New MH Lighting system

[elm66]

Hi There,

 

I am trying tto upgrade my 2x150w MH lighting with a magnetic ballast (Odyssea ... very poor quality) to 2x250w with an electronic ballast and was browsing through t the Hellolights website. They mostly sell ARO ballast.

I would like to know if somebody has any experience with this specific brand.

Note that I will be building the hood to put above my 125GA 72" long tank.

 

Thanks for any feedback.

 

Eric

[Folta]

I am running three 250W MH ARO ballasts that I purchased from Hellolights.com. Two magnetic, one electronic. They look very nice IMHO (I'm running 10k XM bulbs with them). There doesn't seem to be any color difference between the electronic and the magnetic, at least not to my eye.

 

If you look back on some of my posts, you'll see that I had an issue with a capacitor a bit ago, where it cracked and oozed stuff out. It was under warranty and they sent me a replacement free of charge, and they sent it fast. All in all, I'm happy with them...

[RudyCDX1]

Hi Eric,

 

I would suggest that you consider 3x250W for a 72" tank. That will give you greater flexability. Check Sinjay's articles on RC for the best bulb/ballast combinations for your needs.

[elm66]

Hi Eric,

 

I would suggest that you consider 3x250W for a 72" tank. That will give you greater flexability. Check Sinjay's articles on RC for the best bulb/ballast combinations for your needs.

 

 

Thanks both of you for the quick answer.

Rudy I have looked at Sinjay's article and was looking toward the combination of XM 250W 10k SE with an Icecap 250W. I like the fact that the ballast is electronic and therefore uses less power than the magnetic ones.

 

I was also looking at the PFO 250W HQI also with an XM 250W SE 10k. Apparently, the PFO is not electronic as it uses 374W instead of 252W for the Icecap.... but it seems to output more. Now the hic is on the price side, the PFO being noticeably more expensive.

What would you advise me to do? I know that you have chosen PFO 400W for your tank.

 

For teh various parts, I have looked at Marine Depot, Champion lighting and hellolights. Is there any other online shops of brick and mortal shops I should look at?

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Eric