Nate213 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 So I got bored today and decided to play around with my lighting. I bought a 250 SE halide setup with 20K Radium bulbs for my QT tank. It has been sitting around for weeks now, since I havent built a proper hood for my QT. My old hood for my DT was sitting in the corner, so I installed them into it. I wanted to see what kind of difference it would make vs. my existing lighting. This is my existing lighting Current Outer Orbit Pro 2 x 250 DE with supplemental actinics. They have the stock 10K bulbs right now. Here it is without the actinics running. Actinics only. Hood with 2 x 250 SE halides with 20K Radiums. I noticed that the Current setup is much brighter. I dont have a PAR meter, but Im assuming it is much higher than the Radiums. Just trying to take the photos, I noticed that I had to adjust the shutter speed up to get the proper exposure. I also found out that the hood runs about 6 degrees hotter. I only had it on for a couple of hours, but my tank temp started to rise pretty quickly. The bluer tint does make some of the colors pop, but I like my existing setup better. Im thinking of buying some 14K Pheonix DE bulbs to see what kind of difference it makes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finch6013 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 That 20k does make the tank look alot better. I went from 20k radiums to 14k pheonix and like them. They have good pop and color but also I think they have a higher par than the 20k's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael7979 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Sorry to disagree with you......... I like the Radium picture better. :p :p I know to each their own. Just playing with ya! Nice pictures to show the difference in the 2 bulbs. But I do like the Radium bulbs the best. Running them on my 240g. Was the ballast a HQI or not? Are you still going to use the Radium bulbs for the frag tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finch6013 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 for the frag tank the 10k will get faster growth I have heard. Although I had alot of sps growth with those 20k's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 I like the color with the radiums better however I think that even a little less blue would be better. 14k or 15k would be my choice. I've noticed the same thing regarding the light. The higher the color temperature the harder it is to get pics indicating less light. The question though becomes whether it is actually more usable light for the corals since the color spectrum is narrower and less usable light for the camera. It seems to be the general consensus though that 10k seems to get better growth than the 20k while 20k will get better color than the 10k. My spiral bulb experiment is based on the theory that the color closer to color of the sun at the surface of the water (About 5800k if I recall right) will get better growth but the color will not be very good. If the theory turns out correct then I'll use the spiral bulbs for growth and then use the 14k MH lights in my display to color them up. It's too early to tell though. So far the softies and LPS seem perfectly happy after a week but I haven't tried any SPS yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate213 Posted October 12, 2009 Author Share Posted October 12, 2009 The ballast is a Blue Wave 7 that I got from Finch. If I can make a hood arrangment that will work on my frag tank, then I will use them. They will most likely sit for a while, until I get time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finch6013 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 I miss those 20k's so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 I like the radium shot better too. I have one of those bulbs over my frag tank. I notice better growth and A LOT better color on my corals comparing it to the Hamilton 14k. I have brownouts that are coloring up after just 2 months of using the Radium. Previously with the Hamilton 14k i didn't notice any coloring up of these brownouts even after 8m of use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePremiumAquarium Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 +1 Radiums on an HQI ballast have always been the best bulb for me. Better growth, better color, just better all around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate213 Posted December 16, 2009 Author Share Posted December 16, 2009 So I got bored today and decided to play around with my lighting. I bought a 250 SE halide setup with 20K Radium bulbs for my QT tank. It has been sitting around for weeks now, since I havent built a proper hood for my QT. My old hood for my DT was sitting in the corner, so I installed them into it. I wanted to see what kind of difference it would make vs. my existing lighting. This is my existing lighting Current Outer Orbit Pro 2 x 250 DE with supplemental actinics. They have the stock 10K bulbs right now. Here it is without the actinics running. Actinics only. Hood with 2 x 250 SE halides with 20K Radiums. I noticed that the Current setup is much brighter. I dont have a PAR meter, but Im assuming it is much higher than the Radiums. Just trying to take the photos, I noticed that I had to adjust the shutter speed up to get the proper exposure. I also found out that the hood runs about 6 degrees hotter. I only had it on for a couple of hours, but my tank temp started to rise pretty quickly. The bluer tint does make some of the colors pop, but I like my existing setup better. Im thinking of buying some 14K Pheonix DE bulbs to see what kind of difference it makes. I finally bought some Pheonix 14k bulbs to replace the stock ones. Here are some photos for comparison. Have only had them for a few days, but they seem to be looking better every day. Its hard to tell from the photos, but they are whiter and less blue tint than the Radiums. I think they are about perfect color, but dont seem to be as bright as the 10k. Hopefully everything stays happy and grows well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finch6013 Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 looks good. I use 14k pheonix and really like them. Almost looks like the 20k's are brighter from the pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate213 Posted December 16, 2009 Author Share Posted December 16, 2009 looks good. I use 14k pheonix and really like them. Almost looks like the 20k's are brighter from the pics. I think the 20ks may be brighter, but they are definately more blue. It is hard for me to capture with the camera. Im hoping the new bulbs burn in some and get better with time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finch6013 Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 I found that 14k pheonix get more of a white color as they burn in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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