HQI Lights

[Guest reeffoto]

Where is the best place online to order a HQI lighting set-up.

A friend is planning on setting up his tank again and wants to try these.  I am not familiar with them so I am going to the source of all reef knowledge "WAMAS"

[iceman]

Is your friend wanting to use single ended (mogule) bulbs or double ended (DE) bulbs?  For single ended (SE) bulbs, he can go with 250w or 400w ballasts and regular reflectors.  The ballasts can be the icecap or blueline electronic ballasts or the PFO hqi ballasts.  

 

If he wants to go with DE bulbs (which need an hqi pendant or some protective feature...see DIY thread), he has his choice of 150w or 250w ballasts.  These can be icecap 150w or 250w, blueline 250w, or pfo hqi 250w.  There are also other DIY cap and core ballasts that can be used.

 

I like the idea of the 250w e-ballasts (either icecap or blueline) as they will allow you to run either SE or DE type bulbs.

 

Oceanencounter.com and premiumaquatics.com are close by and have the various components.

 

I have a pair of icecap 250w ballasts, two hqi sunlight supply (SLS) pendants, two aqualine bushkee DE 10,000k bulbs.  From what I've found the SLS pendants don't have as big of a spread as the PFO hqi pendants, but the SLS do concentrate the light into a more confined area.

 

Another possibility (but more expensive) for DE bulbs are the aquaspacelights.  They are very nice looking fixtures!!