Which MH pendant do you prefer

A

abhishek@1985

New member
Hi friends,

Looking for some suggestions on my upcoming tank.

Tank will be around 30 in x 24 in x 20 in . Want a really simple lighting .
Ever since I have entered the hobby, have heard so much about the famous radium bulb and this time want to try it . Its gonna be sps dominated

Hence its definitely gonna be Radium. Question is how do I run it ?

Options -

1. 250 Watt Radium in a Hamilton Cayman Sun fixture with M8 ballast - All parts provided by Hamilton

http://hamiltontechnology.com/item/Radium-250W-Cayman-Sun-with-M80-Ballast-2006

2. 250 Watt Radium in a Hamilton Comuzel fixture + M80 ballast

http://www.hamiltontechnology.com/item/Cozumel-Sun-Systems-2018

3. Lumen bright Mini reflector + 250/400 Radium Watt + Luxcore 400 watt selectable ballast -

Advantage is I can either run a 250 or 400 watt Radium

Lumen Bright Mini

https://premiumaquatics.com/products/lumen-bright-reflector-mini.html

Luxcore ballast

https://premiumaquatics.com/products/luxcore-400watt-selectable-halide-ballast.html


Which one do you prefer ?

Whats the difference in output between Hamilton Cayman Sun / Comuzel and Lumen bright mini reflector? Also, how different it is to run radium on M80 ballast compared to overdrive in luxcore in 250 HQI setting?

Regards,
Abhishek
 
Option 1, no questions asked. Change the bulb every 18 months.

Option 2 reflector is better for larger tanks, the spread is great but on your tank it would have to be really close to the water surface or you would bleed a lot of light.

Option 3 is a good light if you are going to place the reflector really high above the tank.
 
I personally use/like the mini reflector but I also built a lighting rail to hold the fixture. I agree the first option might look the best by itself and do a great job. Any will light the tank just fine.
 
I guess the replies are towards the Cayman Sun fixture as it's the smallest among the 3 with less chances of spilling light over the edges .

Any better option available in the market for running radiums ?
 
@tkeracer619 - Haven't decided yet as I can vary the pendant height from 8 inches to 2 feet above the tank .
You are very well experienced with radiums and hence wondering what's your suggestion
 
I run reefbrite's pendant and think it's a crazy amount of light. The reflectors are from very good quality and look pretty sleek IMO.
 
Definitely option 1. Radium on an m80 is just something special. And unless you get a rare lemon, the bulb life is fantastic


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I like the old school Coralife bell shaped pendant.. I doubt they make that any more, but I had one for 7-8 years, no issues back in the day.
 
I assume you will be hanging it then.

What I would suggest is go with option 1 (out of your options) and to determine height hold the pendant in your hand with the room dark and the bulb on (please don't drop it in the tank...) and lower it over the tank until the point where you get TIR (total internal reflection). You will know when this is because the amount of light bleeding into the room drops significantly and the tank gets considerably brighter. The point where that happens is where you should hang the lights for maximum total par.

Alternatively, take a look at the Cabo Sun Mini pendant with a radium 20k and m80 ballast. I think it is overall a better combo. You will need to run it slightly closer than the Cayman but it will give great coverage.

Once you have the light hung and want to retrofit it into some type of hanging canopy experiment with boards to find the dimensions you need to block any bleeding light from entering the room.

Like so...

cubet.jpg
 
Last edited:
@tkeracer619 - Thank you for the detailed explanation.
Its phenominal and appreciate your time in the reply.

How long do you think Radium bulbs will last on M80 ballast before they need to be changed? Does it have better life on M80 rather than electronic ballast like Luxcore running on 250 HQI setting?

Also, as a general norm how far do people generally hang the fixture ?

Regards,
Abhishek
 
You're welcome!

The m80 will drive the bulb as close to spec as you can get in the states. People typically swap radium bulbs when run on m80 ballasts every 18 months. I would go with the m80 over an electronic.

My bulbs are about 12 inches above the water surface.
 
There has been some changes in plan and the tank might be a 36 in x 24 in x 16 in . In that case will a single 250 W radium on M80 ballast in a Hamilton Cayman or Cabo Sun mini be sufficient or should I look at bigger reflectors like comuzel ?

Problem is most of these reflectors are square and I think am better with a reflector that is rectangular in size.

Ehat's your opinion MH guys ?
 
Things have changed and I have an amazing deal on a Hamilton Cayman Sun fixture 250 w fixture.
How do you guys feel about the coverage of a 30 x 24 x 20 tank or a 30 x 30 x 18 tank with a single cayman sun fixture ?

Do I need a second one or a couple of reefbrite leds on each end considering a sps dominant tank ?

Regards,
Abhishek
 
I have a Belize sun over my 65. 250w 14k Phoenix with two t5 actinic. Great fixture, but not made any more. The Cayman is the same but with 4 t5.

If money was not a problem I would go with that.

Sent from Second star to the right*and straight on 'till morning"
 
My LFS has a NIB minus the box Hamilton M80 ballast, Cayman Sun fixture no bulb for sale. I can take a picture of it and find out the price tomorrow. He bought a dual system for a client and they only wanted half of it.
 
There's another Hamilton for sale in the forum-2x250 SE with 4x36" T-5. I forget the price, but I would have snagged that in a second if it had been listed when I got my halide.
 
topjimmy said:
I have a Belize sun over my 65. 250w 14k Phoenix with two t5 actinic. Great fixture, but not made any more. The Cayman is the same but with 4 t5.

If money was not a problem I would go with that.

Sent from Second star to the right*and straight on 'till morning"
Click to expand...


Are you guys sure you're not talking about the Cebu Sun? That's the MH/T5HO combo fixture. The Cayman sun is just a single MH pendant reflector



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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