400W radiums. anyone here use em?

[Doug]

I recieved my 400 watt 20K yesterday. Fired it over the empty 170. Very nice light. Brighter than my 12K, even to my eyes and thats with a normal PFO ballast.

But I would say, even thought its brighter, like the 12K,s, its still not bright enough,{on a normal ballast}, to light the 48 inch by 32 inch tank alone.

As the 170 is going to house mostly lps & mushrooms it may be enough for them, but my large leather may not like it. I was going to leave it in the 180, but its only going to be sps and various anemone polyps.

[stephane]

I tink this comfire what we read before the PFO regular is not enought for the Radium you need the HQI(430 agro) or the blueline

another ting is that if we take steve tiree study in consideration he state that 100% of the radium
light is absort compare to 40% of an iwasaki so
maybe you coral will react positive even if it look dim. I tink you should try it on your regular ballast for a bit only to see how realy
you coral will react it will make a very good point IMO about the Tyree study

Anyway I tink a 400 for you 170 is definativaly not enought but we will find.

How about the temps doug the ting I am a bit afraid in my 130 whith 3 radium is the heating issus I hope I will be able to not run any chiller that my great fear

By the way what kind of reflector you have whith
the Radium? I ask this because after upgrade my flat refector whith the spider tipe I see a very big diference in light and not just in light 2 more degree in temp water those reflector done what they are made for reflect all in the tank!

[Doug]

Perhaps thats a good point Stephane. I will give it a run and see how they respond. When I tried with the 12K, I had sps in there also. I know for sure my huge bubble coral will just love it. :D I wonder if bulb life is different between the different ballasts.

My pendant is an Icecap fixture. Uses the parabloic reflector. To my eyes, my tank is just as bright with a normal white reflector as compared with the parabolic ones. But I also have seen the tests regarding reflectors.

I know that a single 400 is pushing it on the tank, but because of its almost square shape, it works pretty good. I am careful about whats on the outside. Some blue mushrooms or similar would be my choice.

Of course I have the 180 with much more lighting, for the corals that require such.

[stephane]

As strange at it is I have read somewere that the regular ballast is harder on the bulb I tink because voltage is to low but this need to be verified

The HQI ballast have a voltage of 200 volt and the radium spec said that this bulb should be run on 230 volt but the difference probably is the amp
on them

If my memory is good MH ballast are 95 volt ballast but hight amps so it match the same wattage but different volt

I dont know a lot about ballast I know that oldreefer and paulerick on RC know them well maybe we should ask them

If you have a mutimeter I would be curious what voltage are on the bulb out of you regular ballast + what Amps it draw on the 110v.

Ho and dont forget that this bulb need to be break before give good lightning most of the new user complain about the brightness the first 2 week on HQI ballast

[stephane]

Wowwwwww! I have fired up the Radium 400 in the midle of my Iwasaki 250 and the difference is only amazing now I know what yelowich mean the Radium are simply amazing I cant beleve my eye I will post pic of it soon and comparison between saki and Radium

Biy Biy Iwasaki!!!!!!!! :D :cool: [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[ 31 July 2002, 15:35: Message edited by: stephane ]

[StirCrazy]

man the corals do look pretty under thease light but the rock looks washed out and solid blue which disapoints me.. I think you would need strong white suplment with thease bulbs to make everything look right.

Steve

[jb1974]

Stircrazy,

What type of ballasts are you running the radiums on? IMO the light is at its best when under the 400w HQI ballasts. They are bluer than the HQI when using the electronic ballasts, and if you use tar, they would probably look like actinic (ie:everything looking blue). Just wondering...

[StirCrazy]

jb1974
I am not running them I am just making a observation on every picture of them I have seen.. the corals stan out wonderfully but eveything else looks washed in blue.. kinda like looking at a tank with whimpy actinics on and nothing else.. maby it is just me..

Steve

[stephane]

Originally posted by StirCrazy:
jb1974
kinda like looking at a tank with whimpy actinics on and nothing else.. maby it is just me..

Steve

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">When you will see one in person you will change your mind IMO As every one who have it said photo
dont get justice to the bulb I will see when i take my own photo but for now the color of everyting is just beautiful and I know from people who run it that it will be even beter after the burning period

[Bryan]

Stephane:

What ballast did you end up using with the radiums? M59,M135,AGROSUN, Blueline ??