should i upgrade my 250 watt halide to a 400?

[fishieness]

hey everyone,
just seeing what everyone else here things
so back in december, i upgraded from my 150 watt De odyssea fixture to a 250 watt SE and two t5s....
also, in a trade with tyler (tsquad), i aquired a 400 watt MH with a blue line ballast and a like-new radium bulb.
the 250 bulb i have now is yellow and old and kinda gross looking. i have been thinking of changing out the 250 for my 400 (which is an AWESOME blue) and also, i cant see myself spending 70 bucks on a new 250 watt bulb and then decide to upgrade in a few weeks to the 400.
now, here is the thing, my corals are all doing well, in fact, i had to move one of my montiporas down when i upgraded to the 250. I think they should be okay with the 400, because it is a 20000K, but i jsut wanted to knwo what you guys think. I know some of my corals will absolutly love it, but i am worried that some may not, even with proper acclimation...
i figure if i use the 400 watt 20000Ks, ill not only get awesome color, but i will also get just as much, if not more PAR than with a quality 10000K 250 watt....
thoughts?


PS: this is on a 40 breeder.... IE: only 16 inches high..... (but then i can keep acros on the BOTTOM )

 

[Froggy]

It may be just a matter of opinion and preference. You can keep acro's on the bottom of a 16 inch high tank with the 250's even at higher color temps. You do not need 400's to penetrate that size tank. If I were you, I would stick with the 250's and go with 14 K bulbs like Phoenix or aquaconnect etc. if you prefer a bluer looking tank. JMO

 

[fishieness]

hmmm
good idea. i do think the 250 would do well, jsut wondering if people think the 400 might do better, or if it would be too much...
PS: i am from canton too, just not MI
thanks for the reply

 

[Froggy]

Also , is the 400 watt ballast you acquired an HQI ballast ? If not, a 250 watt aquaconnect/phoenix 14 K bulb on an electronic ballast actually has more intensity/Par than the 400 watt Radium would have on a standard magnetic ballast. So you would just be wasting electricity if you used the 400's on anything but an HQI ballast.

250 watt aquaconnect/phoenix on an electronic ballast 96 PPFD

400 watt Radium on standard M59 ballast 90 PPFD and 123 PPFD on HQI ballast.

On a standard 250 watt ballast M58 the 250 watt phoenix/Aquaconnect comes in only at 62 PPFD.

My reccomendation is stay with 250's 14 K on an electronic ballast and increase intensity while saving on the electric bill.

 

[trueblackpercula]

if your looking for a high par on a 20k bulb try helios

 

[fishieness]

neither ballasts are magnetic. they are both se electronic ballasts
the 250 is an ARO electronic, and the 400 is a blueline

 

[fishieness]

bump?
anyone else have any suggestions please?
thanks