Radium owners, are your SPS really that color?

[JB NY]

I'm wondering what color your SPS corals really look like when using radiums. I ask this because every time I get a coral from someone and it was under radiums it looks quite brown to me in my tank and out of the water. I use 10000K Ushios and if you pull the coral out of the water or turn off the lights and look at them in natural lighting, the purple is purple the green is green and the yellow is yellow.

So does the radium artificially color the coral because the light is so blue, or does the coral REALLY look that color after being exposed to the lighting for a while.

[electric130]

Originally posted by JB NY
So does the radium artificially color the coral because the light is so blue, or does the coral REALLY look that color after being exposed to the lighting for a while.

yes, it really is that color, especially if under radiums for a long time (months) they will change back to brown under other lights. your light don't have the same UV radiation that radiums have. the corals and zoox algae change colors due to the UV radiation.

[loui]

I'm no expert, but looking at your website JB NY I must say your corals look pretty colorfull to me :)

[electric130]

Originally posted by loui
I'm no expert, but looking at your website JB NY I must say your corals look pretty colorfull to me :)

i'd have to agree. i don't see much brown in your tank. you have a beautiful tank.

[JB NY]

I'm not complaining about colors in my tank. It's just that I find many corals from radium owners to be very drab looking under different lighting. Like they will be purple or pink but very dark colored.

[intheband]

radiums dont give good colors ime -they make corals LOOK better -as all blue lights do..but if the coloration of the coral isnt very stable -they dont last.

sure some corals (ones that "like" less light or just have a tendency to turn that color under less light) will color up nice under radiums -but on average -most hard corals lose color when kept under radiums alone...

shallow water sps are exposed to full spectrum light in nature-radiums are practically monochromatic.

youre not the first non radium user to complain about the colors of frags traded from people using radiums ..i think i saw sue t say the same exact thing on another board...

i swear -the more people get "hyped" into using radiums and the longer theyve been around-the more and more complaints and switches back to 10k im seeing..;)

[TrevDog]

shallow water sps are exposed to full spectrum light in nature-radiums are practically monochromatic

This doesn't explain why sps growing under Iwasaki's tend not to color up as well as say 10ks. And these bulbs (the Iwas) have a very broad spectrum......

I'd guess that water composition/quality has alot to do with coloration (given that the amount of lighting is adequate).

TrevDog

[Reefs1]

I am surprised to hear this...I just put a 250w Radium over my tank and I am very pleased with it. I haven't really had it on there long enough to see the growth rates and long term color. But things do look alot better under them. Fortunately, I have a new PFO pendant as well with a AB 10K bulb in it in case the Radium does not work out.

But I have read in more than one place that the Radiums have excellent PAR ratings.

[Pauley Tang]

In my experience, a brown coral will look brown under radiums. Period. They might bring out or "flouresce" green undertones like actinics do, but they don't instaneously turn browns into gorgeous purples, blues, etc. before the coral has a chance to color up on its own.

I'll add, however, that Radiums do make purples look more bluish. Just last week I bought a gorgeous intensely purple acro under 10k's at my LFS, but when I got it home and put it under my Radiums, it was a stunning deep sky blue. My friend, who knows nothing about lighting or coral and who was with me at the lfs, was like "whoa! what happened! that coral is totally blue in your tank!" It was funny! We looked at it out-of-water for a few seconds under regular ambient light, and yup, deep purple! Not blue at all. Go figure! It was very colorful either way, but it was just a matter of blue vs. purple. Not brown morphing into blue/purple. I just don't think that happens.

[intheband]

who says corals dont have nice colors under iwasakis...ive seen great colored corals under iwasakis...as a matter of fact -i used to use iwasakis then switched to radiums and lost tons of color that i was gaining...

i like 10k bulbs because they are a nice compromise-good intensity and "looks":) plus they prvide light that most closely matches the "spectrum " that zoox use ..

ask dane riddle or our own eric borneman if corals care about the spectrum or not -theyll both tell you they dont -more intensity = better results for light loving corals.

in the end if you look around at all the best sps tanks online -they use either 10k's -or a mix of 10ks and radiums(with a whole lot of wattage in total i might add).jmo

[JB NY]

Originally posted by Reefs1
But I have read in more than one place that the Radiums have excellent PAR ratings.

I've never read this. Radiums generally have very poor PAR ratings, that's why most people use the 400 watters.

[intheband]

bingo!

how many nice tanks have you seen with colorful sps under 250w radiums???

[Reefs1]

I have actually seen quite a few tanks with colorful SPS under Radiums. I think personally, it is splitting hairs though. And Par ratings and bulb look have alot to do with ballasts so measuring PAR can vary. I have to totally disagree with the saying color under Radiums is bad compared to 10k's, I actually think it is the opposite. I own both Radium and HQI 10k, so I speak from experience. I think the 10k's do speed up and improve growth rates, but the color effect you speak of I have not noticed. I am in no rush to grow my corals at a fast rate anyway so the Radiums work well for me. Most fish stores and propagators are looking for quick growth so this may be one of the reasons you see 10ks used in alot of display tanks at LFS. Also Radiums are really popular and run with much success in the European market, which typically has the jump on us over here when it comes to reef tank lighting, and just about everything else for reef tanks.

I will have to do a further test on the two bulbs side by side to make a complete summation. But I think both bulbs have their own distinct advantages and disadvantages. If nothing else, I think 9 out of 10 eyes would agree that a tanks with Radiums is more pleasing to the eye than a tank with 10ks.

[ravenmore]

tagging along as I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to put in my tank. Right now my ultimate goal is to use 2x250 watt iwasaki's and 2x 250 watt XM's 20ks. My thoughts are the iwasaki's for brightness/coral growth and XM's to enhance coloration as well as to provide "actinic" (so to speak) for the iwasaki's. Anyone had any experiences with coloration of corals under XM's vs radiums?

[newkie]

Originally posted by JB NY
It's just that I find many corals from radium owners to be very drab looking under different lighting
That may be true, but I think you have to give time for the coral to adjust its pigments to adapt to a different lighting spectrum. What are the coral's true colors but those seen under the spectrum of light it is regularly exposed to. Looking at it under your bulbs, or even in sunlight, is just another spectrum that it must adapt to over months to know what it truely looks like in that spectrum. And each adaptation, IME, can completely change the color morph of a coral. IMHO the radium spectrum seems to hold the color morph of a wild coral truer than when I ran Ushios (which always turned green on me). I know this is a bit of a "what is reality but what everyone tells each other reality is" arguement but I think it hold water :p

[Pauley Tang]

Originally posted by intheband
bingo!

how many nice tanks have you seen with colorful sps under 250w radiums???

Check out Tentacle's reef tank. He runs 250 watt Radiums over a 75 gallon, and he has one of the nicest sps/lps tanks on this board. Check him out here http://www.megapathdsl.net/~fmariani/reef.htm

[Reefs1]

I think it is a little overly simplistic to say corals look drab under Radiums; I think we all know there are many other factors that can contribute to "drab" looking corals.

That tank is insaaaaaane BTW!

[intheband]

Originally posted by Pauley Tang
Check out Tentacle's reef tank. He runs 250 watt Radiums over a 75 gallon, and he has one of the nicest sps/lps tanks on this board. Check him out here http://www.megapathdsl.net/~fmariani/reef.htm

i hate to say it -but tentacles pictures appear to be some of the most "color enhanced" pictures ive seen posted .period.

nice blue corraline.....:rolleyes:

[Aged Salt]

Fellas, IMO/E, iwasak's wash out the more subtle coloration--ushio's less so & Radiums allow coloration no other bulb on the market can duplicate[especially HQI's]

[Reefs1]

Originally posted by intheband
i hate to say it -but tentacles pictures appear to be some of the most "color enhanced" pictures ive seen posted .period.

nice blue corraline.....:rolleyes:


That is about the most unfounded thing I have heard yet while on Reefcentral. HAHA! Do you have proof of this, because you should before you make such foolish, simpleminded accusations. It is obvious you want to hear nothing other than that Radiums suck, even when you have proof they don't. I am sure that person worked very hard on that tank and you unfairly pass judgement, but I think Tentacle can answer your accusations on his/her own.

Oh by the way, where are the pictures of your tank intheband? I would like to see them.

[intheband]

yeah ,but everyone knows that blue light "juices " certain /most coral colors...the topic is -are the corals REALLY that color..no they are not -obviously.

shallow water corals utilize the whole spectrum -why would just blue light be better for them??it might make them look better,for a time anyway..but most dont hold good color long term-ime.

[intheband]

reefs 1-foolish huh?how many tanks have you seen with BLUE corraline..and as for pics of my tank-i can assure you one thing -the corraline isnt blue lol...talk about foolish...

its obvious you want to hear nothing but radiums are the best-youre using them.well,ive used them -as well as 65k 10k 12k ..ime 10k's are the best all around -and i lost alot of color when i went ot less intense lighting..youre beloved radiums...

[Reefs1]

You should really think twice before you give your opinions and accusations. There is a good chance they are wrong and certainly unfounded, not to mention they could really bother someone who worked hard on that tank. And if you want to give opinions, work on your delivery, because it is rough.


Apparently judging by two of your posts, you have to see something to believe it for it to be true. That tells me you aren't trustful or you need to get out of the house more and SEE more stuff. Cause I have seen Blue Coralline before, and I have seen successful SPS tanks with Radiums.

[intheband]

reefs1 -im just calling it like i see it -i said the picturesappear to be color enhanced..take another look buddy -whens the last time you saw blue corraline..even under radiums or even actinics-corraline is NOT blue:)

and you delivery is the one that needs work -you called me simple minded ,foolish etc..i didnt call anyone any names:rolleyes:

eedit: where have you seen blue corraline??gimmee a break dude -youre not even worth responding to after that statement....

[Reefs1]

I actually use both Radiums and 10K's, I have no favorite. But this is a thread on Radiums. Ya Dolt!

[intheband]

double post

[intheband]

Originally posted by Reefs1
I actually use both Radiums and 10K's, I have no favorite. But this is a thread on Radiums.Ya Dolt!

what?!? someone needs to calm down.....

edit: -nice the way you edited out the YA DOLT comment..:rolleyes:

[Reefs1]

Bottom line, I don't think you would appreciate it if someone accused you of something that was untrue.

[intheband]

bottom line -corraline isnt blue dude..i said they APPEAR to be color enhanced-if thats not true -then maybe its the camera settings or whatever making it look like that -but its obvious it doesnt look like that in person..right?

[ravenmore]

geez play nice. ;)

Actually, couple of side notes. Like a lot of other things, there are tons of different species of coraline. Different species grow under different conditions - a lot of times it is the level and spectrum of the light. It is quite possible if not probable that there is a blue species out there.

FWIW - It didn't strike me that the pics on the site were color enhanced. I'll check it out again, but it just didn't jump out and grab me that they had been altered.

[intheband]

ravenmore-perhaps there is blue corraline-but id bet my bottom dollar its not growing on any of our members tanks back wall...i didnt mean to turn this thread into a debate about a members tank ..that isnt even part of the disscussion-i think we should get back to radiums /coral coloration...:)

[Reefs1]

My apologies Ravenmore, and any others on the thread for the bantering. I know how hard I work on my tanks and I am sure this person does too, so I felt it was inappropriate for intheband to say. Again, sorry for the petty argument.

[intheband]

oh you apologize to ravenmore -but now i see you edited back in youre "dolt" comment??!

i think someone needs a warning/edit from a moderator.....

[Reefs1]

Your in luck, Tentacle is a moderator and I sent them this thread.

And I have no idea what you are talking about editing anything. Grow up .

Back to Radiums.......

[intheband]

well do you have any idea what it says in youre user agreement?i think calling names/personal attacks is prohibited..and you can deny it all you want -but you posted it -edited it out -and then edited it back in after you saw that i quoted it before you could remove it..people calling names on the computer are the ones that needd to grow up..and if they cant, shouldnt be allowed to post on rc...

and im glad you sent this thread to a modrator-now tentacle can explain why his corraline is blue if he so choses ,and maybe he can warn you and edit youre offensive posts

[Reefs1]

You are sorta right, but the user agreement also writes about making defamatory comments as well. Or maybe you missed that part...

[intheband]

what are you talking about -i can post my opinion on how anything appears to my eyes..ive broken no rules here..you on the other hand ........

you know what -im not even gonna respond to you anymore..i hope a moderator will step in soon -and we'll just see who gets the warning and edited:)

[Reefs1]

Good idea...Goodbye.:p


Moving on...That tank and everything in it are about the nicest I have seen here on RC. I am truly inspired.

[Reefs1]

Here is a PM from intheband..Why not let everyone see it. I think we should move on, anyone agree?


intheband
Reefer



Registered: May 2003
Posts: 85

blue corraline
im laughing my *** off at you -you say you have eight years in the hobby and you cant tell faked pics when you see them ...youre a real genius aint ya lol

ravenmore is a photographer-hes just being nice and not responding again about how fake those pics are-if they werent i can guarantee he would have responded and said so.. you keep right on kissing his butt ,,it doesnt make his pictures any less color enhanced


06/06/2003 09:50 PM

[Anemone]

Okay - a couple of things:

Intheband - I think if you go beyond the first image, you'll see in the close up pictures that the corals retain their vibrant coloration, and the bacground colors are correct. You look at the first pic and see blue coralline on the back wall? I look and see pale purple - a fairly common color in my tank... I think I'd be very annoyed if I were Tentacle. Unfortunately, tentacle has some personal issue that are keeping him off the boards, so I don't expect him to come and straighten you out properly...

Reefs1 - no matter how insulting another member's opinion may be, it doesn't give anyone free reign to call names. You are perfectly within your rights to tell him you think he's wrong, but keep the name-calling out of it.

Kevin

PS - I know Frank, and I think Intheband is wrong.

[intheband]

:lol:

talk about growing up:lol:

im not gonna stoop down to calling you names in a public thread though;)

[skilos1]

hmmmmmmm these sound like the same posts from a certain member a while back on these boards by the name wilders hair........ that's very curious

[Reefs1]

I agree Anemone, and thanks for your candor and straightening these questions out properly. Now can you tell this guy to stop PMing me? THX :)

I think intheband is wrong too, and I think if someone showed him a chicken he would see a duck. I think skilos quote says it all! Simply brilliant!!

[intheband]

anemone-i stand by my origoinal opinion that the colors in the pics do not look real,period .thats my opinion and im entitled to it:)

[Reefs1]

Originally posted by skilos1
hmmmmmmm these sound like the same posts from a certain member a while back on these boards by the name wilders hair........ that's very curious

What do you mean? Was this person a member before?

[skilos1]

that's all i'm going to say =)

[Anemone]

Originally posted by skilos1
hmmmmmmm these sound like the same posts from a certain member a while back on these boards by the name wilders hair........ that's very curious

Nice catch. It's amazing how some people can't seem to change their discussion style, no matter how many times they get banned for causing problems......

Clean it up, Organic.

Kevin

[skilos1]

glad you got my point.... amazing isn't it.

[intheband]

my posting "style " is all my own..i havent caused any trouble at all..just stating my opinions in a very civilized way..im not tthe one personally attacking anyone .

[Anemone]

Originally posted by intheband
my posting "style " is all my own..i havent caused any trouble at all..just stating my opinions in a very civilized way..im not tthe one personally attacking anyone .

Nope, you weren't calling names - and that has been addressed. But, your "style" leads to confrontations. It has in the past. I'm only noting that your "style" used up all its "I'm a victim here" validity long ago.....

KEvin

[Reefs1]

I never really apologized for calling names, so I am sorry for calling him a dolt. That was not necessary to get my point accross.


I am thoroughly enjoying this though, nice work intheband.

I mean I am a big believer in 2nd and even 3rd chances, but if this person has been banned before and still has this kind of attitude don't you think it is time for another?

[intheband]

wait a minute here-my style leads to confrontations?all i did was state my opinions.i thught this was a disscussion board?

[ravenmore]

I'm gonna have to unsubscribe to this thread -which I really don't want to do as long as it is on topic- You guys are filling up my inbox with reply notifications and aren't really doing anything but yelling at each other.

[intheband]

youre thoroughly enjoying this??and what attitude might that be ?

i havent displayed any kind of " attitude" on this thread at all..

ive never been banned .i dont know what the heck youre talking about lol...

oh i see why youre enjoying it- youre rude posts still havent even been edited yet?

whats the deal with that mods?

[Reefs1]

Confuscious say: when in a hole stop digging. :eek:

[intheband]

reefs1 ,thing is dude ,im not in a hole. the only "confrontational "posts on this thread have been youre own..i dont doubt i may be banned now for dissing a moderators tank.if so so be it,theres alot of boards out ther ,know what i mean.:)

ravenmore,youre right about this thread-but its hard not to defend youresefl,but i think ill just unsbscribe myself..now that the moderators are against me as well,and accusing me of things that arent true:rolleyes:

[SweetJesus]

reading this thread made me feel like I was back in 3rd grade!

[Anemone]

Originally posted by intheband
wait a minute here-my style leads to confrontations?all i did was state my opinions.i thught this was a disscussion board?

"Photoshopping" pictures is a sensitive area - it's tantamount to calling someone a liar. You've been around long enough to know it's extremely insulting...

Ravenmore, sorry it's gotten off topic. FWIW, the folks I've known with Radiums have been extremely happy with their corals "coloring up" under their radiums. They were less happy with the growth rate (much slower than under 10Ks or Iwasakis), and the "breaker" for most people seems to be the loss of spectrum/intensity at about the six month mark (corals lose the "color" they gained), necessitating replacing the bulbs (and new bulbs every six months gets expensive).

Kevin

[intheband]

anemone -last psot from me i promise-but i clearly said that maybe the colors in the pics could be accounted for because of camera settings or whatever.im just sure that the colors are off due to the color of the corraline.

[Reefs1]

Kevin, I have actually heard those same things about Radiums. I think time will be the only true test for me personally, but so far I am please with them. Probably a mix of 10k and Radium would be ideal. :)

[Reefs1]

intheband-im laughing my *** off at you -you say you have eight years in the hobby and you cant tell faked pics when you see them ...youre a real genius aint ya lol

ravenmore is a photographer-hes just being nice and not responding again about how fake those pics are-if they werent i can guarantee he would have responded and said so.. you keep right on kissing his butt ,,it doesnt make his pictures any less color enhanced

[ravenmore]

thanks anemone - I'm actually thinking of mixing iwasaki's and radiums to try and get the best of both worlds. Sounds plausible in theory but not sure if it will work out that way. Has anyone else tried it?

[intheband]

i didnt post that -you did;)and i said practically all that stuff in this thread,just in a much nicer way,considereing its a public forum and all.

ill stand by it too..tentacles pictures are not showing true colors-for whatever reason.nobody else has the gonads to say it.

corraline isnt blue:)

[Reefs1]

I think would create a very attractive looking tank with great light balance. You would probably get the best of both worlds, color and growth.

[skilos1]

I'm actually running a 400 watt radium on a HQI ballast and a 400 watt Iwasaki on a HQI ballast and have been getting great results. It's over a 160 gallon 36x34x30 tank and all the corals are responding great!! I've had it on for about a month and a half. Growth and color are doing great.
I'll respond to the color of the coraline, and the coraline looks light purple to me.... If i can find a picture i'll show you the light purple coraline that grows on the back of mine.

[Reefs1]

You didn't write that huh intheband? You realize there is a forward feature with Private Messages right??

[gregt]

Let's make that the last post on this subject. Argue amongst yourselves in private media or via a moderator. Further derailing of this thread to continue this ****ing match will very likely result in loss of posting rights for whoever it is that posts.

[intheband]

i said i dint POST it..it was a PRIVATE message..you know -for youre eyes only.i didnt POST it in a public forum,why dont youread my POSTS again ..and QUOTE me where i flamed anyone?:)

[ravenmore]

The radiums losing their spectrum after 6 months might be a deal breaker for me as well - anyone know how these new XM's affect coloration of corals as compared to radiums?

[Reefs1]

I have my reef log marked as to when I added my Radium and I took a picture as well. I am going to see if in 6 months there is a marked difference in the look, I have been hearing this about radiums too. A more accurate way to measure this would be with a Lux meter.

[MrSandman]

You guys are hilarious. I don't think Joe started this thread to have it hijacked by you guys.

Anyways, IMO, these corals are really the same color under those lights as they are under ambient light.

I used to run iwasakis and found the colors to be washed out under those lights. Not only that, but for some reason they brought out the browns and oranges in the corals. the radiums do not wash out the true color of the corals and in addition, they really do a great job at accenting all the colors and providing a pleasant looking light w/ minimal to no actinics.

[electric130]

Originally posted by intheband
bottom line -corraline isnt blue dude..i said they APPEAR to be color enhanced-if thats not true -then maybe its the camera settings or whatever making it look like that -but its obvious it doesnt look like that in person..right?

actually, that is the way coraline looks in person when viewed under radiums. and tentacle's tank pictures are not color enhanced. if you have ever seen tank with the same corals that he has lit by 2-250 radiums and VHO actinics, it would look the same way.

Originally posted by intheband
corraline isnt blue:)

it can be. is his? i don't know. under 10000K's, mine is purple, under the radium, it's blue. just like the guy earlier in the thread bought a purple acro. took it home and it was blue in his tank under radiums.

Originally posted by JB NY
I've never read this. Radiums generally have very poor PAR ratings, that's why most people use the 400 watters.

Spectral Analysis of Metal Halide Lamps Used In The Reef Hobby — Part 2 (http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/aqfm/1999/jan/features/2/default.asp)

if you read through that, you'll see that while radiums don't have the par the iwasaki's have, they have about the same par as the AB 10000K (i realize this is for 400's, i couldn't find the info on 250's right now).

Spectral Analysis of MH Lamps - Do ballasts make a difference (http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/s/b/sbj4/aquarium/ballast%20comparison/ballast-comparison.html)

and here you'll see that the radiums are only a tad-bit less in par than ushio 10000K's.

Originally posted by intheband
bingo!

how many nice tanks have you seen with colorful sps under 250w radiums???

i have seen several. most of them local and in person, not on the internet and only in pictures. the ones that i've see, if corals are chosen well(as far as colors), look as good as tentacles. and yes the colors do look like that in person.

Originally posted by newkie
That may be true, but I think you have to give time for the coral to adjust its pigments to adapt to a different lighting spectrum. What are the coral's true colors but those seen under the spectrum of light it is regularly exposed to. Looking at it under your bulbs, or even in sunlight, is just another spectrum that it must adapt to over months to know what it truely looks like in that spectrum. And each adaptation, IME, can completely change the color morph of a coral. IMHO the radium spectrum seems to hold the color morph of a wild coral truer than when I ran Ushios (which always turned green on me). I know this is a bit of a "what is reality but what everyone tells each other reality is" arguement but I think it hold water :p

this is what i was talking about way back in the thread. the color pigment of the corals will change due to the lighting. yes there will be an immediate color difference when placed under radiums, just how your corals look different in the daytime than they do under actinics. the pigment in the corals will change as light changes.

i have a bright orange montipora digitata that turned a deep redish orange under the radium. i had to take the 400 radium off and i'm waiting on the 250 to replace it. when i took the radium off, the coral still had a much brighter, bolder color than it did before the radium(i have pics and compared the before and after look) in the two weeks that the radium has been off, the moti. has lightened back up to what it was before i got the radium.

so to answer the original question again, "Are your SPS really that color?" yes they are under my radium. will they be the same color under your lights? no, not unless you have radiums to make the pigment change colors.

[Reefs1]

Thanks electricman, that is the exact post we were looking for with some data to back it up.

[kevinpo]

A little background:
I run 400W 10,000K and 20,000K bulbs over the same tank (so I think we can eliminate water parameters as a cause for color change). I have multiple colonies of the same corals as I have made frags that have grown into colonies over the years. Some of these daughter colonies are under 10,000K's while the parent is under 20,000K.

This is my experience:
Many of SPS turn darker under the 20,000K's as they add more brown zooxanthellae. This is not noticed very much as it happens gradually and does not show well under the 20,000K. After 6 months if I move the coral under the 10,000K bulb the coral appears much darker and less blue if it has purple in it. Pink and orange corals appear to change to dark red and reddish orange when moved under 20,000K but they appear very close to their original color when moved back under the 10,000K lights. Green corals darken under 20,000K's but they fluoresce much more looking quite impressive. When I move them back to 10,000K's they turn light lime green in a few months and seem to fluoresce much less until just the actinic lights come on.

Placement also seems to be an important factor in coloration as I have a range of 29"- 6" to place corals from the lights. Some corals don't change at all others the change is dramatic. I have 109 types of SPS so there is a wide range of responses.

IMO it is impossible to issue a blanket statement about one light or another as the types of SPS now available is quite large and their range of light requirements/preferences is very wide.

Regarding growth:
I have very close to the same rates under 10,000K's and 20,000K's.

These are just my observations, yours may be much different :rollface:

Regards,
Kevin

[MJB]

Here's a link to some tests run by Stircrazy regarding the PAR values of Radium 250's v AB 250's.
http://www.canreef.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3870&highlight=
The second link is my original post, some of which is out dated (AB availability specifically) if anyone's interested. I've since switch back to AB's. Personal preference that had nothing to do with coral growth/color or lack thereof.--MJB
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=165593

[Aged Salt]

Agree with Kevinpro[BTW excellent note] Not sure,tho that the combo together seems to enhance growth rates over comparable wattages with either 10K or 20K,IME

[kevinpo]

Thank you :) Aged Salt.
I did not mean to imply that a combo of 10,000K and 20,000K resulted in enhanced growth. My tank is 8' long so on one end (36"W x 44" front to back) I have the 10,000K/20,000K bulbs mounted 12" apart. In the center area (24" x 44") is a 10,000K by itself and at the other end of the tank is the 20,000K by its self. Over the total tank area average growth is about 1" a month for SPS corals so I don't see any dramatic change in one group of corals under one type of lighting over the other.

Regards,
Kevin