Radium metal halide bulbs will not be produced anymore!

[Troylee]

Seems like Phoenix switched gears to led only.

 

[jda]

Their website says that they still make specialty bulbs with mercury.

 

[A. grandis]

Seriously hats off to you for your help! What a victory for us, devoted metal halide users.

I also got a reply from Radium confirming ABS is their business partner. It is not just a random person who stock up bulbs to make profit, but rather a legit business. I was trying to directly import (and stock up) from the Radium company, and this is where I was redirected by Radium company.

Phoenix is a Japanese company right? There is another American company named Phoenix lighting.

Thank you. I appreciate your words, but I choose to believe that many here had a very important play on their decision when they emailed Radium and Hamilton back when I suggested, and also in what we might achieve from now on. Thank you all for listening to my suggestions! The many emails to Hamilton is probably the main reason why this new company Aqua Bright Solutions is now selling Radiums again, as the main representative in US, and will sell their own branded lamps soon. Aqua Bright Solution is a company founded by 2 former employees of Hamilton (I can't talk too much about it for now). It depends on all of us users. We are all together in this! I'm no more than anyone here, interested in keeping halides available. We just have to keep strong an let the manufacturers know how much we want halides in the market again. They need to know that not only the public aquariums appreciate halides!
This is only some of what we can achieve, if we keep showing interest and be active fighting for what we want/need. We still have a long way to go to get back to a plausible number of different options of bulbs available. Not to mention that if we don't have new fixtures and ballasts, this new generation won't be excited to try and approve the quality/results. We need fixtures and ballasts to be widely available to the public in many shapes and forms to be used in many different types of setups, like before! The market/stores like to sell fancy exciting stuff too, and to promote what best brings most cash per item. Also, the so called "upgrades" are what drives the cash flowing with the "new gens" of LEDs, for example. So the halide manufacturers will probably need to add some "features" here and there from time to time for the fun, adding a numbe to the name of a newer fixture, for example. The evolution of halides in this hobby will depend on the real demand by the hobbyists that appreciate the unique value of the technology. New timed sleek fixtures, ceramic metal halide systems and advanced magnetic/electronic ballasts are only some of the exciting features we could see in the future. Those evolutionary aspects of metal halide systems should be in the hobby today! Manufacturers need to understand that advertisement needs to follow this new emerging and it needs to happen asap. Recycle program for the lamps is also something that will promote this emerging aspect as we are appreciated by such, to promote a sustainable plan and be part of a nice global promotion. It's always good to bring those aspects as much as we can. I sure hope someone out there that can invest in all this could be following this thread. Many understand the points I just wrote, but few will have the courage to use their power to make this happen in bold quality and quantity... unless they see the demand growing by real numbers, they won't step in to do it.
More than a decade ago many thought "halide was dead". Ha! They said T5s would be also "dead" soon. They would never in their right mind imagine that today we would hear of so many users and threads like this, with so many good info and passionate people talking about it. We are all part of this!
This could be the REAL coming back of the KING of lights!

 

[Reefering1]

HALIDE POWER!!!

 

[Borat]

Halide Dinasaurs.. Dinasaurs eventually died off...

 

[PeterErc]

Thanks all,
Good news on the home front.

I am not the smartest guy, and have no marketing experience.

I do think if a new company was to set up shop selling MH gear they would do like the LED knuckleheads do.

Introduce your product with reasonable price tag. Once sales take off then slowly increase the price.

So many people run LED that have never used MH or probably even seen a tank running with them.

If the MH set up was affordable enough for the average person to switch over, I believe more people would be willing to try running MH.

If it costs just as much or more to swap out LED, then the consumers on the fence will be hard to push over.

Once the MH market is going strong again the king will rule until other manufacturers step up their game.

The toilet paper reefers that have years worth of bulbs stashed away aren’t going to be the repeat customers. The converted LED users will be the greatest asset. Catering to them and targeting that market should be the main goal. Kinda like the dude on the corner, come on man, first hit is free.

I would love to see full blown display tanks at the local fish stores again. Sustainable coral growth will increase and market prices decrease.

Overall this could be a big win for the hobby, industry, or a fizzled out pipe dream.

 

[djf91]

I would love to see full blown display tanks at the local fish stores again. Sustainable coral growth will increase and market prices decrease.

Couldn’t agree more with this right here. In my city back in the 2000s, multiple local shops had some of the most beautiful SPS displays full of huge healthy colonies, under full spectrum metal halide lighting. This was literally what converted me from freshwater to saltwater. Today, I don’t really even bother going to the shops because of the dim blue windex display tanks full of sickly frags that haven’t grown in a year.

 

[Yanir34]

Couldn’t agree more with this right here. In my city back in the 2000s, multiple local shops had some of the most beautiful SPS displays full of huge healthy colonies, under full spectrum metal halide lighting. This was literally what converted me from freshwater to saltwater. Today, I don’t really even bother going to the shops because of the dim blue windex display tanks full of sickly frags that haven’t grown in a year.

That's exactly what driven me from freshwater to saltwater...

 

[A. grandis]

Couldn’t agree more with this right here. In my city back in the 2000s, multiple local shops had some of the most beautiful SPS displays full of huge healthy colonies, under full spectrum metal halide lighting. This was literally what converted me from freshwater to saltwater. Today, I don’t really even bother going to the shops because of the dim blue windex display tanks full of sickly frags that haven’t grown in a year.

It's a shame! Some times I get some boost to go to shows and think... for what? To see fluorescent plastic looking corals over blue plugs with magnifying glasses? We can't even know what type of Acro they have there, so small and dark those tubs are. That's another thing... size of the corals and huge price tag, with high percentage mortality! Another stupid marketing strategy! They take so long to grow when they are cut so little! The fluorscent colors under "blues" dictate high prices. How can people even accept that and don't say anything???!! Brainwashing!!
Nah, the last time I went to MACNA was in 2010 and it was already a shame. Things only got worse that way. Going to the stores is even worse! We need halides back and we need now! LOL!

 

[A. grandis]

The price of a halide system will always be fair. We buy the fixture only once and it will they last forever. Ballasts too! I have ballasts from the 90's still working! LOL! Change bulbs every year or 2 @ $60.00 - $100.00 per bulb? That's very cheap!!!! Top quality of light with a FAIR price tag to have amazing results that we don't see with another technology!

 

[BeanAnimal]

that we don't see with another technology!

That is factually and demonstrably false. Why must you badger with every post?

 

[Z Burn's Reefing]

Halide Dinasaurs.. Dinasaurs eventually died off...

If you must keep using this analogy to feel good, at least spell it right.

 

[oreo54]

Change bulbs every year or 2 @ $60.00 - $100.00 per bulb? That's very cheap!!!!

Sooo. Why is this made in Germany mh only $22....

Premium German Made Nachroma MH Grow Lamp 400W E39

 

[Troylee]

Sooo. Why is this made in Germany mh only $22....

Cause the packing doesn’t say reef on it! We all know the markup!

 

[oreo54]

Cause the packing doesn’t say reef on it! We all know the markup!

Yea I'd say reef tax but it really is more of a hobby tax.
Anyways to be a "bit" helpful.. seem like a nice daylight bulb.
Supposed to use an hps rated ballast though.
This "crossover" (conversion) stuff is getting weird...
Anyways..

Narva G.L.E. – Light, urban lighting, Plant light, HPI, HPS, HPM

NARVA G.L.E. offers a wide range of lighting products for all lighting applications. For example, for street- and plant light interchangeable with all HPS and HPM pre-switch units.

narva-gle.com

 

[Borat]

If you must keep using this analogy to feel good, at least spell it right.

Don't be offended my friend, honesty sometimes hurt.

 

[Z Burn's Reefing]

Don't be offended my friend, honesty sometimes hurt.

Now back to the topic at hand, I picked up 2 Hamilton m80 ballasts on eBay a couple months back, and just grabbed a third last week to have as a backup; great source to peruse if your looking for ballasts to run radiums (a.k.a. dinasauerz). I recall seeing one pop up on there yesterday.

 

[A. grandis]

That is factually and demonstrably false. Why must you badger with every post?

Oh, you're here... Thanks for stopping by.
False?
You want to read more?
Show me any other technology that will give exactly what halides give in terms of the qualities of light and I'll shut up forever.
Show me any result that will be legit (not from bias nor from LED companies!) comparing LEDs, T5s and halides that will be the same.
Show me your corals under LEDs! Be truthful and tell me that you can do the same (or even better) with LEDs that you did with halides/T5s.
For most guys that say LEDs are better will be defending their sales!
I'm not alone in this anymore and many are starting to realize that generally speaking LED lighting isn't the OPTIMAL for reefing! It's acceptable. Can I use incandescent bulbs and achieve better results than LEDs? Huh!
I see many wonderful tanks under LEDs, but not quite like under halides. They are just different! And we should be able to choose whatever we want!
All I posted is the truth! This LED market only wants to put halide down for profit! Everyone can see that!!
They made a big mistake when they started to compare their products to halides/T5 and stated LEDs as "better" in so many aspects just for sales! So many old reefers went into their lies about saving energy and better efficiency! Ask Sanjay! Ask Mike! Ask public aquariums that take seriously the quality of their life stock, not green political stuff! Ask the corals farmers! Ask all the hobbyists that see the truth and invest time fighting for their rights! All about money! Search and you will find!

Show me your system under LEDs and show me your system under halides. As long as you like the LEDs better, that is what matters to you!

 

[Troylee]

Yea I'd say reef tax but it really is more of a hobby tax.
Anyways to be a "bit" helpful.. seem like a nice daylight bulb.
Supposed to use an hps rated ballast though.
This "crossover" (conversion) stuff is getting weird...
Anyways..

Narva G.L.E. – Light, urban lighting, Plant light, HPI, HPS, HPM

NARVA G.L.E. offers a wide range of lighting products for all lighting applications. For example, for street- and plant light interchangeable with all HPS and HPM pre-switch units.

narva-gle.com

Different igniter aka starters in the ballast.. you can run any mh in a hps ballast but you can’t fire a hps on a mh ballast it doesn’t have enough juice to fire the bulb up.

 

[A. grandis]

Sooo. Why is this made in Germany mh only $22....

Could be old stock.
This is a great find though! Thanks for sharing, Oreo! Narva is one of the best bulbs out there. Some hobbyists used to run them over reefs in the 90's! Needs the right ballast, yes.