Radium vs 10k

[reeflover62]

I was just about to chime in about the ReefLux 10k. I ran mine with Icecaps and got the best colors and growth. I still have some pics of the corals around if you like to some them.

LOL your the reason I tried them in the first place. I was a big fan of your beautiful corals .

 

[DaddyJax]

Thanks! I am coming back, btw! I just need to to get a few things first....... like a tank:lmao:

 

[Bpb]

I was just about to chime in about the ReefLux 10k. I ran mine with Icecaps and got the best colors and growth. I still have some pics of the corals around if you like to some them.

Would love to see some.

 

[Piper27]

I was just about to chime in about the ReefLux 10k. I ran mine with Icecaps and got the best colors and growth. I still have some pics of the corals around if you like to some them.

Yea i loved the reeflux 12k on the icecap ballast, thats my second favorite bulb. I have not tried the 10k though. Would love to see some pics.
I think rossco's tank was the tank that got me to try 10k xms after i ran radiums with a magnetic ballast.
I have to say it is quite fun talking about 10ks for a change i love the reds and blues the 10ks give. Especially with suppliments.
I have been running t5s recently on a 40 breeder and am using a lot more whites than normal reefers because i miss the white look. I have 1 coral plus, 2 aqua blue specials and 3 blue plus. I want to add one more coral plus and pull a blue plus to see how it looks. Recently changed to the two aqua blues and finally my pink/red abro is looking redish pink

 

[DaddyJax]

Ok, here are a few of many that I had. My lights were a combo of 10k and 12k Reeflux only. No Sups.

 

[DaddyJax]

 

[DaddyJax]

 

[Bpb]

Love it. Coaxing out those kind of colors takes serious mastery of all phases of reefing. Hope to get there eventually. Blue heavy bulbs don't seem to generate those kind of reflective colors.

 

[reeflover62]

Just like I remembered them freaking awesome!!! Looking forward to your next reef:eek2:

 

[DaddyJax]

Thanks. I'll use them again on the new system.

 

[Piper27]

:bounce1: Woohooo!! Dude thoes abros and millies are freaking sick!!! Best abro growth and color i have seen! Great pics too, please hurry wjth the new setup so we can get some new eyecandy from you. PROPS!

 

[Wayner2]

Wow - really nice - I remember a tank shot of yours years ago where there was a baby blue colored Humilus in the upper portion of your tank., I would of killed for it

I've ran Reeflux bulbs before in the 12K range off the coralvue ballast , maybe i should of stuck with them a little longer before switching over to a Radium off a M80.

So you ran the 10K off a regular Ice cap ballast?, I think Vertex took them over so maybe i'll try a 250W Vertex ballast and the 10K Reeflux supplemented with Reefbrite XHO Leds.

I run the ATI Hybrid now and getting good results, but there's just something about halide that I keep going back to

 

[DaddyJax]

Thanks Wayner! I will only run halides. I like some of the tanks that use VHO's or T5's for actinics but the shimmer and colors of MH's are second to none thus far, imo. The is a need for some blue with the ReefLux 10k. Thats why I used the 12k along side of it. I have also seen some really nice systems using Radium 10k's

 

[Bpb]

Resurrecting my own thread. Made the bulb switch. Odd thing I got excited about: the threads on the radium bulb were such that if I had the exhaust tip of the arc in the recommended vertical position, the bulb wouldn't fire because it wasn't screwed in far enough, screw it in further and it reached 100% snug on both pendants with the exhaust tip pointed to the side. The xm10k bulbs tighten down perfectly to where the exhaust tips are vertical.

First comment. Snap these are bright. Tried glancing at them when on and it was like looking at the sun at high noon in the summer. Wow. They're also very white but completely tolerable. I like the look in a different sort of way. I probably prefer the radiums, but the growth I hopefully get from these will be worth it.

Right now I have a double layer of window screen on the tank. I did not change my photoperiod. With the window screen layers, it appears a touch brighter than the uninstructed radiums as you can see in the pics.

Question now...what should my timeline be for removing the screen layers down to one, then none? 2 weeks per adjustment? 4 weeks? I'd rather not shorten the photoperiod if I don't have to, and height of pendants is maxed out at 12" off the water.

Here's a pic with radiums and the BuildMyLED super actinic strip at 100%. Taken a couple months ago


And the same shot from tonight with the XM10k bulbs and BuildMyLED super actinic at 50%

 

[whiteshark]

Makes me want to run halides again...

 

[Jettareefer]

There's a huge difference in growth and color between Radiums and xm 10k's. I run 250 watt xm10k's on a m80 bluewave 7 they're pure white I also run vho super actinics purples and pinks stand out soo much better with xm's and everything grows like weeds. Not to mentions Xm's are a better price it's a win win.

 

[whiteshark]

As far as par goes, on an ice cap 250w electronic ballast, would an XM 10k or Reeflux 10k provide more? Is there a page out there that has comparisons for specific ballast/bulb combos?

 

[Bpb]

Don't want to link another forum, tried to pm it but don't know if it went. Anyhow. Google "Sanjay's lighting guide". First link that comes up. Not sure if he has the reeflux bulbs though

 

[whiteshark]

Ah yes just checked it out. Thanks! But no reeflux from what I see.

 

[buy_baff]

This is my old 90g tank everything was grown under 20k radiums. Growth was incredibly fast.