Show me your 20k Radium tanks?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14046992#post14046992 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Todd March
I don't like 460 nm blue lamps in PC much, but how do you like them? Do they work for you?

Current makes a great difference about another brands like bluelife, Iridium or JBJ...and since i did put it in my tank, some corals are doing better than before...

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14046992#post14046992 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Todd March
For true actinic supplementation the only bulbs I have seen that I thought were decent were the "true actinic" (420 nm) PC's from hellolights.com. In the PC world they are the only actinic bulb I have seen that comes close to the VHO version...

its true, actinics seems to be turned off...never seen helliolights, ill look them

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14046992#post14046992 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Todd March
Radiums at 15" for 8 hours sounds good... Why the 15", did closer not work well for you and your corals?

so, i began at 25", since i was turning from 250w...one week, one inch down...now i stopped in 15", and no coral seems to be bleaching, but im wondering about the better position for a 400 w from the water....
 
How much different would it look side by side if I were to run a 250w Radium on ARO, and a 400W on a lumentek side by side on a 75 gal

or should I stick with 2 x 250w??
 
To those who only have 20k or have switched to 20k have you notice a considerable slowdown in growth of the coral? compared to a 14k? I understand that a 10k there would be a large difference, just wondering about the 20k
 
I have not. I was using 12k Reeflux prior and see a better growth since changing to Radium's. Lighting is not the only factor in growth though. Water quality and stability plays a huge roll also.
 
no slowdown in growth for me either after switching to 20K. those other issues are more significant IMO than lighting spectrum
 
I have a 4x3x2 (LxWxH) and would like to try out these Radiums. Most of my SPS are in located in the middle and 3/4 of the tank. I am currently using 2 L3 and supplemented by 2 Actinics VHO's.

What do you all think would be the best ballast/bulb combination? Also, 250's or 400's?

Thank you and Happy New Year to everyone!!!!
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14053977#post14053977 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by brightsilverRT
To those who only have 20k or have switched to 20k have you notice a considerable slowdown in growth of the coral? compared to a 14k? I understand that a 10k there would be a large difference, just wondering about the 20k

My corals are still growing just as fast with the Radium 250's vs Hamilton 14k 175's before.
 
Hey everyone,

I am begining to research equipment for my next upgrade. Going to go for a 36x36x18 shallow cube. From my reading I would like to go with a 400w radium, and a luminarc III reflector powered by a lumatek ballast. What do you all think?

Switch the reflector? Ballast?

Too much wattage over the shallow tank?
Should I go for a 250w Radium with a icecap ballast instead?

Tank will be SPS/LPS


Thanks

Adam
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14060010#post14060010 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ataller
Hey everyone,

I am begining to research equipment for my next upgrade. Going to go for a 36x36x18 shallow cube. From my reading I would like to go with a 400w radium, and a luminarc III reflector powered by a lumatek ballast. What do you all think?

Switch the reflector? Ballast?

Too much wattage over the shallow tank?
Should I go for a 250w Radium with a icecap ballast instead?

Tank will be SPS/LPS


Thanks

Adam

Adam, sounds good, but the people I know and trust on these new reflectors tell me that the Lumenmax Elite beats the LA III...

With that shallow of a tank and a good reflector, you might have to hang the light a little higherâ€"which seems to work better with these reflectors in getting the kind of 3' x 3' spread you are looking for anyway; win-win...
 
So go with the lumenmax elite and position it higher up. Sounds good, I was thinking LAIII because it was the biggest reflector with the widest spread.

Any rough guess on how high to place the reflector, 12" ?

With the better reflector will be 400w still be alright?

Adam


<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14060049#post14060049 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Todd March
Adam, sounds good, but the people I know and trust on these new reflectors tell me that the Lumenmax Elite beats the LA III...

With that shallow of a tank and a good reflector, you might have to hang the light a little higher�which seems to work better with these reflectors in getting the kind of 3' x 3' spread you are looking for anyway; win-win...
 
Last edited:
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14060125#post14060125 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ataller
So go with the lumenmax elite and position it higher up. Sounds good, I was thinking LAIII because it was the biggest reflector with the widest spread.

Any rough guess on how high to place the reflector, 12" ?

Adam

With that shallow of a tank, the LA III might work just as well, since depth penetrating intensity is not needed. But from what I am told, the intensity of the Lumenmax is better, with similar spread....?

For that large of a spread, you might have to go more like 16" over the water. Really depends on near the edges of the tank you plan on having rock and corals. I know for some modern minimalist tanks, 12" would be fine; but for my personal style of "pack it to the edge" tank, I would have to mount the pendant at least 16" over the water, oh yes...!
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13718143#post13718143 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by benf
So, are the 400w Radiums supposed to be more or less blue on eballast? Right now i have 2 on identical eballast and one is burning blue and the other white. I plan tonight to switch the two and see if its the bulb or the ballast.
hi
try to move the inside nipple of the bulb over the orizontal plane of the bulb if you cant make with just unscrew an rescrew the bulb try to move the mogul base. doing this you can get more blue ligth from your bulbs.
regards
johannan
 
Todd March, help me out here please.

I read earlier that someone uses the ARO (M58) Ballast to fire these bulbs??

1.) Is this true??
2.) Do they have any problems with Ignigtion / bulbs staying lit.
The reason I say this is because the Hellolights website says that they have problems running on m58 ballast.

3.) Is the coralvue Ballast a good ballast to run these on? 250w , 400w

4.) How much different would it look if I ran a 250w and a 400w next to eachother?

Thanks if you can answer any of these!
 
I have ZILCH experience with the ARO ballasts, and have never seen them driving bulbs in person. If they are standard M58's then they are probe start ballast and not ideal for the pulse starting HQI Radiums... Will they fire? Could be, but why bother when they are not ideal, and may be problematic down the road...?

The Coralvue ballast should work with Radiums, but they will probably be blue-er. I haven't seen any bulbs running on the Coralvue with the exception of the Reeflux's...

To my eye, the 250W and 400W Radiums are different (true for most blue 250W and 400W bulbs). The 250W tends to be a tad less blue, and the 400W provides better color (more of an actinic-like effect, particularly when overdriven). Just generalizations however....
 
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