Metal halide lighting discussion

kchristensen8064

Sting ray
M.A.S.C Club Member
#41
I think this depends partially on what bulb you want to run. For example, this link gives a good breakdown for radiums: https://premiumaquatics.com/articles/radium
That is very helpful! Thanks for that. So next question is, what differences are there between the double ended and mogul base other than the way they "plug in"? From previous recommendations I was thinking about going with the Phoenix 14k bulbs.
 

kchristensen8064

Sting ray
M.A.S.C Club Member
#42
The ballast that came with my Aqua Medic fixture is the original magnetic type. I believe it is similar to m80 or the German equivalent. I'm just learning about this stuff as I go. Hopefully someone with more experience can chime in with ballast recommendations.
I know nothing about halides and am just getting started learning about them. I definitely want to run them but want to make sure I do it right and pick up the correct equipment to run everything correctly. Just hoping to find out what works best with what...
 

neil82

Sting ray
M.A.S.C Club Member
#43
From what I found researching the 250w 14k phoenix bulb, sounds like an electronic ballast will slightly under drive the bulb giving it a blue look. Magnetic will drive with more watts and give bulb cleaner bright white look. And you're welcome to come take a peek at my setup to see how you like it.
 

kchristensen8064

Sting ray
M.A.S.C Club Member
#44
From what I found researching the 250w 14k phoenix bulb, sounds like an electronic ballast will slightly under drive the bulb giving it a blue look. Magnetic will drive with more watts and give bulb cleaner bright white look. And you're welcome to come take a peek at my setup to see how you like it.
Do you happen to know what types of magnetic are best? My searches are coming up lacking information and most of which don't say electronic or magnetic...
 

Andrew_bram

Tiger Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#45
I know nothing about halides and am just getting started learning about them. I definitely want to run them but want to make sure I do it right and pick up the correct equipment to run everything correctly. Just hoping to find out what works best with what...
I am I loveland if you want to see a 400w radium.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 

TheRealChrisBrown

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
ex-officio
#50
Here is an interesting article I got from Doug a while back about the 250w Phoenix 14k bulbs lasting maybe up to 2 years. The article describes it way better than I could:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/ac/index.php

@kchristensen8064 swing by sometime and check out my 250's and t5's. I added to the canopy contraption, so it is a lot more stable now....but I think I'm still going to add a "floating" canopy too it as the lights brighten up the entire living room. You should see Andrew's 400w Radions too!
 

kchristensen8064

Sting ray
M.A.S.C Club Member
#52
Here is an interesting article I got from Doug a while back about the 250w Phoenix 14k bulbs lasting maybe up to 2 years. The article describes it way better than I could:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/ac/index.php

@kchristensen8064 swing by sometime and check out my 250's and t5's. I added to the canopy contraption, so it is a lot more stable now....but I think I'm still going to add a "floating" canopy too it as the lights brighten up the entire living room. You should see Andrew's 400w Radions too!
Awesome thanks! I'll read that article and I'll definitely have to check out everyone's setup.
 

jda123

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#54
The "m" designations are ANSI codes.

The ballasts with your aquamedic are european HQI ballasts (m80). They take the 110v line voltage and covert it to 220 and then euro parts. I have a few like this for a decade or more and only ever needed to replace a starter here or there - Chad has been really helpful in the past. Their Reeflux Cubes are 110v ballasts.

Here is the short rundown on 250w stuff: Double Ended and 20K Radium should be using m80 ballasts - these are all HQI bulbs. The rest of the single ended 250w bulbs can use electronic or magnetic (m58).

You can run double ended stuff or 20k Radium with m58 or electronic ballasts, but they are underpowered and the color shifts slightly bluer and the output lowers. ...not the end of the world, or anything, but still less than what they were designed to do. Select-a-watt Ballasts on HQI or Super Lumens gets closer, but still not quite like m80 in output.
 

kchristensen8064

Sting ray
M.A.S.C Club Member
#55
The "m" designations are ANSI codes.

The ballasts with your aquamedic are european HQI ballasts (m80). They take the 110v line voltage and covert it to 220 and then euro parts. I have a few like this for a decade or more and only ever needed to replace a starter here or there - Chad has been really helpful in the past. Their Reeflux Cubes are 110v ballasts.

Here is the short rundown on 250w stuff: Double Ended and 20K Radium should be using m80 ballasts - these are all HQI bulbs. The rest of the single ended 250w bulbs can use electronic or magnetic (m58).

You can run double ended stuff or 20k Radium with m58 or electronic ballasts, but they are underpowered and the color shifts slightly bluer and the output lowers. ...not the end of the world, or anything, but still less than what they were designed to do. Select-a-watt Ballasts on HQI or Super Lumens gets closer, but still not quite like m80 in output.
Okay, this answers a lot. I'm starting to figure this out. Haha Thanks to all the people that are helping!
 

neil82

Sting ray
M.A.S.C Club Member
#56
Here is an interesting article I got from Doug a while back about the 250w Phoenix 14k bulbs lasting maybe up to 2 years. The article describes it way better than I could:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/ac/index.php

@kchristensen8064 swing by sometime and check out my 250's and t5's. I added to the canopy contraption, so it is a lot more stable now....but I think I'm still going to add a "floating" canopy too it as the lights brighten up the entire living room. You should see Andrew's 400w Radions too!
That is a cool article. Thanks for posting the link!
 

neil82

Sting ray
M.A.S.C Club Member
#57
I'm going to throw a question out there. What ballasts are the halide guys using? I'm thinking about going a different route than the fixture I posted in another thread, because I think I will be better off with 250w halides over the 150w's. Still kicking it all around though, so I'm super curious about what ballasts are out there that are reputable and good.
Hey Kris, will you remind me of the fixture you were thinking of using? Did you already purchase one?
 

kchristensen8064

Sting ray
M.A.S.C Club Member
#58
Hey Kris, will you remind me of the fixture you were thinking of using? Did you already purchase one?
It's an old Current 3x150w halide 4x96w actinic fixture. View attachment 14027 I got it for free so I was going to see if salvaging it was worth it. It needs work and I'm starting to think that 150w's won't be enough, so I'm thinking about going with a custom made hood with 3x250w. I'm thinking of buying the ballasts and then just reflectors to mount in the hood instead of pendant style.
 

neil82

Sting ray
M.A.S.C Club Member
#59
It's an old Current 3x150w halide 4x96w actinic fixture. View attachment 14027 I got it for free so I was going to see if salvaging it was worth it. It needs work and I'm starting to think that 150w's won't be enough, so I'm thinking about going with a custom made hood with 3x250w. I'm thinking of buying the ballasts and then just reflectors to mount in the hood instead of pendant style.
Did it come with ballasts? And did it come with protective glass lenses for the MH bulbs?
 
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