Ushio 20,000K DE vs. Radiums

[E.intheC]

Has anyone used both? Can you give a comparison between the two bulbs?

Right now I have a DE Fixture, but want something close to Radiums without having to switch everything over to SE.

How far off are the Ushios?

I have used the 14,000K Ushios, and am currently using a Phoenix 14,000K on an icecap ballast but it's not blue enough, and doesn't make the colors "pop".


Thanks for the help

[Brian94558]

Are you talking about the 250w bulbs?

[E.intheC]

Sorry.. Should have mentioned that. It's a 250 watt setup

[Brian94558]

If I was using a 250w fixture, I would only use the single ended 20k radiums. The 20k ushios are pretty close to them though, although the par isn't as good.

[E.intheC]

I have a 40 breeder LPS tank so PAR is important but not the most important factor. Is the PAR terrible with the Ushios or just a bit lower than the Radiums?

[kmu]

I would love to know also what 250 HQI can match the radium color... how about the coralvue 20k or the Reeflux 20k?

[E.intheC]

I've read the Reeflux 20,000K has more PAR than the 12,000K, but the latter actually looks better?

I've seen the 12,000K in person (and they looked good) but they were SE bulbs so it's tough to compare

[Akrite]

I had the same problem with Phoenix bulbs then added Blue+ T5's and instant Pop. Kept that setup for over two years before switching to all T5.

[E.intheC]

You know... That might be something worth looking into.. How many T5's did you have?

[vivek]

i am using ushio 20k 400w dimmable ballast single ended bulbs fired by coralvue dimmable ballast alongside a brand new radium 20k 400w fired by lumatek at the hqi setting (and tried the 400w setting as well on the lumatek). All i can say is i am having a hard time justifying the cost of the radiums and the new ballast. at the 400watt setting on the radiums the ushio's will give you a bluer look and comparable to better par values. i did not see any dramatic pop in the corals too. At the HQI setting i have to say the radiums are a tad more bluer than the ushios but ever so slightly. i will for sure stick with the ushio's

[Akrite]

2 T5's. I got a retro kit from reefgeek and had the MH between the 2 T5's. I tried other bulbs before adding the T5's but the pheonix had the best combination of color and growth.

[cody6766]

I wasn't floored with the 20000K Coralvue bulb I used a while back. It was a single end 175w driven by a magnetic ballast. THe color wasn't bad but the visible light was weak on my 33g cube. I also ran a ReefLux 12K over the tank (250w, SE, mag ballast) and it was too white for my tastes. It did crank out some serious light though. I supplemented it with two blue+ T5s and it looked awesome.

[E.intheC]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Got some helpful information here. Looks like I'm going to try out the Ushio bulb