HQI vs Mogol end

[gholtmeyer]

So, I have made up my mind that i am getting a 220g tank. It is 30" deep. I am going to go 400w mh. Do you think that HQI or mogol is the better light for this tank? I will have mostly lps, zoo's, and some sps -monti caps and some millipora, etc. in the tank. I have only had single end so far. I like the color of 20k XM bulbs with actinics.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

 

[ClosetFishGeek]

Pick up a PFO HQI ballast and get yourself a 400w radium....you wont be disapointed(only by bulb life... ;o...)

 

[Bob 1000]

I vote mogul reeflux bulbs much easier and they've never disappointed me, my corals, or the on lookers of my corals for a some years now,,lol.. and the price is usually better..

 

[jrobbins]

i don't think it really matters, especially since they started releasing the big reflectors (lumenmax, lumenarc, etc) for HQI's. Get whatever you can get a good price on.

 

[E.intheC]

My favorite bulb so far is the Radium and its only made for 250/400 watt bulbs as an SE. My major complaint with DE bulbs is that it can be tricky getting the actual bulb in the socket without braking the fragile ceramic material.

 

[Bob 1000]

My favorite bulb so far is the Radium and its only made for 250/400 watt bulbs as an SE. My major complaint with DE bulbs is that it can be tricky getting the actual bulb in the socket without braking the fragile ceramic material.

and most of them need uv shields

 

[gholtmeyer]

My favorite bulb so far is the Radium .

how is it compared to the 20k XM?

 

[ClosetFishGeek]

how is it compared to the 20k XM?

Very Diferent.....There are so many choices as well as peoples personal opinions on what is "ideal". The eye of the beholder....:splitspin

 

[ECFENCING]

my favorite bulb so far is the radium and its only made for 250/400 watt bulbs as an se. My major complaint with de bulbs is that it can be tricky getting the actual bulb in the socket without braking the fragile ceramic material.

Agreed....They are a pain but not so bad if you're careful. Unfortunately I haven't been so careful.

I think there are more bulb choices in 400W SE but could be wrong.

 

[gholtmeyer]

Very Diferent.....There are so many choices as well as peoples personal opinions on what is "ideal". The eye of the beholder....:splitspin

give me a couple of examples of the diff between the 20k XM and the radium bulbs?

 

[prattreef]

IMO the Radiums need to be run on an "HQI" ballast to look good. Otherwise they are too blue and monochromatic. Over driven on the HQI they are super nice. Look at Reefbum's tank thread--he runs HQI radiums.

 

[ClosetFishGeek]

IMO the Radiums need to be run on an "HQI" ballast to look good. Otherwise they are too blue and monochromatic. Over driven on the HQI they are super nice. Look at Reefbum's tank thread--he runs HQI radiums.

This is the only way to drive them.....any other way and it looks like tidey bowl....lol...I found out the hard way....even the galaxy ballast with the hqi setting still falls short of the crisp punch of the PFO hqi ballast.

 

[E.intheC]

IMO the Radiums need to be run on an "HQI" ballast to look good. Otherwise they are too blue and monochromatic. Over driven on the HQI they are super nice. Look at Reefbum's tank thread--he runs HQI radiums.

I ran them on Magnetic ballasts a while back and they weren't too blue, but I think you're talking about electronic ballasts in this instance, correct? (FWIW, the ballast I used was getting old...) ..if that's the case, I agree with you completely.

Anyway, I just ordered a Lumatek adjustable ballast that has the HQI setting, so I'll be able to compare them pretty easily.

 

[prattreef]

The Lumantek adjustable seems to be the ballast of choice these days for Radiums exactly because of the HQI setting. They don't run well on other electronic ballasts like the Ice Cap. I think the "HQI" magnetic ballast is the M80 if I remember correctly. Either magnetic or electronic, the key is to overdrive the lamp making them burn whiter and shortening their lifespan a bit.

But in this day and age of no blue is too blue who knows what folks will think looks good.

Oh and for the record, I run and love Ushio 14K lamps--much whiter than most these days prefer.

 

[CrAzY cOrAlS]

400 watts my be to much, i have the same tank you want for sale now in market place i used 3x 250s growth was outstanding , 400s might be a little much in my opinion

 

[prattreef]

I agree. I run 250w on my 240g. (24" high) with no issues with growth or coloration.

 

[NYreefNoob]

6" can mean a 100 par less especially towards the bottom, also pen on coral placement

 

[gholtmeyer]

Anyway, I just ordered a Lumatek adjustable ballast that has the HQI setting, so I'll be able to compare them pretty easily.

They make those?! Holy crap Batman, I missed those coming onto the market. Where you getting that?

 

[gholtmeyer]

6" can mean a 100 par less especially towards the bottom, also pen on coral placement

yeah, 6" can make a big difference. (just ask your wife)

I plan on having mostly lps, zoo's, and some sps in the tank. I want to be able to grow whatever I want too. I have seen tanks that did not have enough light or lights were placed too high. Zoo's on the bottom of the bed were streatching to the light instead of being a tight little bunch.

 

[E.intheC]

The Lumantek adjustable seems to be the ballast of choice these days for Radiums exactly because of the HQI setting. They don't run well on other electronic ballasts like the Ice Cap. I think the "HQI" magnetic ballast is the M80 if I remember correctly. Either magnetic or electronic, the key is to overdrive the lamp making them burn whiter and shortening their lifespan a bit.

But in this day and age of no blue is too blue who knows what folks will think looks good.

Oh and for the record, I run and love Ushio 14K lamps--much whiter than most these days prefer.

It looks like either the Lumatek or Galaxy ballasts are the preferred way to go.
The Blue Wave ballasts also work (non-adjustable) but they're no longer being made. They're magnetic pulse start ballasts (the last part is very important when running Radiums) and if I remember correctly, were on sale for $60-75 or so for the single 250 watt version when they were selling out.

I agree with the trend in blue spectrum. My tank is going to have the 250 watt Radium along with (hopefully anyway) 4x T5's. I'm not sure which bulbs to choose yet, however.