Lower PAR 250w 20K halide than Radium?

[trmiv]

I'm currently in the process of going back to my halide setup after trying Kessil for 6 months. I previously used a radium 20k 250w on a select a watt Galaxy ballast. Looked awesome but was a bit much for my softies, LPS and zoos so I always ran the light up high to compensate. Now that I used the led I can't get used to the massive light spill from the halide at that height. Putting it around 10 to 12" off the water reduces the spill quite a bit but the radium is just too much at that height.

How does the par of say a Hamilton 250w 20k or xm 20k compare? Other SE bulbs I'm not thinking of? I'm looking for lower light levels here. I do have a selectable ballast so going down to a 175w bulb is an option if there is something worthwhile.

 

[alton]

12k Reeflux either 175 or 250

 

[trmiv]

Thanks I'm looking for 20k though. This is without supplementation. Halide alone

Edit: searched on the reeflux and they appear to be quite blue for 12k bulbs. How blue are they compared to a 20k radium?

 

[alton]

I felt like they were as blue if not more on my electronic ballast versus the radium

 

[trmiv]

Bought a Hamilton 14 250w. Price was right and I was ordering chems from BRS anyway so I threw it in. Interested to see how it goes. Right now I have an olllldddd radium in there at the 250w setting. Amazing how much brighter the tank is vs the kessil. I'd forgotten how bright it was. Also forgot just how bad the shading was with the kessil. No unlit spots now! If I go back to led I'd do twin kessils or throw in a t5 or two to even the lights out. One just has so many shaded spots