Tumbleweed said:I use the Radiums on my tank and love them. They stay blue, never noticed a shift out of the blue spectrum when as they age.
rygh said:All that HUGE/PERFECTIONIST amount of DIY work you are doing, and you are not going LED.
????????
I don't get it.
Personally, I think Radiums are a bit too-blue.
Which does not mean that you should not get them
Honestly, it means this is probably one of the topics where BAR advice might not be so helpful.
Personal preference on color and bulbs is SO different.
As much as you have invested - buy a few different bulbs - try them - and either return/CL the ones you do not like.
ryanjiang said:Nice selection of ballast & reflector! Use HQI setting of lumatek if you run Radium, I am almost 100% certain it will turn out to be bright white/ice blue look. IIRC 250W radium running on HQI output similar PAR as Phoenix 14K, the look is similar as well.
Running LED on such big coverage is too costly, maybe it work out for LPS tank with few SPS only.
rygh said:Waiting and checking members tanks seems like a very good plan.
Lighting color is so critical.
My guestimate is that my LEDs will be done in about 2 months. Maybe I can change your mind then.
Unless I change my mind first. My current lights are LED + T5, and so far, I have not
yet hit the color I want with pure LED. We shall see.
BTW: I am not a big fan of plasma.
Sure, great efficiency like LED, but even LESS choice of color.
Regarding cost: (plasma/led)
1) We live in California. Electricity cost is very high.
2) Those bulbs you replace every year are not cheap.
It does not take that long for those super-expensive led/plasma lights to break even.
Do the math.
sfboarders said:Jim, I have the Lumatek 250/400 ballast also with 250W radiums. Still need to hook it up though.... Also gonna use blue RB's and 50/50 RB's for supplemental lighting. Give me awhile though before I put it all together. Ryan's correct the Radiums need to run at HQI which is like running it at 300W.
yellojello said:I'm happy with my Phoenix 14k 250W SE's.