Giesemann Spectra for my 6 ft tank?

[10Seconds]

So I just added a 6 ft, 220 gallon system to the house and am trying to deciding on lighting for it. It came with 4, two bulb t5 fixtures and a 72" XHO reefbright (which i plan to keep on it)

Looking at the 72" Gieseman Spectra but the Infinity seems to be very similar with 3 MH bulbs vs 2 of the Spectra (Double Ended vs Single)

Should I be focused on getting a 72" fixture or would centering a 60" be ok also? (The have the same number of MH bulbs in both lengths, T5s are shorter). As the is my largest tank ever, want to try and set up right from the begining. Advice appreciated

 

[A. grandis]

You will be the one to decide between the DE or SE halides.
I would get the SE because I would run Radiums.
Also, the ballast doesn't come with the fixture.
A good option for the SE would be the Luxcore electronic ballast.
The right size for your tank is the 72".
Grandis.

 

[10Seconds]

Thats what I was leaning towards as well so you are confirming what I thought I wanted. My other tank has a DE bulb which I am happy with but people always use the Radium as the standard they refer to.

I was looking at those same ballasts too, the ones than adjust from 250 - 400.

 

[A. grandis]

Thats what I was leaning towards as well so you are confirming what I thought I wanted. My other tank has a DE bulb which I am happy with but people always use the Radium as the standard they refer to.

I was looking at those same ballasts too, the ones than adjust from 250 - 400.

You can get either Luxcore ballast, the blue or the red, because both have the 250W option.
If you think you could upgrade and need to change to a 400W in the future get the red, but if you think you could also use in a smaller system in the future you can get the blue ballast.

Radium is, by many, the very best MH bulb you can offer to SPS tank, so...
Grandis.

 

[10Seconds]

Truthfully when comparing the spectra to the infinity the only thing that gives me pause is the fact that the spectra is only 2 Mh bulbs vs 3 on the infinity. So having the option to run 400w if i need to would be a plus, is what I was thinking.

 

[andrew james]

Take a look at the Giesemann Megachrome bulb. They are a little more than the Radium but I really think they produce a nicer light. I had only ever used Radium bulb, until this last time I decided to give the Giesemann Megachrome a try after seeing it on a friends tank. I prefer the look hands down. They produce a very beautiful light that pulls out the coral's color.

 

[A. grandis]

Take a look at the Giesemann Megachrome bulb. They are a little more than the Radium but I really think they produce a nicer light. I had only ever used Radium bulb, until this last time I decided to give the Giesemann Megachrome a try after seeing it on a friends tank. I prefer the look hands down. They produce a very beautiful light that pulls out the coral's color.

You're not the only one. Many people are talking about the Giesemann Megachrome.
It seems like a wonderful bulb!!
Do you happen to have a comparison of pictures to post?
Grandis.

 

[andrew james]

not very good, my white balance is all over the place and I cant find a fts with a radium, so not much of a comparison
If I where to try and describe the comparo the MC have over all less blue tint but more pop on the colors .

Radium

Megachrome

 

[A. grandis]

not very good, my white balance is all over the place and I cant find a fts with a radium, so not much of a comparison
If I where to try and describe the comparo the MC have over all less blue tint but more pop on the colors .

Radium

Megachrome

Wow! Very nice indeed!
What Megachrome is that? Crystal, Marine or Coral?
SE or DE?
What fixture?
How is growth compared to the Radium?
Thanks for the pics!

Grandis.

 

[A. grandis]

Here is a video of a tank with Radiums:

Grandis.

 

[BoomCorals]

I'm curious to read more about this MC bulb

 

[DSC reef]

I've never seen the mega chrome bulb in person. I'd like to see the 21k they offer.

 

[andrew james]

I use the 21k. It's close to the radium but I think it provides more clarity, color and shimmer.

 

[jda]

14K Phoenix is a DE bulb that is as good as any - it is the most used DE bulb. It needs M80 ballast just like the Radium 20K does. MegaChrome 21 is a good bulb too - this bulb needs a M80 ballast too on DE or SE and will look different on magnetic or electronic. The MegaChrome is a bit bluer than 14k Phoenix to me, but I would use it in a heartbeat if the 14k Phoenix ever went away (they did actually when LED were though to be an answer, and then they came back by popular demand when many folks changed back to MH).

FWIW, the MegaChrome 12.5 is a great bulb if you have some actinic bulbs to get awesome growth and pop, but it might be too white/yellow on it's own. I think that it is only a matter of time before 10K and actinics come back in - as people realize how powerful and effective 14-20K MH are and they have T5s anyway, they will naturally take this next step.

If you are posting about these, please include the ballast that your run so that people can do a good comparison.

 

[rtparty]

I think @Broadfield ran the Gmann 21k and he switched to the Radiums.

 

[Broadfield]

So I just added a 6 ft, 220 gallon system to the house and am trying to deciding on lighting for it. It came with 4, two bulb t5 fixtures and a 72" XHO reefbright (which i plan to keep on it)

Looking at the 72" Gieseman Spectra but the Infinity seems to be very similar with 3 MH bulbs vs 2 of the Spectra (Double Ended vs Single)

Should I be focused on getting a 72" fixture or would centering a 60" be ok also? (The have the same number of MH bulbs in both lengths, T5s are shorter). As the is my largest tank ever, want to try and set up right from the begining. Advice appreciated

Just to clear things up, the 72" Giesemann Spectra does indeed use 3 SE bulbs. Let me know if you need a price and/or custom color... white etc.

 

[Broadfield]

I think @Broadfield ran the Gmann 21k and he switched to the Radiums.

Yes, I use to run the 21K Giesemann and loved them... until I tried Radium 2oKs lol. Even though the Giesemann are rated at 21k, they are not as blue as the Radiums. The Radiums alone give me the same spectrum as the Giesemann 21K and 4 actinic blue T5s together.

 

[andrew james]

I run a Giesemann Spectra with luxcore 250 selectable turned to super lumen with 21k mega chrome bulbs, 4 T5 Giesemann super actinic and 2 Reefbrite XHO blue

 

[mcarroll]

Yes, I use to run the 21K Giesemann and loved them... until I tried Radium 2oKs lol. Even though the Giesemann are rated at 21k, they are not as blue as the Radiums. The Radiums alone give me the same spectrum as the Giesemann 21K and 4 actinic blue T5s together.

Which Radium are you running and with what ballast and what power? It sounds like you are low-powering them so they're extra blue, but I'm still curious.

 

[Broadfield]

Which Radium are you running and with what ballast and what power? It sounds like you are low-powering them so they're extra blue, but I'm still curious.

250 Watt Radiums running on Luxcore 250/400 watt ballasts... running 250 watt setting. I'll try them on the 250 watt HQI setting and see if they whiten up... even though I don't want them to lol. I tried the HQI setting on my Giesemann 21ks, but didn't notice any difference in spectrum.