Radium 250 vs 400 watts spectrum

[Abhishek]

Hi,

I currently run radium 250 watts on m80 ballast over a 30 in x 30 in x 18 in tank . The reflector is a Hamilton Comuzel 20 in x 20 in and its around 6-8 inches off the water surface .

However, am thinking of moving to a 400 watt radium run on electronic ballast luxcore in superlumens mode.
The reflector will be moved around 16 inches off the water surface .

Question is is it a good move considering its a fairly big tank foorprint and I generally like to keep acros on the floor . Tank is 90% acropora.

How is the spectrum different between 400 and 250 watt radium ?

Regards,
Abhishek

 

[A. grandis]

I would think the spectrum most likely won't change if you would keep the same type of ballast with the same bulb brand/spectrum, when changing wattage. It would probably change if you use same brand/ spectrum with different wattage and different ends (SE/DE). Would be nice to hear from others...
Changing the ballast will most likely change the spectrum a bit, even if you keep same bulb brand/spectrum. People say that using Radium bulbs with electronic ballast will make the bulb look whiter to our eyes, comparing to M80. I don't think it's a big deal.
I actually would like to hear more from the experts in this regards to know what are the cons using electronic ballasts.
They run cooler and possibly use less electricity?
Grandis.