Switching to Radiums

[ryshark]

I am about to purchase 250w Radiums to replace my 10,000k Ushio bulbs. Do you think I need to light acclimate the tank at all when I put the Radiums in or just stick with the same exact light schedule I am running now? Does anybody have a link which shows the PAR difference between those two bulbs?

 

[sw500]

I would.

 

[want2reef]

I'm debating between Radiums and EVC 20K's.

I don't think you can go wrong with the Radiums though.

 

[plantankerously]

Will radiums fire on an icecap ballast? Will it affect color or longevity?

 

[RichK]

I just went from 400W XM10Ks to 400W Radiums. I got DIY HQI ballasts, wired them myself, and the tank looks awesome. The only complaint I have is that I didn't do it sooner.

 

[ryshark]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15526358#post15526358 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RichK
I just went from 400W XM10Ks to 400W Radiums. I got DIY HQI ballasts, wired them myself, and the tank looks awesome. The only complaint I have is that I didn't do it sooner.

Did you light acclimate going from 10k to 20k? Or keep the same exact light schedule from day 1? Are you still using Actinic with the Radiums?

 

[RichK]

Same schedule. I think the XMs were more intense, but I like the overall color of the Radiums much better. I haven't used actinics since I stopped using Iwasaki 6500s five years ago.

 

[ryshark]

I think I am going to do the same... just keep the same lighting schedule because I think the Ushio 10ks are more intense than the Radiums. I wish I could find Sanjays site which compares the PAR of both bulbs.

 

[ackerman]

heres a page on the diff pars http://www.geocities.com/justinbaldwin/Sanjay.html

Ive switched form 10k xm to 14k hamiltons and am now using radiums and i wouldnt ever go back. I love the color these bulbs put out

 

[JCR's Reef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15525962#post15525962 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by plantankerously
Will radiums fire on an icecap ballast? Will it affect color or longevity?

They will be fine running on icecap.

 

[ryshark]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15527177#post15527177 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ackerman
heres a page on the diff pars http://www.geocities.com/justinbaldwin/Sanjay.html

Ive switched form 10k xm to 14k hamiltons and am now using radiums and i wouldnt ever go back. I love the color these bulbs put out

Thanks for that site! I'm sure ballast makes a bit of a difference with that too. Which ballast are you using with you Radiums?

I have a Galaxy ballast, I would like to know how they look running on this ballast. Too blue??

 

[jjk_reef00]

I have 400W radiums on gallaxy and love the color. I might switch to a 14K or try XMs to get some better growth becasuse I recently upgraded my tank and got a bunch of frags.

 

[ackerman]

Im running mine on lumitek ballasts. I get a nice whitish blue color. Not sure how they look on the galaxies but I see alot of tanks running that combo on here.

 

[ryshark]

I have a fairly new tank with lots of frags too... maybe I should consider SE Phoenix or another 14k too.
The lumatek and Galaxy with Radiums would look similar, I would think.

 

[ackerman]

I have alot of frags also, it seems like im getting the same growth with the radiums as i was with the 14ks. All i know is the colors look alot better under the radiums and i wont be switching back.

 

[RichK]

I debated getting electronics when I went with the Radiums and all of the reading I did said the bulb was designed for a HQI ballast. Some also said that the electronics over drive the lamp thus shortening its life. The HQ ballasts I bought were $60 each and I wired them myself. With the money I saved I bought a chiller too

 

[RichK]

I forgot to add that I also switched from Spider reflectors to Lumenmax Elites.

 

[cccapt]

From Sanjays Lighting site: http://www.reeflightinginfo.arvixe.com/selectperformancedata.php
250w Performance results
Radium 20k on a IceCap ballast - 66 PPFD
Ushio 10k on a IceCap ballast - 85 PPFD

Radium 20k on a HQI ballast - 85 PPFD
Ushio 10k on a HQI ballast - 159 PPFD

 

[ZR1001]

RichK,

Where did you get the hqi ballast from?

Thanks

 

[James77]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15528083#post15528083 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cccapt
From Sanjays Lighting site: http://www.reeflightinginfo.arvixe.com/selectperformancedata.php
250w Performance results
Radium 20k on a IceCap ballast - 66 PPFD
Ushio 10k on a IceCap ballast - 85 PPFD

Radium 20k on a HQI ballast - 85 PPFD
Ushio 10k on a HQI ballast - 159 PPFD

Are Ushio 10k meant to be run on HQI ballasts? If not, they will be overdriven and greatly reduce their life. Radiums are meant to be run on HQIs, and will have the best output, color, and life using those ballasts.