Not too happy with Ushio

[Jase]

My setup consists of 2 x 400 10,000k Ushio and 2 x 96 w blue pcs.
They have been burning in over the last 6 weeks.
I am rather dissapointed in the colour, finding them a bit yellow.
I have been hearing about the 20,000k Radiums (?).
My tank is mostly sps, so I need PAR, but this colour just isn't working for me.

Suggestions, experiences, anything, please

 

[golfish]

Are you using an HQI ballast? I find the 10K Ushio bulbs to be a crisp white.

 

[dbman]

Maybe it's those PCs that are bothering you... I was under the impression that "blue" PCs are a pretty poor substitute for actinic.

 

[Big R]

One of the three Ushio 150W HQI's I put over my tank was very yellow. I replaced it with a different bulb and solved the problem. Maybe you have some bad bulbs.

R

 

[jamesw]

LOL, well, if you want to add some blue back to your tank cause you like "that look" it seems like a coupla blue bulbs would be the way to go.

Actinic lamps are not in fact blue. They are designed to produce photosynthetically stimulating wavelengths (whatever that means) and they appear violet to most people.

I for one am running an iwasaki 400w w/ 2 96w PC blue lamps and I like the results. I was running this setup w/ a Ushio lamp instead, and it looked awesome, but was not as much PAR so I switched.

HTH
James

 

[Len]

Another factor to consider is when you blow fans directly across the surface of any bulb (ushio or iwasaki), it seems almost always the case that they burn more yellow. Dropping the temp of the bulb can theoritically do that.

I'd switch out the pc blue bulbs for some true actinic pc bulbs (available in 96W now).

Also, consider using some carbon if you aren't. The yellow is often times caused by the water rather then the bulb(s) used.

As mentioned the bulbs may just be poorly manufacturered. Every now and then, I get a bulb that comes in very yellow. And rarely are both bulbs the same color.

 

[Jase]

Thanks for the replies guys
It could be the ballast...it was built by some electro whizz who recently took down his tank .Can't tell if it's hqi or not, though I do know he was using German 10kks too.
I like the pc blues(not the so callled 03), as they really bring out the reds.

Anyone running Radiums?

 

[dmm32]

Jase

I run those bulb without any actinic supplement and no yellow at all.


David

 

[MattM]

Jase -

We run the exact same setup (2 x 400W 10K Ushio + 2 x 96W PC Blue) on the 72 bowfront in our sidewalk display tank. Looks nice and white. We use a PFO regular (not HQI) ballast.

I would suspect your ballast, or bad bulbs, or one of the other suggestions above - I don't think there is a systemic problem with the color of this setup.

Don't bother with the 20K bulbs. Lousy PAR and way too blue. They're good for only two applications: 1) simulating a deep water environment, 2) people who erroneously think that higher color temp must always be better.

P.S. The link above says we're using 10K Euros, but we've upgraded to the 10K Ushios since that picture was taken.

[ October 03, 2001: Message edited by: MattM ]

 

[Len]

Osram manufacturers the 20,000K Radium bulbs. They're designed for HQI use, but can be operated with standard ballasts (with much decreased output). Ushio manufacturers the 10,000K bulb. Same spew about the hqi/standard ballst for these bulbs.

I've used 20,000K bulbs before on standard mag ballasts, following Steve Tyree's lead back in 1996. I didn't like the results of the bulbs; they were very dim to the eye, and modern testing has shown that they are pretty dismal in PAR and lumen value when used with mag ballasts. The Radiums were VERY blue, and didn't render colors accurately; everything either looked green, or bluish. They also didn't flourensce the corals like true actinics do (I believe they center their spectral output at 450nm, vs 420nm of actinics). My opinion of the bulbs operated under standard magnetic ballasts? Very poor, and not recommended.

It's a different story (in regards to PAR and spectral output) when operated with a HQI ballast, and I have no experience there. Hopefully someone here does. Sanjay has done a couple of of the bulb comparative evaluations using different ballasts: www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/s/b/sbj4/aquarium/ballast%20comparison/ballast-comparison.html

My opinion is that Iwaski or Ushios, married with true actinics (I like VHO's myself) produce the most aesthetic results, and yields the best growth and pigmentation.

The UBB code for URL is driving me nuts!

[ October 03, 2001: Message edited by: Leonard ]

 

[MattM]

I think Leonard has covered the subject quite well, I defer to him.

 

[M.E.Milz]

Sorry to horn in on the thread, but I ahd a question for Matt regarding the Ushio 20,000k bulbs.

I am in the planning stages for a new tank (mostly sps) that will measure 80"x32"x36"high. I do not want to use PC or VHO actinincs. I was thinking of using 3x400watt 6500k Iwasaki (on EYE ballasts), supplemented by 2x400watt 20,000k Ushio. Any thoughts?