RedneckReefer68
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Anyone still using a 150w bulb nowadays?
150w mh
- Thread starter RedneckReefer68
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A great light for mixed reef and medium-PAR situations. Best-of-class bulb 14k Phoenix is still made and available which has great output and color.
IMO, this is the best light for a 24x24 area for a mixed reef or medium-light SPS... more powerful and with better coverage than a Radion, ap700 or Hydrea 52.
I have two of them running right now.
IMO, this is the best light for a 24x24 area for a mixed reef or medium-light SPS... more powerful and with better coverage than a Radion, ap700 or Hydrea 52.
I have two of them running right now.
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RedneckReefer68
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I'm thinking of running the an 13k with t5 supplements
Lower wattage, very low heat... great light choice for most tanks.
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Hamilton Technology has MH bulbs available in a range of configurations (including both single and double ended).
DesertReefT4r
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Not any more but I had a 150w over a 20H, 29g and 2 over a 55g and 40g with great results. Kept all kinds of corals even acros did well. Phoenix 14k was for sure the best 150w bulb I found.
I have a pfo 150w radium sitting around but I have never seen it show much par on a meter so I haven’t used it for anything yet. What par do you guys get from one of these ballasts on average?
A 150w halide does not put out more PAR then any of those lights you listed. Unless you are talking about the smallest radion. Even then I doubt it.
Most people are very nostalgic about MH, it doesn't mean they are giving you accurate description of how good they are. It would be a great light for low light SPS (not acros), LPS, and Softies.
EW_Fish
Valuable Member
I agree. Leds put out a ton of light and they dont read on par because of the royal blues. I love mh just hate changing bulbs and dealing with heat
Nonsense, I have an Apogee 510 PAR meter and a 150w 14k Phoenix on m81 ballast will crush a Radion XR30 over the coverage area. You can get the Radion to have higher power in the cones, but then they fall off outside of that center area. For effective use, you will get more power and coverage out of a 150W MH.
If you are talking about some cheap chinese stuff like an Odyssea with some crap ballast and reflector, then maybe a Radion or Hydra is better, but why not compare best of breed to best of breed?
Lots of bad info here. Most LEDs register all of their useful output as PAR since they only emit in the visible spectrum. T5 and MH will have output below 420nm and above 680nm that a PAR meter will not pick up but the coral can still use. All of the true UV output has more energy that the higher stuff, as well - I am not talking about misleading "UV" diodes, that are really violet, but true UV. Orhpek Atlantiv V4 is the only fixture that invests heavily in true UV, but I am sure that more are coming online now. If a MH or T5 reads the same PAR as a LED fixtures, then you can bet that the corals are getting more useful radiation out of the mercury-based source.
Here is an area of my tank covered by a 150w Phoenix. These get about 270 PAR at 19 inches deep. These are off to the side, but you can get more like 320 underneath them more.
If you are talking about some cheap chinese stuff like an Odyssea with some crap ballast and reflector, then maybe a Radion or Hydra is better, but why not compare best of breed to best of breed?
Lots of bad info here. Most LEDs register all of their useful output as PAR since they only emit in the visible spectrum. T5 and MH will have output below 420nm and above 680nm that a PAR meter will not pick up but the coral can still use. All of the true UV output has more energy that the higher stuff, as well - I am not talking about misleading "UV" diodes, that are really violet, but true UV. Orhpek Atlantiv V4 is the only fixture that invests heavily in true UV, but I am sure that more are coming online now. If a MH or T5 reads the same PAR as a LED fixtures, then you can bet that the corals are getting more useful radiation out of the mercury-based source.
Here is an area of my tank covered by a 150w Phoenix. These get about 270 PAR at 19 inches deep. These are off to the side, but you can get more like 320 underneath them more.
michael giordano
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This is simply not true, 10 years ago I had a 150w halide double ended Phoenix set up with cheap power compacts and had incredible colors and great sps growth in a standard 50gallon tank. I don’t mean to be rude, but that 150w halide is great for coral growth on all corals. Take it from someone who in the last 15 years has grown sticks with almost every type of lighting imaginable.
Fair enough. Back in the day I ran 175w halide SE and they were ok at best. Ran Ushio bulbs. I will still take a high end LED fixture over a 150w halide however. That is just my preference. Reflectors do play a HUGE role in halide effectiveness.
150w Halide do not even get all that hot. 14k Phoenix helps a lot with this, as well as some of the newer bulbs designed to have less IR. If you need anything at all, a simple fan can keep a tank cool.
I think that if more people knew and that there was less of this crappy info out there, that people would choose more 150w Halides for the situation where a single high-end panels would be selected. ...at least for those who value coral coloration and growth over thunderstorms, apps and tech.
I do run 250w Halides for the bulk of my acropora tanks, but they are larger with more area to cover. If I was doing a 180g mixed reef or a smaller cube-type acropora tank, then 3x 150w halides would be my choice and I probably would not even supplement them with any T5s or LEDs... just let them go at it alone. 150w HQI are fantastic lights at low wattage (same as a Radion, anyway) and low heat.
175w Halides can be really good too, but they need a good reflector and ballast, just like anything. LEDs with crappy drivers and lenses are nearly worthless themselves, so when comparing, best to compare best to best or worst to worst and not pick and choose to fit whatever narrative that you are looking to support. I try and not compare LEDs with .25w diodes and bad lenses to a 20k Radium on a Lumenarc with a m81 ballast (beast combo for MH, if you do not know)... that is just misleading.
I think that if more people knew and that there was less of this crappy info out there, that people would choose more 150w Halides for the situation where a single high-end panels would be selected. ...at least for those who value coral coloration and growth over thunderstorms, apps and tech.
I do run 250w Halides for the bulk of my acropora tanks, but they are larger with more area to cover. If I was doing a 180g mixed reef or a smaller cube-type acropora tank, then 3x 150w halides would be my choice and I probably would not even supplement them with any T5s or LEDs... just let them go at it alone. 150w HQI are fantastic lights at low wattage (same as a Radion, anyway) and low heat.
175w Halides can be really good too, but they need a good reflector and ballast, just like anything. LEDs with crappy drivers and lenses are nearly worthless themselves, so when comparing, best to compare best to best or worst to worst and not pick and choose to fit whatever narrative that you are looking to support. I try and not compare LEDs with .25w diodes and bad lenses to a 20k Radium on a Lumenarc with a m81 ballast (beast combo for MH, if you do not know)... that is just misleading.
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RedneckReefer68
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My nano in 2007, I believe, with a 175w iwasaki only
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RedneckReefer68
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Anyone know what ballast the older 150w aquamedic ocean light used?
ANSI m81.
xtian
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michael giordano
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Coralife look like
Or geissemann
