TonyInVa January 6, 2010 Share January 6, 2010 I know nothing about MH lighting. I started reseraching, and now am confused. There are Mogul base, double ended and single ended. Not sure what the differences are. Could someone give me the some info on MH lighting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak January 6, 2010 Share January 6, 2010 mongol and single ended are the same thing, in theory you get better out put from a de bulb but you MUST have uv filtering glass with a a DE bulb. with advances in todays reflectors its pretty much just color and price that drive your bulb choices (ime DE bulbs tend to be a bit more expensive more often than not (but not always) there is a good starting point, as from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind January 6, 2010 Share January 6, 2010 In case you haven't seen this one, it is a very helpful article. http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-03/sj/index.php A good place to compare bulbs and ballasts is Sanjay's Lighting Guide. Try the two bulb comparison section to check outputs. http://www.manhattanreefs.com/lighting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyInVa January 7, 2010 Author Share January 7, 2010 In case you haven't seen this one, it is a very helpful article.http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-03/sj/index.php A good place to compare bulbs and ballasts is Sanjay's Lighting Guide. Try the two bulb comparison section to check outputs. http://www.manhattanreefs.com/lighting Thanks, good article. Can you use any brand 400wt bulb, with a any brand ballast? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind January 7, 2010 Share January 7, 2010 Thanks, good article. Can you use any brand 400wt bulb, with a any brand ballast? No, in the first link I posted it mentions a probe and a pulse start. These are two different starting methods for specific bulb and ballast combinations. That is why they have ANSI codes to match them up. It is very important when dealing with magnetic or core and coil ballasts that you get them in the right combinations. If you go with an electronic ballast then almost all of them will be able to handle either the probe or the pulse starting bulbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyInVa January 7, 2010 Author Share January 7, 2010 Are these any good. They will be used on a 110 gallon tank. http://cgi.ebay.ca/PFO-Metal-Halide-Ballas...=item2a035f36bd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind January 7, 2010 Share January 7, 2010 Are these any good. They will be used on a 110 gallon tank. http://cgi.ebay.ca/PFO-Metal-Halide-Ballas...=item2a035f36bd Yes, PFO ballasts are good. The ad doesn't say if it is a probe or pulse start ballast and PFO made both kinds. Since it says he ran XM 10kK bulbs I would be safe to guess it is a probe start. I think the price is a little high for a used ballast. I know a member here Watson_Barrett was selling a pretty much new dual 400w ballast for $100 so give him a PM. What color or Kelvin rating are you planning to run? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind January 7, 2010 Share January 7, 2010 You might also want to check out the group buy that BRK is holding for IceCap products. They are one of the best electronic ballasts on the market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyInVa January 7, 2010 Author Share January 7, 2010 I am currently running an Icecap ballast on my T5 and like it. I prefer a some what blue look. http://www.marinedepot.com/lighting_metal_...rmation-ap.html From this link I think I like the color of the Sunburst 1200k. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyInVa January 8, 2010 Author Share January 8, 2010 I am currently running an Icecap ballast on my T5 and like it. I prefer a some what blue look. http://www.marinedepot.com/lighting_metal_...rmation-ap.html From this link I think I like the color of the Sunburst 1200k. Can I use these bulbs with these fixtures? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind January 8, 2010 Share January 8, 2010 Can I use these bulbs with these fixtures? I don't know if they even still make the Sunburst 12k any more as I haven't seen it in years. There were issues with the bulbs exploding and they didn't give off much PAR compared to other bulbs. If you like a little blue effect I would go with a 14K. Is there a reason why you want 400w instead of 250w? I think you can get away with 250w on that tank just fine. I am not sure what "fixtures" you were talking about above. You are welcome to stop over and check out my tanks if you wish. Maybe it will give you some ideas in choices or at least some more confusion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyInVa January 9, 2010 Author Share January 9, 2010 I don't know if they even still make the Sunburst 12k any more as I haven't seen it in years. There were issues with the bulbs exploding and they didn't give off much PAR compared to other bulbs. If you like a little blue effect I would go with a 14K. Is there a reason why you want 400w instead of 250w? I think you can get away with 250w on that tank just fine. I am not sure what "fixtures" you were talking about above. You are welcome to stop over and check out my tanks if you wish. Maybe it will give you some ideas in choices or at least some more confusion. I am talking about PFO fixtures. I really apreciate the offer to see your tanks, and will very likely take you up on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind January 9, 2010 Share January 9, 2010 Yes, and I will pm you my info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyInVa January 9, 2010 Author Share January 9, 2010 What lights are you using? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldReefer January 9, 2010 Share January 9, 2010 Best set up I ever had was 250 watt XM 10K moguls on Icecap electronic ballasts with PFO parallel reflectors. It was enought light to grow anything in a 120. 400 watts may be more trouble than it is worth. Think about heat build up. You can run 2- 250 watts ovet your tank with lots of cooling fans and still not have a chiller. With 400 watts you will have to have a chiller day one. Sanjay Joshi is pretty much the undisputed world expert on aquarium lighting. Have a look at his site: http://www.manhattanreefs.com/lighting Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyInVa January 9, 2010 Author Share January 9, 2010 Best set up I ever had was 250 watt XM 10K moguls on Icecap electronic ballasts with PFO parallel reflectors. It was enought light to grow anything in a 120. 400 watts may be more trouble than it is worth. Think about heat build up. You can run 2- 250 watts ovet your tank with lots of cooling fans and still not have a chiller. With 400 watts you will have to have a chiller day one. Sanjay Joshi is pretty much the undisputed world expert on aquarium lighting. Have a look at his site: http://www.manhattanreefs.com/lighting Bill Thanks for the info. Id rather not run a chiller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind January 9, 2010 Share January 9, 2010 What lights are you using? Display 120: I have 2 x 250w, AquaMerck 10kK, LumenBright Large reflectors, CoralVue electronic ballast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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