Radium Iwasaki Comparison Pic

[Bryan]

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!

[StirCrazy]

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

Steve

[pocilipora]

I think there is something wrong with your Iwasaki side,thats way too yellow. 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?

[EmilyB]

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

[pocilipora]

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

[Canadian Man]

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

[Bryan]

Originally Posted by pocilipora

I think there is something wrong with your Iwasaki side,thats way too yellow. 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?

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.

[Jack]

an iwasaki beside a radium isnt fair 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

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

[christyf5]

2x250W Iwasaki 6500K bulbs on Advance H37 ballasts

Actinics on:



Actinics off (eew!):


Christy

[Bryan]

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?