hair more blue then I like

 

[chilli_reef]

I was always partial to Hamilton.
Their 14k for grow out then the 20k for outstanding color up.

 

[johnike]

Ive tried them all. The best has been plusrite 14K

Running 20K and there great and all, just a hair more blue then I like

I've been using the cheap Plusrites for years.
Not a darn thing wrong with them.

 

[jmeehan]

+1 on Plusrites. Cheap and they do the job. I use their 20k 175watt and I would compare their color to a 14k Phoenix. I was using Ushio's and definitely liked the color but I'm not convinced the extra cost is worth it.

 

[trmiv]

I actually have a 175w 20k plusrite. Not that happy with the color. Looks a bit washed out compared to the radium. I may try an xm 20k. I've used the 250w in the past and liked it