Halide question

[Dr.DiSilicate]

My current lighting is 2 250 watt mogul halides in 14"x14" reflectors and a dual PFO ballast. I also have a couple reefbrite strips for an and pm.

Here's the question. I'm thinking of getting three Hamilton Bimini 150 watt HQI with Phoenix bulbs. Then adding the led's I love the Phoenix bulb color! How different is the light output going to be? Does the HQI put more par per watt than the mogul or is this a wives tail? Would the spread with three of these be the same or better than my current reflectors?

I love the color of the Phoenix bulbs as well as the look of the smaller Hamilton fixture. It would allow me to remove my bulky hood and open up my family room a bit. It would give the tank a cleaner look and be much easer to clean as well as view from the top.

Just looking for some opinions based on some personal experience. I am looking for the same or better lighting results. Could I go with two? And NO don't suggest led because that's not happening for me now and I don't want to go down that debate at this.

 

[Dr.DiSilicate]

If I make the change I'll have the current lighting plus some t5 up for sale.

 

[Dr.DiSilicate]

My tank is 60"x30"x22" for reference.

 

[MuralReef]

I think with that depth you would want 250 watt HQI.

 

[MuralReef]

Mine is 24" deep and my lights sit 18" above the water.

 

[Dr.DiSilicate]

I think with that depth you would want 250 watt HQI.

If I do 3 would that decrease the wattage needed or would that not increase the penetration?

 

[MuralReef]

I am going to be running 2-250 watt and 1-150 watt HQI on the 180 but that's 36" deep with lower light requirements.

 

[MuralReef]

I would be concerned about your penetration.

 

[Dr.DiSilicate]

Halide question

I would be concerned about your penetration.

Isn't a 150 watt HQI over driven therefore producing more par per watt than a mogul fixture. I think a 250 HQI is driven at 310 watts... Producing more par.

The HQI does have a smaller "beam" of light as well. Maybe more par over a smaller area.

I just sent Hamilton an e mail. Maybe they have the answer.

 

[FinsUp]

I would be concerned about your penetration.

:rofl:

 

[MuralReef]

:rofl:

I thought it was funny too!

 

[FinsUp]

I thought it was funny too!

I tried (really!) not to draw attention to it, but that was just beyond my capabilities.

 

[Dr.DiSilicate]

Dirty minds!

 

[Dr.DiSilicate]

Here's Hamilton's response. They also called me and offered the 250 watt at a discount if that made me happy. So price being equal... Three of the 150's or two of the 250's? Or maybe a combo of the two?

Thank you for your interest in Hamilton Technology.

Yes, I think it would be similar yes.

3 x 150 Watt for a 5 ft reef tank would be a great choice for that tank.

This should allow you to keep really any type of coral, lps or sps.

I do like our new 20K HQI bulbs. If you do go with this set up and you do
like to draw out
a lot of color from your corals or give your reef tank a lot of "pop" then I
would suggest
our new 20K HQI bulbs. They look just like a Phoenix bulb but with slightly
higher PAR.

Overall I think Bimini is a great lighting choice especially considering the
price we
have it available at right now.

If you have more questions about Bimini or any of our other lights, please
email back or
give me a call direct at 800-447-9797.

Thank you!

 

[Dr.DiSilicate]

I was impressed with the conversation I had and the fact that they contacted me 1st thing in the am. Shows they care.

 

[FinsUp]

That's awesome customer service. If that were me, they'd have a customer for life.

 

[sethsolomon]

Go with 3 250w HQI's if possible. The Phoenix 250w HQI is now back on the market and its the best bulb since sliced bread.

 

[sethsolomon]

Go with 3 250w HQI's if possible. The Phoenix 250w HQI is now back on the market and its the best bulb since sliced bread.

Also, Look into LumenMax Elite HQI reflectors over Hamilton. The LumenMax will have a much better spread and par rating. Someone has to have 2-3 of these laying arround. I know Luke Fraisure has 1 that I believe he will be selling soon. These are the reflectors I was using on my 120g and was getting 600-800 par 8-10 inches under the water level.

 

[Luke.Fraizer]

I would also go with the Phoenix. If I was not on a 30 in deep tank and running 400s I would run it for sure. If you want to swing by some time I can show you that reflector and show you the difference with several bulbs.

 

[Dr.DiSilicate]

Not debating on the Phoenix bulb choice at all. I love them and may try out the Hamilton version to see what's what with that if I do get these fixtures. I'm only wondering about the light spread and intensity of these fixtures in comparison to my existing ones. Also two 250 watt units or three 150 watt units as the power consumption would be generally the same and the price would be about the same. The 150 watt units would have magnetic ballasts while the 250 would have electronic ones.