[Chicago]

i gotta say have learned alot oif info from this post...looks like i am going to need 5 400 watters over this tank so now i am deciding on what ballasts to get.. and yes dont want to leave m self limited but yet do like the 10k and 20k...just started looking over a new article and compaarison charts for sanjoy..maybe get a couple of each..

[Ironreef]

if you get 5 ballast replacement buls are gonna cost 0ver $500. Now is $$ is no big deal thats fine. But iwaski will blow thm away par wise. If you used regular ballast you can use 10-20-6.5 in a mix. If you went 2 6.5 and 3 20k you will get more than enough blue and mass par. this is if you want sps tank if not you may not even need iwaski. But fwiw Iwaski last 2yrs vs 1 yr 10-20k. it will help will bulb replacement cost.

[andy-hipkiss]

Ninong,

Regarding Germany / BLV ... tend to agree (but Radiums are damn expensive and they are made near Munich as well). Although Tubroflotor skimmers are more expensive over here but I believe are of a different specification which may account for some of the difference.

Re AB ... there you go then, glad its not only me learning from you [img]/ubb/smile.gif[/img] Somehow I don't think that one fact will redress the balance though.

Re Light tracks ... they are heavily used my the pot growing fraternity ... erm, I mean hydroponics people [img]/ubb/wink.gif[/img]
They are less complex than a child's electric toy so ought to be fine ... probably [img]/ubb/smile.gif[/img] No, seriously they are pretty reliable since they are only a motor and a relay.

------------------
Cheers
Andy
http://www.andy-hipkiss.co.uk

[Chicago]

andy ...do you have any pics of the light track in action...who are the suppliers...ect....ironreef..yes the tank is goiing to be mainly a sps tank...have had no experience with iwaski bulbs..are you saying that they have a life exp. of 2 years..do thesze bulbs give a yuellowish appearance or are they a whiteisl....sound like the 20k would work well with the 6500 iwaski???

let me know..

[Ironreef]

look at sanjay tank and reef engineers tank. My bulbs look white some say yellow depends on your eyes but in combo you will like it. I puts out more par than any bulb. looks the the # in sanjays test iwaski last 2yr with the same par as any other bulb in 1 yr.(10-20k) if you use regular ballast you can use any bulb and do what you want. hqi 400 you gain very little not worth it cuz your limited. 250hqi double is a diff story but we are talking 400w

[billzie]

I sure am glad this post came about, I'm in the process of researching a HQI purchase for my first MH lighting. I think I'm going with the 250w 10K, PFO pendants, and Icecap or LN electronic ballasts (from PA). In my estimation, and in these days of rising utility costs, the electric $$ savings of an electronic ballast can go a long way to offset the initial purchase price and bulb replacement costs if indeed the bulbs last longer in the elec ballast. BTW, most of the tanks I'll be using are < 30" water depth and <24" wide. Any comments?

Andy-Hipkiss, can you give me an est. cost of HQI lamps over there? I, or a friend, may be over on a trip this summer. If the cost difference is great I may bring back a few years supply of them.

Thanks for all of the great information provided here, Bill.

[billzie]

CHICAGO, where are you located in C. I'd like to see this bad boy in action. Thanks, Bill.

[andy-hipkiss]

Bill,

The cheapest I can get 400W BLV is 45 pounds ... the way the exchange rate is going that is about a packet of chips [img]/ubb/wink.gif[/img] ... I think about $65

I'm not aware of the price of the smaller bulbs ... the 1kW is 68 pounds.

If you need details then send me an email and I'll give you details of the place I get mine from.

BTW ... its just Andy (Hipkiss is my surname)


------------------
Cheers
Andy
http://www.andy-hipkiss.co.uk

[billzie]

Andy, thanks for the info, if you can, please email me the info/locations to buy these bulbs, I'm looking for the 250w.
Anyone out there know about purchasing these in Munich at point of manufacture? I'll be heading there as well.
Ninong, you know, I've been doing business with Jason for a long time, since he started in his garage, I know he price matches, but, I've never been able to ask him. Over the last 5 years I probably would've saved a good $500. I guess it's b/c he and his staff have always given me such great service and they've always allowed me to drop in to purchase on my way through Indy. Great people, me, hopefully a great customer in their eyes. I just want to keep it that way. Bill.

[Ninong]

billzie ~

The best price that I was able to find on the Ushio/BLV 250w 10,000K HQI double-ended lamps was $85 here: http://www.petwarehouse.com/webstore...2?OpenDocument

Those are the same lamps that Sanjay tested in his article on 250w metal halides. Don't be concerned that Pet Warehouse refers to them as "Giesemann," they are the correct BLV lamps, I ordered some from them. Now, here's another trick: if you are purchasing other equipment from Jason at Premium Aquatics and you mention to him that you can get these lamps from Pet Warehouse for only $85, he will sell you his Ushio 250w 10,000K HQI double-ended lamps for the same price. These lamps are identical. All of the Ushio and BLV lamps for the aquarium market are made at the BLV plant just outside of Munich.

One other benefit that you forgot to mention about electronic ballasts is the fact that they generate very little heat to add to the ambient room temperature.

Ninong [img]/ubb/biggrin.gif[/img]

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"The legislature's job is to write law. It's the executive branch's job to interpret law."—George W. Bush, Austin, Texas, Nov. 22, 2000

"I am mindful of the difference between the executive branch and the legislative branch. I assured all four of these leaders that I know the difference, and that difference is they pass the laws and I execute them."—George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., Dec. 18, 2000

[Nanook01]

Originally posted by Ninong:

One of the other members, Atlantis (Brian Conger), who raises and sells a lot of SPS frags, is presently conducting an experiment using 400w 10,000K metal halides vs. 400w 6500K Iwasaki metal halides. He is using identical frags from the same colony under both lamps and will post growth measurements and color comparisons as the experiment proceeds.


Hey Ninong,

Do you know if there are any preliminary reports as to how this experiment is doing? I am going to set up a 110g SPS/Tridacna tank, I am looking at putting 2 MH fixtures and am undecided between the 400w 10k or 400w 65k. Thanks,

nanook

[Ltspd]

Here is a better bulb price.
http://www.customaquatic.com/customa...CatID=lt-rmhb#

I just ordered 2 this morning for the DIY setup I am working on. Maybe sometime next month before I get the brackets made and the hood swapped over to the new bulbs.

I will be running the bulbs at around 12" above water level with a glass uv sheild. Currently the Iwasaki's light the tank very well (2 6500k, 2 96w 03's) I will be curious to see how well these bulbs light when they ARE NOT enclosed in a small enclosure. These will have spectral aluminum in the shape of \___/\___/ with gloss white epoxy covering the rest of the inside of the canopy.

Future plans (near) will be to run (3) 10kk's without actinic supplements or standard NO bulbs. I do plan on running atinic as a dawn/dusk but not running them while the mh's are on, unless I feel they are necessary.

Further info about the DIY HQI's can be read at http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin...5&pagenumber=1

[mrok12]

Originally Posted by Chicago

i gotta say have learned alot oif info from this post...looks like i am going to need 5 400 watters over this tank so now i am deciding on what ballasts to get.. and yes dont want to leave m self limited but yet do like the 10k and 20k...just started looking over a new article and compaarison charts for sanjoy..maybe get a couple of each..

I am going to use 5-400 watt MH over my new 180 set up. I currently am running 2-250 watt 10 blue line bulbs and a single 400 watt radium in the middle.

I had better polyp expansion and color with a 6500K (2) and 20K (1) combination though. Lighting is the only thing that changes.

The new tank Will have 3 20K bulbs over it and 2 6500K. I used to dismiss the whole PAR debate until I changed to 10K bulbs and watched the change in colors and polyp expansion in my tank. I think that with the 20K bulbs the 6500K are the only bulbs to use in combination to achieve the results I want.

Great information on this thread. You guys really do great research!

[Ninong]

Three 400w 20,000K Radiums and two 400w 6500K Iwasakis is an excellent combination. I hope you have a chiller.

Although that is a very, very good choice, my personal preference if I were setting up something with five 400 watt metal halide lamps would be three 400w 20,000K Radiums and two 10,000K (either AB or Ushio). I have two reasons for favoring that particular combination:

• I like the color a little better.
• All five lamps can be run on the same HQI ballasts.

The combination you have chosen will give a little bit more PAR than the one I favor. I think fluorescent actinic supplementation of some sort would be helpful to either combination but not actually be necessary as far as growth is concerned.

[mrok12]

I have four vents in the canopy top and am mounting the lights 12 inches off teh water in a 15 inch canopy. Radiant heat rises so it is easier to allow the heat to lift out with normal themoclines than to blow it out laterally. I am still using fans iin the canopy but the vents should really make a difference. I used vunyl sofit vents for it like you would use on your roof.

[organicreefer]

fwiw-i have seen a few reports from reefers on another board saying they are using sakis on hqi ballasts-and they actually burn whiter than on normal ballasts!brighter too..i dont see why they would burn whiter but thats what they are saying.

im running the 10k/20k combo myself and i like it.i have 2x250w ushios on hqi ballast ,400w radium on blueline ballast(to be replaced with xm pretty soon) and 2x110w actinics over my 120.ca e -rates be damned

[organicreefer]

hers is a link with comparison pics of ushio's and sakis both on hqi ballast:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...hreadid=208662