The Saltwater Kid
New member
I have been agonizing over what new bulb to get for my 150w Sunpod as I know that the stock Current 14K bulb is pretty crappy as far as PAR ratings and coral coloration go so I researched until my eyes were buggy and finally decided to go with a Radium 20K. I ordered through Hello Lights and then found it cheaper elsewhere so called HL and they said they would price match it only to get a call later today saying they couldn't price match it because the bulb wasn't in stock at the other vendor so I was back to an $85 bulb again. I explained to him the reasons for going with the Radium in the first place because I want good color AND growth and he said he would honestly recommend the Phoenix 14K. He said the Radium does have better PAR than the Phoenix when driven off a magnetic ballast but when driven off an electronic ballast (like what's in my Sunpod) he said the Radiums PAR drops considerably and the Phoenix has much more PAR when driven off an electronic ballast. He said it's crazy as he could totally sell me a Radium 20K yet here he is talking me into a bulb that's $25 cheaper but he just thinks I'll be much happier with the performance and results I'll get from the Phoenix than I would from the Radium as I'll still have a blueish tint to my tank that will make the corals "pop" but will have a much higher PAR and therefor a much better growth rate. He also mentioned that he would raise my fixture up to like 12 inches above my tank (it's currently at 8 inches above) with the new bulb as my corals will be getting a much higher level of light then before and he said after 3 days lower the fixture a couple of inches and after a couple more days if my corals are all looking good and polyps are out lower it another couple of inches down to the 8 inch mark and I should be all set (he said you wouldn't want to go lower then 8 inches)...do you agree with this?
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