20k radium: how blue

bct15 · Mar 12, 2020

Radium 20k will look very white compared to blue LEDs. It is a bluish White color to my eyes. I ran 400w on large reflectors about a foot off the water. I used the purple lumatek ballasts on super lumens.

I am setting up a 500 gallon and will be running four Cozumel sun reflectors with the same ballasts.

I always supplement with t5 and will also add some leds this time around.

I only run my halides for 5 hours a day, and run t5s for a couple hours before, during, and a couple hours after halides turn off.

LadyTang2 · Mar 12, 2020

Superlumens setting will make it a little whiter? That's what I have heard about the 250hqi vs 250.

greekspec2 · Mar 12, 2020

Bpb said:
I go to Home Depot a lot, and I’ve never seen a metal halide pendant there capable of producing the reflective quality we need

I was being sarcastic

Bpb · Mar 12, 2020

greekspec2 said:
I was being sarcastic

Lol I figured regional variations may be possible in stocking ha ha

LadyTang2 · Mar 13, 2020

How does reflector size and distance from water effect MH shimmer? Or other factors that effect mh shimmer for that matter.

Bpb · Mar 13, 2020

Higher up smaller reflectors = more shimmer. Bigger reflector closer down = less shimmer

LadyTang2 · Mar 13, 2020

Bpb said:
Higher up smaller reflectors = more shimmer. Bigger reflector closer down = less shimmer

I can imagine how a larger reflector would cause less shimmer, but why does lowering it closer to the water also cause less?

Bpb · Mar 13, 2020

Just seems to be my experience. Light sources mounted closer to the water seem to elicit less shimmer. My reflectors are so large relative to the water surface that even up 12” high I get virtually zero shimmer. Looks like my tank did under t5ho

Willylumplump · Mar 13, 2020

I haven’t run leds personally, but can tell you the radiums are whiter. I ran 250w on magnetic, then electronic ballasts. My maganetic ballast was super noisy. I loved the color, prefer it to the royal blue of the leds. I moved to t5 to get rid of the heat from the bulbs and thought halides would probably be going away.

LadyTang2 · Mar 13, 2020

Some say there M80s were loud, some say they were not, I wonder if this varies a little or how much is just what different people consider loud, @Willylumplump, if the m80s were in a closet do you think you could still hear them on the other side of a thin indoor wall?

oreo54 · Mar 13, 2020

LadyTang2 said:
Some say there M80s were loud, some say they were not, I wonder if this varies a little or how much is just what different people consider loud, @Willylumplump, if the m80s were in a closet do you think you could still hear them on the other side of a thin indoor wall?

Well that's part of it.. The cores can vibrate producing audable noise based on manuf, age of ballast, ect, ect.. and some people are more sensitive to noise at different frequencies..

There is no absolute answer..oh and electronic ones can make noise as well.. just less common or higher (inaudable) frequency..

Anyways a few hints w/ (assumed) magnetics..

Ballast Noise Reduction

Noise Reduction in your Grow Room! Does...

fredsmagicgarden.weebly.com

LadyTang2 · Mar 13, 2020

I hear "get the m80 for the 250w radium" but for the 400w radium, is a magnetic ballast ie M135 or M155 better also? People seem to not mention it when discussing the 400w, lots of people using electronic, why is it different?

Also do people like the M155 or Eballast on 440 on the 400w radium, like they go higher on the 250hqi?

Willylumplump · Mar 13, 2020

It has been about 6-7 years since I used them, but I had it on opposite side of wall, yes I could here it through the wall, it may have just been my unit, believe it was a Hamilton. The electronic produced a hum, but you would have to listen for it. If I remember correctly the magnetic ballast would run the bulb a bit bluer, and the electronic would save a bit electric and give slightly higher par.

thinking back, it was the core vibrating against the cover. I could squeeze it to make it less loud, but I never took it apart.

RCS82 · Mar 13, 2020

I wish there was a switchable ballast that you just go from 250W HQI, or to 400W SE,
or to 400W Radium, or to 250W Phoenix lol. It's fairly straight forward but a little research is involved to match bulbs to ballasts. Hamilton is a great resource and can clear up a lot of questions. Has #jda been here? He knows this stuff inside and out.

LadyTang2 · Mar 13, 2020

RCS82 said:
I wish there was a switchable ballast that you just go from 250W HQI, or to 400W SE,
or to 400W Radium, or to 250W Phoenix lol. It's fairly straight forward but a little research is involved to match bulbs to ballasts. Hamilton is a great resource and can clear up a lot of questions. Has #jda been here? He knows this stuff inside and out.

Luxcore makes one

RCS82 · Mar 13, 2020

Sorry, I meant it as a joke. I have the same switchable ballast but an Icecap. I run 14k Phoenix bulbs and love them.

LadyTang2 · Mar 13, 2020

Speaking of which, what is this button and when do you need it?

Willylumplump · Mar 13, 2020

Looks like overload protection switch

oreo54 · Mar 13, 2020

Willylumplump said:
Looks like overload protection switch

Or more commonly..

circuit breaker..which hopefully nobody will need to reset ("use")

LadyTang2 · Mar 13, 2020

About this supposed m80 superiority for 250w radiums, is this still better than the hqi or 275w settings on electronic ballasts? Is there something more about the magnetic, aside from the watts that makes it better than the electronic?

When 400w radium come up there less of an insistence on using magnetic ballasts, more people say they the electronic is just as good although I've only read so many reviews. Why?