For those interested in MH bulbs

[kevensquint]

Hi I am a many years metal halide veteran. My favorite bulb for coral health and vigor is the Radium 250w followed by the Phoenix 14k. However I recently tried a Hamilton 14k 250w. And measured it's spectrum against a radium using the same electronic ballast.
To me, it would seem the Hamilton is a more affordable, higher PAR and less ballast finicky Radium. I can't say how coral growth and color will be, it is too soon. But visually this is a nicer, brighter light on my reef IMO.

 

[reefwiser]

Nice like my 20k Reefbrite too. [emoji3][emoji106]

 

[3mm3]

what ballast are you using here? Also wondering if you have a graph that compares the Phoenix bulb?

 

[DSC reef]

Hamilton IMO is under rated. Ive always been a radium fan but since they don't make it in the 150watt DE anymore I switched to hamilton 20k. This bulb is simply amazing. I have no data sheets but the growth and color has been eye opening. I tried the Phoenix 14k and the XM 20k and by far the Hamilton is better to me. Also, the customer service is top notch. Any questions emailed were answered very quickly by dave at hamilton. We're switching over to there T5 bulbs mow to give those a shot.

 

[Velcro]

I think hamilton bulbs just suffer from a bad rap earlier on, but more recently it seems like people really like them.

 

[kevensquint]

I sold my DE sockets/reflectors prior to buying a spectrometer. So no plot for Phoenix. IME I predict equivalent or better results from the Hamilton to the Radium. Which means $15 cheaper bulbs and no misfires on my no name hydroponic electronic ballasts

 

[Elegance Coral]

Big fan of both Hamilton and Radium.
Is that a comparison of a new Hamilton -v- and old radium????

 

[3mm3]

DE 250w hamilton bulbs appear to be discontinued unfortunately

 

[kevensquint]

Both bulbs less than month old, both bulbs on same ballast. Visually and with PAR the Hamilton is brighter. Unfortunately my DIY par meter with an apogee sensor is not giving me numbers that seem right. However it is giving consistent readings. So I can compare bulbs and areas of tanks. But I cannot give out numbers with confidence. So that said 6" under both bulbs. The Hamilton shows 10-15% higher PAR.
*My red monti caps agree with this since they prefer the dimmer Radium side of the tank.

 

[DSC reef]

DE 250w hamilton bulbs appear to be discontinued unfortunately

Email dave at hamilton, he will have all current info for you or any questions that need answering.

 

[mcarroll]

Hi I am a many years metal halide veteran. My favorite bulb for coral health and vigor is the Radium 250w followed by the Phoenix 14k. However I recently tried a Hamilton 14k 250w. And measured it's spectrum against a radium using the same electronic ballast.
To me, it would seem the Hamilton is a more affordable, higher PAR and less ballast finicky Radium. I can't say how coral growth and color will be, it is too soon. But visually this is a nicer, brighter light on my reef IMO.

I wouldn't compare them head to head with the color from a Radium, and I don't think they match the intensity of the higher-wattage Radiums. But that said, you don't usually run different bulbs side-by-side so color differences shouldn't be a huge deal.

I did like the Hamilton 20K's I ran in my fixture. Definitely a bargain. And I always liked dealing with Hamilton – sold A LOT of their PC bulbs back in the day.

My setup was dual 150w DE's on magnetic HQI ballasts.....YMMV since you're on electronic......the Hamilton's seemed to run at 150w for me where the Radiums ran at almost 180w. This was also around 6 years ago.

How did you measure PAR and do you happen to have comparative numbers for power-input to both bulbs? I'd love to see both PAR (output) and watts (input) if there's any way.

 

[mcarroll]

That was too generic....wondering what you used to measure PAR and if your measurements were from freshly installed bulbs, already burned in bulbs, or old worn-out bulbs? Also wondering about watts.

 

[kevensquint]

As I said , my PAR meter is not applicable it's an apogee sensor plugged to a multimeter. In my opinion PAR is a nice to know number but spectrum is more useful for me. I chose to compare the 14k hamilton to the Radium and was surprised to see how similar the spectral peaks are. I did it for me, I do it all the time with T5's , LED's and MH. So there are no rules here, if I want to take a spectral plot and share I will. You may or may not use the info in anyway you like. My take is, Hamilton is basically the same bulb as my beloved Radium only with more juice. For me it means cheaper replacement bulbs.

 

[DSC reef]

I would compare Hamilton's 20k bulbs to radium any day no matter the wattage.

 

[Dana Riddle]

Nice work!

 

[Elegance Coral]

Thanks for sharing your observations.
It would be interesting to see how they hold up over time.
I ran two Radiums side by side, for two years. I replaced one of them, the other one came in broken. I couldn't tell the difference between the two your old bulb and the brand new one. My corals didn't seem to care either. I wonder if the Hamilton would hold up as well????????

 

[kevensquint]

I will be happy to re-post new spectral plots when the bulbs are old.

 

[mcarroll]

To me, it would seem the Hamilton is a more affordable, higher PAR and less ballast finicky Radium.

As I said , my PAR meter is not applicable it's an apogee sensor plugged to a multimeter.

So there are no rules here, if I want to take a spectral plot and share I will. You may or may not use the info in anyway you like.

You mentioned earlier that you measured higher PAR.....now you're saying you can't actually measure PAR? I'm not sure I understand. (Maybe this? If you're using uncalibrated readings from a meter, then it may be a misnomer to even mention PAR....but still at least somewhat useful for A/B comparisons as you said.) I'm also not sure I understand what you meant about rules?

I'm still curious if you found watts consumed (at the wall is fine) to be similar or different under each bulb?

Wondering if your ballast kinda put the Radium and Hamilton on more-equal footing by giving them the same wattage? That would do a lot in my mind to explain the very-similar performance IMO. (250w Radiums should be able to pull 270+ watts if allowed....I doubt the Hamilton is built to allow more than 250 watts, but I could be wrong.)

 

[kevensquint]

My initial post was meant as a simple interesting observation. For all this extra work you request, I invite you to buy the equipment and look into it. I have two jobs and raise two kids alone so I post brief things when I have a moment the "rules" are. I post on my terms, I simply dont have time to accommodate special or extra tests.

 

[mcarroll]

My initial post was meant as a simple interesting observation. For all this extra work you request, I invite you to buy the equipment and look into it. I have two jobs and raise two kids alone so I post brief things when I have a moment the "rules" are. I post on my terms, I simply dont have time to accommodate special or extra tests.

I also have a life – no need to be touchy.

I didn't ask for the info today.....take a year if you want.

All I said is that I was curious – which is your fault for posting the intriguing information. Keep the fascination to yourself if you don't want to provoke curiosity.

This is a fun hobby, not some crappy job – try to enjoy it and don't be so snippy!