Radium Vs MH

[Reload2k3]

Hi Guys,

Hope this is the right place to put this....

I have recently seen that quite a few people are using Radium bulbs however I do not know the advantages of radium

Any information would be great

[cdurkin100]

I think Nev ( screwloose ) is running these, might be worth a pm

[Reload2k3]

Chris

[bulldog]

I did have a 150w 20000k Radium bulb over my tank, it was awesome the colours on my corals popped!

[Javahart]

I followed nev and went for 20k radiums, they give a very crisp light and corals appear to respond well.

[Reload2k3]

So does it promote growth or is it just for aesthetical reasons?

[Jan@Epo]

kelvin ranges for MH bulbs havent really altered since the dawn of time. lower kelvin gives you a warmer ( read yellow) light and higher values a bluer (colder) light. What used to go hand in glove with kelvin ranges was PAR output. A 6500k bulb would output more PAR than a 20000k bulb. We would want the PAR output of a yellow light but would use actinic tubes to blue it out a bit. A 10k light is supposed to be white but this differs from bulb to bulb and infact ballast to ballast. 20k radiums are said to have a huge PAR output matching that of a lower kelvin bulb but without the yellow tint. Because of their high output you would need to acclimate current corals and new corals to them more so than if you used a standard 20k bulb.

Because of the huge differences in bulbs/ballasts it would be a good idea to see a tank in person that runs radiums before making the decision. I am thinking about radiums for a couple of ballasts but i would go and see Nev first.

HTH

[Reload2k3]

wow thank you really great response..so reading between the lines then if corals acclimatised correctly would certainly benefit

[Jan@Epo]

yes..in short a bluer look which is 9/10 more aesthetically pleasing with high output and good growth. Your ballasts and reflectors come into the equation but radiums are said to be good bulbs. I have to point out I havent ever run them so i cant speak from personal experience...but I look at Nevs tank and i see how often he generates frags....

[jamesfirth1]

I also use a 250w radium, very happy with the look, and the coral growth.