radium bulbs

[nutrak]

I recently upgraded my MH ballast from a standard 250 one to a 400 hqi. with this ballast i purchased radium bulbs 20k. i think they're the most beautiful bulbs in the world, at least compared to the semi green aqualine 13k bulbs i was using. anyhow...

-are there any precautions i need to take with switching these bulbs?

-will my algae buildup be greater because of the higher wattage even though its bluer light?

-will the electricity bill be significantly higher? i would think not because the ballast is more energy efficient.

please advise.
joe

 

[reefrunner69]

-are there any precautions i need to take with switching these bulbs?

Yep, you need to acclimate your coral to the new bulbs, the added intensity as well as the added UV. Check out the Article section for some info on acclimating for new bulbs.

-will my algae buildup be greater because of the higher wattage even though its bluer light?

Maybe, no way to tell till you try, a good acclimation will help as well as increasing your clean up crew a tad.

-will the electricity bill be significantly higher? i would think not because the ballast is more energy efficient.

Your gonna be running approximately 150 more watts, expect an increase in the bill to reflect that