150/175W MH bulb for LPS color?

[cparka23]

I was wondering what options are out there for 150W or 175W MH bulbs that will keep a rainbow acan's colors. Does anybody have experience with the 175W Iwasaki 150000K? Is this an option if I am looking for no actinic supplementation? I don't mind a bulb with blue output as long as it keeps the LPS colorful.

This is for a ~20 gallon tank that houses a mixed reef. I'd like to keep the wattage low to avoid operating a chiller, but I have one just in case. PAR is another factor that I am considering, which is why I am looking at the Iwasaki. Other suggestions are more than welcome, though!

 

[Hypertek99]

I heard the Rainbow Acans prefer 150 radiums to keep good coloring.

 

[Mallard]

I've heard they like 20k light and keep them in the shade if they start to loose their color. My rainbows colors actually came out in direct lighting so its just a matter of moving em around.

 

[Hypertek99]

Yep my rainbows turned red under my 250mh 20k's. They def like the lower light to keep the rainbow colors.

 

[cparka23]

Hypertek, did you happen to hear whether the 150W Radiums were recommended w/ an e-ballast or HQI? What ballast did you use w/ your 250W Radiums?

I guess it's not realistic to look at PAR, since it generally goes down as the color temp increases. The only reason that I hesitated to go w/ Radium is that it fared poorly in Sanjay's MH tests, PAR-wise. Maybe I'm over thinking this though.

As for the Iwasaki, it doesn't sound like it'll work for me. After some digging around, the consensus I hear is that it still needs supplementation.