Help me pick a bulb.

[MrMongoose]

I'm setting up a prop tank....40G 36X18X12. I want to hang a single pendant over the tank, I dont' think I'm going to have a big problem w/ shadeing on the ends but I would like some recommendations for bulbs and pendants. I want a 250W DE bulb w/ lots of color and good growth. I was thinking a Phoniex 14K but I've also heard people have "good" not great but good growth w/ a 20K Radium bulb. Any opinions or suggestions are welcome. Thanks
-Nathan

[MrMongoose]

Also I'm not sure exactly what pendant to get...do I want an electionic ballast for sure?...and if I get electronic will it fire any bulb I put in the pendant? Right now I'm looking at Hamiltion Reefstars from PremiumAquatics

[gqjeff]

If you go eballasts I would not recommend DE at all.. They simply were not made to fire those bulbs and they do not run them hot enough.. If you are buying a new setup from the getgo and want to go DE look into SLS with reefoptix III pendent... If you go with the radiums def use HQI for best output with those bulbs aswell..

[tonkadawg]

I just got an EVC 10K HQI for my frag tank in progress. Haven't been able to fire it yet, but from the reviews it looks promising.

[moonpod]

OK. Just a few pointers. IF you are going DE, first off do not get the Hamilton. The performance just isn't there. ROIII is the way to go. Second there is no such thing as a Radium 250w DE. 150w DE yes. 250w SE yes. 250w DE no. Third, if you go eballast, don't bother with DE. You're just not using the setups potential. Especially if you are lighting a 36" tank. Fourth, the EVC "10k" DE runs at about a true color temp of 5500k per Sanjay's testing, which is why the output is so high. It's much lower in color temp than the 400w bulb Sanjay likes. There's not anything "wrong" with that, it's just a buyer beware issue. If you like the "natural" look you'll dig the EVC most likely. If you like the "blue" look, you're going to hate it. If you like something inbetween you probably will think, "it's ok, but....".

[moonpod]

http://www.reefgeek.com/products/cat...ng/104665.html

[MrMongoose]

Thanks everyone....looks like Phoniex is getting my vote so far, althought I might have to order it right now to get it in time.
I'll research ReefOptics III more, that looks like a good choice also, but I think the Phoniex bulb is the way to go for sure.

[golfish]

I haven't seen the Phoniex yet (unless Eric isn't telling me everything) but I have seen the Aquaconnects (sp?) those are pretty awesome bulbs.

FWIW, Seeing how its just a prop tank I'd just set up the same wattage\type bulb from your main tank and run the old bulbs off of there.