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Metal halide help

S

saltwater4life

Well I've been looking for a pair of MH. I found a few used ones on eBay but before i go off and buy anything i wanna make sure i have my facts straight.
What do you need to run MH?
Ballasts, Reflector, Socket, Wiring, Bulb. Is that it?
Is double ended bulbs better?
Is Electronic Ballast's better?
Anything else i need to know before buying HM?


Thank you!,

Nick
 
S

Subliminal

NJRC Member
I just purchased what I believe to be all the parts to a 175w metal halide setup, and that's pretty much what i bought.

Well, also some wood, a few fans, 12v adapters for said fans.

:)
 
S

saltwater4life

Thanks,
I forgot about a few fans :)
I found a duel 250w retro for 150 bucks, I think it was. I guess i gotta wait to buy a retro before i start building a hood. So i know the reflectors fit...
 
M

mladencovic

saltwater4life said:
Is that because if water hits the bulb they blow up? or is that something else...
But whats better double ended or single ended?

Thanks,
Click to expand...

No. Single ended are already encased in the UV filtering glass, while double ended are not.
 
J

Jcurry@wesketch

Single ended bulbs have a UV filter sparayed onto the bulb. Double ended bulbs do not have a UV filter on them so you need to place a UV filter between the bulb and the water. Usually a piece of glass with a UV filter coating.

Which lighting is better is like trying to define what is art and has been the source of much controversy and flame wars. Check out Sanjay Joshi's website to compare possible bulb and ballast combinations. Ultimtely you want to achive the highest "PAR" with the least amount of wattage. http://www.reeflightinginfo.arvixe.com/index.htm

The most important consideration will be what types of corals you plan keeping and the depth of your tank. With a 20G tank I would think a single 150 MH bulb would be plenty.
 
S

saltwater4life

Oh,

Thanks for clearing that up for me. Cool site, I'm sure this will help figure out what light is the best.
I'm sorry i forgot to say this is for my new 55g ;D I liked the idea of duel 250's so if i upgrade i don't really have to worry about lighting. Plus all the choices for bulbs,

BTW where can i find uv filters?

Nick
 
mfisher2112

mfisher2112

Hey Salt, just keep in mind the electricity use and heat generation also. That ballast isn't an electronic ballast, so the electricity useage will be much higher on it.

I kept a 55 gallon before upgrading to the 90 and did REALLY well with T5 HO lighting. I kept acros in all depths of the tank, as well as a clam that kept moving itself down to the sand bed.

When I upgraded to the 90, I used the same 4x54 watt HO T5 light, and still had no problems keeping everything happy.

You might want to look into T5 as an alternative to the MH as you will not have the electricity useage issues, nor the heat problems. Plus, its a good deal less expensive to replace the bulbs.

4x54 watt should be more than enough for the 55, but if I had to do it again, I probably would have gone for something in a 6 bulb setup just to get more color control with the bulb mix.

If you are going to go MH, look into the electronic ballasts, like these: http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=558

For T5 retros, these are fairly inexpensive options as well:

http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1369

Hope this helps! :)
 
S

saltwater4life

Hmm... I'm sure my parents would rather me have t5 for the electricity part. I thought you had to have like a bunch of bulbs to get the same effect as MH... So you only had 4x54w t5 bulbs and you kept a clam??? i would of thought you needed like 8... Whats the difference from t5,VHO and t6?
 
mfisher2112

mfisher2112

On a 55 gallon, 4 bulbs would suffice in my opinion. 6 would be better, but not necessarily needed. The only thing I didn't get that metal halide gives is that "shimmer" everyone talks about, and of course the added heat. :)

I kept the clam successfully. I kept moving him up onto a rock ledge to get him closer to the light, and would find him down on the sand the next morning. After about 3 or 4 times of this, I actually saw him move himself. Damndest thing I ever saw. I thought something was knocking him off, but come to find out, he was using his syphon etc to propel himself off the rocks and down onto the sand under a ledge. So, I left him there. He opened up and was doing well, even growing a tiny bit, until the "midnight marauder" ate him! (well, to be fair, the midnight marauder killed him, and the other crabs helped him with the buffet..)

My understanding is the difference between the T5 and the VHO is just the par of the light that can penetrate to the bottom of the tank. As for T5 and T6, I couldn't get a straight answer other than size of the diameter of the bulb. So my understanding is that the wattage is the same, and the par is similar if not the same.

I would say start with 4x54 watt and see how you do. If you are building a hood for the tank, just be sure you can get 6 under there and expand later if necessary. I would still consider a fan or two for ventilation because when you enclose the lights in a hood like that, you will increase the heat produced in a small space, just not nearly as much as metal halide.

If you do go MH, I would be sure to go with electronic ballasts versus the magnetic ones. They will be quieter and little more efficient, but I think you will be fine with the T5.

And, as I said before, plan your hood space out well, and you can probably add the MH and use the 4 T5's as supplemental later on if you decide you aren't getting the light and effect you want on the tank. Always plan for the future. :)

On a side note to the construction of the hood, if you plan the T5's with two towards the front of the hood, and two towards the back with space in the center left open, you can add 2 more T5s to the center later, or even put the MH in the center if you aren't getting the light and effect you want from the T5s. Just a thought.

Good luck! :)
 
S

saltwater4life

Thank you Matt,

You anwsered alot of the things i was worried about.
The hood i've pretty much got how i want it to look. I've just gotta find the lights and then buy some wood ;)

Would it be hard to take apart a fixure? I found a 4xt5 fixure.
 
mfisher2112

mfisher2112

No problem. Glad I could help at least a little.

Depends on the fixture, as far as taking them apart. You would also want to pay special attention to the ballasts and wiring. If the fixture is designed to keep the wiring and ballasts far from condensation, putting those components into an open hood may be cause for disaster. Wish I could give you more help than that.

If I were going to take apart a fixture, I'd be sure that the endcaps were water proof (since most fixtures have them behind a splash guard) and be sure to mount the ballasts on the outside of the hood, or somewhere far from the top of the tank. Also take care to inspect the wiring and be sure you can keep that away from any splash as well.
 
S

saltwater4life

Hmm i was on the RC trying to get info on lighting i read a post saying VHO are outdated and t5's are the best type out there. Has anyone ran both VHO and t5 which one do you like better? T5 48" bulb is 54w, VHO 48" is 110w?
 
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