Favorite 400w bulb

[dwdowney]

Jeremy-
Do you think the 14ks will penetrate enough to grow zoes at the bottom of the tank?

 

[Jeremy B.]

If you are using a good reflector I think you would be fine with zoos or mushrooms down at the bottom of the tank, even at 60".

 

[dwdowney]

Jeremy-
Do you think the 14ks will penetrate enough to grow zoes at the bottom of the tank?

 

[Maximus]

Sorry to bump this old thread but is the Sunlight Supply 400 watt Bluewave 1 the correct ballast for the 400 watt Radium bulbs? Obviously I am looking for the 400 watt HQI ballast so I can overdrive the Radiums. Thanks.

 

[RichK]

I am running 400W Radiums now on DIY pulse start ballasts, but I plan on getting at least one Ushio 14K so I can compare color. I like the Radiums, but would like a bit more growth. Oh, BTW, here is a full tank shot of the Penn State tank with the Ushios:

 

[Jeremy B.]

Sorry to bump this old thread but is the Sunlight Supply 400 watt Bluewave 1 the correct ballast for the 400 watt Radium bulbs? Obviously I am looking for the 400 watt HQI ballast so I can overdrive the Radiums. Thanks.

That is the closest ballast to spec we have available here in the United States for the Radium lamp.

 

[henrystyle]

Any updates on the 400w ushio 14k bulbs?

 

[Nanook]

They are my favorite 400 watt bulb. I ran the last set for a year and bought another set.

 

[henrystyle]

They are my favorite 400 watt bulb. I ran the last set for a year and bought another set.

I know they probably give good growth but how do they color up your acros?
Any tank pics?

 

[ct_vol]

Bumping this one up... Thoughts??? I'm leaning toward either the 400w Ushio 14K or 400w Radium, but I'm open to suggestion as I have no experience with 400w bulbs... Lumatek Switchable Electronic Ballasts...

 

[Pseudo69]

Radiums

 

[Nanook]

Radium's on electronic ballast aren't my cup of tea. I think they're too blue and the PAR is lacking compared to overdriven on HQI ballast. On a pulse start ballast they look nice and have decent PAR. The Ushio is a great bulb but it's a little too white for my taste on my tanks as it makes the room too bright.

 

[ct_vol]

Radium's on electronic ballast aren't my cup of tea. I think they're too blue and the PAR is lacking compared to overdriven on HQI ballast. On a pulse start ballast they look nice and have decent PAR. The Ushio is a great bulb but it's a little too white for my taste on my tanks as it makes the room too bright.

So that means you aren't happy either way?

 

[Jeremy B.]

Even on the "turbo" or "hqi" setting of the Lumatek 400w ballast the Radium is still a bit blue. If you can find a Son Agro 430 ballast here in the US grab that and run the 400w Radium. That's the ballast that PFO used in their "400 HQI" ballast for years, and it makes the Radium look amazing!

I have a few of these ballasts stashed away in our warehouse that I don't think I'll ever be able to part with.

 

[ct_vol]

So.... Stick to my 250w bulbs?

 

[Jeremy B.]

I still favor 400w bulbs, but that's just my craziness old school mentality for an sps tank. I'm back to using a 400w Radium over my 45g cube at home.

 

[Nanook]

I have two dual SLS Bluewaves with the 430 Son Agro. They run at 9 amps each though. 9x120 is a lot of electricity, but they give the insane acro coloration and growth.

 

[ct_vol]

Hmmm, I have 4 x 54w T5's for actinics on this tank as well... How about 2 x Ushio 14K 400w and 2x ATI Blue+ 2xATI True Actinic? Or I could go 4x Blue+...

I've been running 250w XM 10K's with those actinics for growth, but it was time to change bulbs, so I threw in some 250w Radiums... Forgot how much Radiums made colors pop. I want Radium coral coloration w/o the Windex background look and decent growth... Possible??? Or can I not have my cake and eat it too?

 

[Jeremy B.]

Yes, very possible, go with 400w Radiums.

 

[henrystyle]

Son Agro 430 ballast


I have a few of these ballasts stashed away in our warehouse that I don't think I'll ever be able to part with.

Part with 2 of them bro. let me know.