Anyone using 400 watt MH 20k bulb

[Personifer]

I'm thinking about adding a 20k bulb to my lighting. Anyone using this bulb and do you have any pics?

------------------
Jeff

Visit my website:
JeffsReef

[golfish]

Jeff, I have seen them in action and the look is very nice. I think they do best when driven by an HQI ballast....

Mark

[Personifer]

Thanks Mark, I have also heard they do best on the hqi ballast. I don't have an hqi ballast and don't really want to buy one right now. I'm still waiting for icecap to come out with a 400watt MH. On my 58 gallon sps reef I'm running a 400 watt 10k and 2 95 watt vho acitincs. I was wanting to get rid of the acitincs and run a 20k bulb. I have a dual pfo ballast and wanted to run the 20k off of it. Does anyone run these bulbs on the regular pfo ballast?

------------------
Jeff

Visit my website:
JeffsReef

[tubs]

Personifier,

I've recently installed one on my new 180 and think I have pictures at home so I'll post later from there. I also have a 12K installed on the system along with a Iwasaki and a 10K AB. Gosh, you wanna see all that?

------------------
John Susbilla
Visit my "Flashy" new site: John's Reef Flat
Alternate site Here
tubs@firstworld.net

[golfish]

tubs,
Is there a big difference in the output and color between the 20k and 12k bulbs?

Thanks

Mark

[PerryinCA]

IME the 20k seems far superior. Seems brighter, and gives a better lumescence(sp?) to the coral.

-Perry

------------------
Some call it evolution,
And others call it God.
Each In His Own Tongue (1908)
William Herbert Carruth 1859-1924

[PerryinCA]

BTW, yea John post some pics [img]/ubb/smile.gif[/img]

-Perry

------------------
Some call it evolution,
And others call it God.
Each In His Own Tongue (1908)
William Herbert Carruth 1859-1924

[golfish]

Ok Perry, here's another one for ya[img]/ubb/smile.gif[/img] How much more light does the 20K put out using an HQI compared to a standard ballast.....More ? to follow[img]/ubb/smile.gif[/img]

BTW, Scott couldn't have picked a better person to moderate this forum..

Mark

[Ninong]

According to Sanjay's ballast test the 400w Osram/Radium 20,000K lamp tested at 90.65 PPFD (PAR) on a standard magnetic ballast and 110.2 PPFD on an HQI ballast (PFO), an improvement of more than 21%.

Ninong [img]/ubb/smile.gif[/img]

------------------
Irrational Exuberance!

[tubs]

OK Guys,

Hope this helps any of you in any way. Ninong, I'll be replacing my bluelines in my other tank so that might be an option for me to buy the HQI ballasts. Thanx.

Golfish, don't have a par meter and eyeballing the difference in intensity between the 2 bulbs seems futile. As Ninong has pointed out, Sanjay's data is where to go.

Left-20K Radium
Right-12K Sunburst
The 20K Radium is a little bluer than the 12K (but the 12K hasn't been burned in yet)


From left to right with the exposure greatly reduced to see a better contrast in the coloration of the lights - 20K Radium, 6.5K Iwasaki, 12K Sunburst, 10K AB (not Ushio). Keep in mind that the Iwasaki and 12K have not had the propoer burn-in period yet:



Same order of lights but in normal exposure:




------------------
John Susbilla
Visit my "Flashy" new site: John's Reef Flat
Alternate site Here
tubs@firstworld.net

[This message has been edited by tubs (edited 05-22-2001).]

[This message has been edited by tubs (edited 05-22-2001).]

[PerryinCA]

I can't get over how much brighter the Iwasaki's are than everything else. Blows me away.

Mark, since Ninong already posted the #'s, I'll just say thanks for the approval. [img]/ubb/biggrin.gif[/img]

-Perry

------------------
Some call it evolution,
And others call it God.
Each In His Own Tongue (1908)
William Herbert Carruth 1859-1924

[Reef Engineer]

Perry,

I can't get over how much brighter the Iwasaki's are than everything else. Blows me away.

That's the reason I can't change away from the Iwasaki. Every time I say that I want to change bulbs to a higher K bulb, I see the output and go back with the Iwasakis.

Randy

------------------
Come meet the gang!
http://www.homestead.com/reefengineer/homepage.html

[Papa Doug]

Very correct Randy. As much as I love the colour and no many how many different combinations I try with the 400 12K, it never comes close to a single 400w 65K Iwasaki.

------------------
Doug
http://dlowey.homestead.com/DougsReef.html
New Pics & Info

[PerryinCA]

See, I use the 250w Iwasaki, and the HQI. There isn't much difference in intensity. But man, that 400....here I come baby! [img]/ubb/wink.gif[/img]

-Perry

[Personifer]

Originally posted by PerryinCA:
I can't get over how much brighter the Iwasaki's are than everything else. Blows me away.

-Perry

I know that is why I used to use them. I couldn't keep any of my acros blue using the 6500k. Since I have changed to 10k bulbs my blue acros are turning blue again. It does seem my growth rates have decreased, but that's the trade off I'm willing to make.

tubs,

Thanks for the pics.



------------------
Jeff

Visit my website:
JeffsReef

[tubs]

Personifier,

I've experienced similar washouts and that is why I want to experiment myself on the different bulbs

------------------
John Susbilla
Visit my "Flashy" new site: John's Reef Flat
Alternate site Here
tubs@firstworld.net

[Chicago]

do they make a ballast for 400 watt hqi. i dont know of a hqi bulb of 400 watt...but people ar e post that "use a hqi ballast on a 400 watt 65k iwaski? ninong could you please give some more specifics..you posted above abuout the 400 watt osram gaining 20% more by using a hqi ballasst..

[This message has been edited by Chicago (edited 05-28-2001).]

[Personifer]

Chicago,

PFO makes a 400 watt hqi ballast.

------------------
Jeff

Visit my website:
JeffsReef

[Ninong]

Chicago ~

HQI can also refer to mogul base lamps, too. For instance, you can get 20,000K HQI lamps in 150w double-ended types, 250w mogul base and 400w mogul base. You can get 10,000K HQI lamps in 70w, 150w and 250w double-ended types, plus 250w mogul base, 400w mogul base, 1000w mogul base, and 2000w mogul base.

HQI is the abbreviation for Hg (Mercury) Quartz Iodide. The double-ended HQI lamps must be run on an HQI ballast and the mogul base HQI lamps should be run on an HQI ballast. You can also run the 250w size (double-ended or mogul base) on the regular Ice Cape MH electronic ballast. If you are going with 400w size lamps, PFO makes a good HQI ballast.

In Sanjay Joshi's most recent tests, the Osram/Radium 400w 20,000K produced 110.2 PPFD on the PFO-HQI ballast vs. only 90.63 on a magnetic ballast. The Ushio/BLV 400w 10,000K produced 105.7 PPFD on the PFO-HQI ballast vs. only 99.11 on a magnetic ballast. (Note: Osram and Radium are identical lamps, Ushio and BLV are identical lamps.)

Ninong [img]/ubb/biggrin.gif[/img]

------------------
"The Senate needs to leave enough money in the proposed budget to not only reduce all marginal rates, but to eliminate the death tax, so that people who build up assets are able to transfer them from one generation to the next, regardless of a person's race."—George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., April 5, 2001

[sher]

how about this: i have a 40 breeder(36" long) with 2 250w iwasaki. how about putting a 20k 400w in the center with a spider ref. and the 2 65k, 1 on each side. i figer this would help cover up the yellow put of the 65k. i was thinking of getting HQI's but this will cost too much.

what do u think?

I must say that this is the best lighting forum. lots of knowlegable lighting guys. keep up the good.