Got Pics of your tanks w/different 400W Halide bulbs?

[brandyrb]

I still have a few months before changing out my halides and figured I'd try something new. I'm currently running 400W 14K Ushios with ATI Blue Plus supplemental lighting and I have found this combination to be more pleasing than running the 10K Ushios which were too yellow. The one thing I don't like about the 14K Ushios is that my birdsnests and stylos aren't the bright pink that I'd like them to be and they have developed white tips.

I want to try a couple different halides before deciding what I'm going to stay with and was hoping people would post pics of their tanks with different lighting than what I have listed. I'm leaning towards the 12K Reeflux or 20K Radium. I have PFO HQI Ballasts.

I have tried the 20K XM on 250W HQI Ballasts and found this to be too blue.

Any thoughts/pics with different bulbs?

Here's an old pic with the 10K Ushios:

Here's a pic when we first changed our bulbs out to the 14K Ushios:

 

[danno14]

Brandy- If you tried the 20k XM and found it too blue, I can pretty much assure you the Radiums will be as well. That's what I am currently running and they are BLUE!

They also don't seem to develop the pink/red as well as lower Kelvin bulbs FWIW.
Good luck.... this is one of the most troublsome to sort out = which bulb suits our eye on our system.
Best, D

ps- growth is looking great!

 

[brandyrb]

Brandy- If you tried the 20k XM and found it too blue, I can pretty much assure you the Radiums will be as well. That's what I am currently running and they are BLUE!

They also don't seem to develop the pink/red as well as lower Kelvin bulbs FWIW.
Good luck.... this is one of the most troublsome to sort out = which bulb suits our eye on our system.
Best, D

ps- growth is looking great!

The XMs were 250W though. Can you post a pic of your tank with your 20K bulbs? You're running Radiums?

 

[danno14]

Some older:


The main colony in the first pic grew from this:


Lighting is 400w Radium driven by PFO HQI

 

[MC Lighting]

I have a single 400 HQI DE Hamilton over the center of my 180 it is bluer than the 250's and also seems dimmer by comparison here is an older pic when the tank was first set up that shows it and yes the pics are a little blue but not as much off as you might think... I will definitely be going 12k to 10k when I buy new bulbs which is what I am doing next.

 

[brandyrb]

danno, how often do you have to change out your bulbs? Reading about Radiums, bulb life was the main complaint. Your clams sure do stand out under that lighting. Any full tank shots?

mc lighting, that does look really blue.

Anyone with a full tank shot using Reeflux 12K 400W halides?

 

[danno14]

I usually replace them between 6 and 9 months. They are at that point now and I have new ones on order. I plan accordingly, so I really don't have a complaint = they do what I want and I know what the lifespan will be. What is there to complain about!

Looks like I need to get an updated FTS.... this is from Oct. 07:

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[sgwill122]

That is one freakin big leather. I bet you hear that all the time.

 

[balogh03]

I know that this is about 400w's, but this is still a very cool site to check out. I myself run 3x 400w, but I don't think you would want to see how well the Ebay's do

http://chrismorris.ca/250wcolour/

-augustus

 

[edwing206]

FWIW it's really hard to get a fell for what the lights look like in real life by looking at the pictures. Most people don't know how to correctly white balance pictures. Myself included. :lol:

 

[danno14]

That is one freakin big leather. I bet you hear that all the time.

Actually, the frogspawn on the left is what grabs 'em first.... This shot was after all the halides had been off for a while, so it was pretty shriveled. The leather is kinda cool. I have it "corraled" with a hardy SPS on the left to keep it from encroaching

FWIW it's really hard to get a feel for what the lights look like in real life by looking at the pictures.

Totally agree!

 

[MC Lighting]

yeah I white ballanced my camera but its still a little bit bluer more form the reflection than I think the color ballance but its not all that much more than real life everyone thinks I am growing pot in my place because of the blue glow that emitts from the balcony

 

[brandyrb]

Danno, your tank doesn't look too blue from the picture. And yes that toadstool is huge!

FWIW it's really hard to get a fell for what the lights look like in real life by looking at the pictures. Most people don't know how to correctly white balance pictures. Myself included. :lol:

I know, but it gives me kindof an idea. Plus I like looking at pretty pictures and hearing of other reefers bulb preferences. I'm hoping I don't end up spending $85 per bulb x 3 to go nope, don't like em. Greg at reefgeek suggested the Radiums, so I'm giving them good thought. The 14K Ushios aren't bad, I just wonder if I would get better coral colors from the radiums. I actually really like the 14K Ushio in comparison to the 10K.

yeah I white ballanced my camera but its still a little bit bluer more form the reflection than I think the color ballance but its not all that much more than real life everyone thinks I am growing pot in my place because of the blue glow that emitts from the balcony

When our aquarium was on the first lower level of our house (it's a four level), one of our neighbors thought we were growing pot and even asked my husband. I was like what? He offered to show the guy our aquarium and he said no...

 

[brandyrb]

I know that this is about 400w's, but this is still a very cool site to check out. I myself run 3x 400w, but I don't think you would want to see how well the Ebay's do

http://chrismorris.ca/250wcolour/

-augustus

Cool site. The XM 20K and Radium 20K look almost identical. From what I've read the HQI ballasts will run them a little whiter than a standard ballast.

 

[trido]

400 reeflux 12K on icecap ballasts. My FTS are blurry so here are a few third/tank shots Plenty of pink IMO. Also, AFAIK the white tips on the pink birdsnest are from rapid growth.

 

[JasonD]

I use 250watt 12k reeflux. I found them to be a very similar color to 250 XM 20k. I like the blue look.

My old tank when the bulbs were new:

 

[brandyrb]

So we just switched our bulbs and decided to go with the 20K Radiums. We absolutely love the way our tank looks now, wow, what a difference! I only wish I could take a pic to show what it really looks like. We've tried and the pictures are crap, so I won't post them. I'm hoping I can get someone over here that has a good camera and knows how to take good pictures.

So this is our lighting setup now. 3 PFO Reflectors, each reflector is running 1 400W 20K Radium, 1 24W ATI BluePlus T5 and 1 24W UV Lighting Super Actinic T5.

For a total of 3 400W Halides running on PFO HQI Ballasts and 6 24W T5s running on IceCap 660s.

 

[tamarindthai]

that is the very good lighting combination,,,color and grow,,,watch out

 

[brandyrb]

that is the very good lighting combination,,,color and grow,,,watch out

Mike was concerned about the growth with 20K bulbs, but I want some of our corals to stop growing now. I just want the rare ones that are slow growing to grow at this point.