Radium Iwasaki Comparison Pic
 

Here is a couple of pics of an Iwasaki and Radium bulb. I am concerned the Iwasaki is not burning as white as it should if it was run off a Mercury Vapour ballast. Anybody care to comment if this is the correct color of the Iwasaki, or would a MV ballast burn whiter.

left - Radium 400 watt on a 430 watt Son Agro ballast
Right - Iwasaki 250 watt DL/BH E39/41R on a Advance 71A57A0 MH
Light over the refugium is a 175 watt Coralife 6500K MH

Second pic is Iwasaki only

Not the greatest pics, but the colors are pretty accurate. Looks like I better hook up the actinics if I plan on switching back to the Iwasaki's!

http://www.members.shaw.ca/bpl521/Co...um_Iwasaki.JPG


http://www.members.shaw.ca/bpl521/Co...asaki_Only.jpg

thats close to how the Iwasakis I have see have looked with out actinic.. yours might be a tiny bit more yellow.

Steve

I think there is something wrong with your Iwasaki side,thats way too yellow. :eek: Ive run the 250s, 400s, both Iwasakis, and the Ushio 400s. People would come over and think I was running 10K bulbs with the Iwasakis. Arent they a 6700K bulb? Should be alot whiter.IMO. Your ballast may be the cause, or is that a real old bulb? :rolleyes: :cool: :idea:

That is exactly how Iwasakis looked for the short time they lived here...

Did you use carbon? My web page shows the Iwasakis running with actinics mind you. But they should not be so yellow.

My Iwasaki's by themselves look like that. with 4 actinic they look like the left side.

The bulb is only about 3 months old. I suspect part of the problem is my choice of reflectors. Currently I am just using a sheet of flat stainless steel behind my bulbs. If you look around the area directly under the bulb it is bit whiter than the rest. I think a proper reflector wouldn't let the light bounce all over the place and concentrate the light in a 2x2 area.

Another point I have noticed is tanks with blue backgrounds will look whiter under the bulb than a tank with a black background.

Yes, I use carbon on a regular basis.

an iwasaki beside a radium isnt fair :razz: obviously the raidum will be bluer. anyways, i run 250 iwasakis and with two vho the tank looks white. you'd be amazed how much of a difference the vho makes.

i agree with john, 4 vho's make it looks like the left side... i have thought about adding two more but it isnt "nessasary" so it gets bumped to the back of my tank wish list :wink:

a 250w Iwasaki is more intense than a 400w radium IMO. just for brightness sake and i like that..

i have seen radium/iwasaki combo tanks and they look good when the colour mixes properly

2x250W Iwasaki 6500K bulbs on Advance H37 ballasts

Actinics on:

http://www3.telus.net/seamonkey68/Dscn3732.jpg

Actinics off (eew!):
http://www3.telus.net/seamonkey68/Dscn3734.jpg

Christy :)

Thanks Christy. Doesn't look like the Mercury Vapour ballasts burn the bulb any whiter than the MH ballasts. What are you using for actinic supplementation?