125 1st time reef!!!
- Thread starter wah-zoh
- Start date
wah-zoh
New member
ok i got 3 -- 250 watt MH ballast from Ben on this site (much appreciated) i am only going to run 2 of them for now maybe put the 3rd one up if i feel the light is uneven. i want to keep soft corals in the center where there will be less flow and i dont want light pounding them. if looks ok i will probably put t5's or compacts in center. now i just need to wire them up and find the right bulb for them.
this is where i have a question........ i have no idea what color bulb i should put in. i like the blue effect but not the deep blue, just a hint of blue. should i get a 14k bulb or would that be to blue?
this is where i have a question........ i have no idea what color bulb i should put in. i like the blue effect but not the deep blue, just a hint of blue. should i get a 14k bulb or would that be to blue?
Gary Majchrzak
Team RC
single end (mogul) screw in or double ended (DE) lamps?
single end (mogul) screw in or double ended (DE) lamps?
the type of ballasts you're running will effect lamp performance. What ballasts do you have?
Unfortunately there is no industry standard on halide lamps.
for example: the SE 250w Hamilton 14k is much more blue than the SE 250w Ushio and the 250w Coralife 10k is much more blue than either of those 14k's!
Additionally, Ushio (and most European MH lamps) require a pulse start or electronic ballast to fire up properly. (The Hamilton will fire up with a pulse start ballast but ignitors in the ballast and bulb may try to fight each other raising the risk of a fire.)
The best place to start for recommendations is to know what ballasts you have........
single end (mogul) screw in or double ended (DE) lamps?
the type of ballasts you're running will effect lamp performance. What ballasts do you have?
Unfortunately there is no industry standard on halide lamps.
for example: the SE 250w Hamilton 14k is much more blue than the SE 250w Ushio and the 250w Coralife 10k is much more blue than either of those 14k's!
Additionally, Ushio (and most European MH lamps) require a pulse start or electronic ballast to fire up properly. (The Hamilton will fire up with a pulse start ballast but ignitors in the ballast and bulb may try to fight each other raising the risk of a fire.)
The best place to start for recommendations is to know what ballasts you have........
wah-zoh
New member
i dont know to much about lighting, but my father in law is going to wire it up for me, but he dont know anything about reefs. this is what i know about it.
advance transformer co. 250 watt metal halide (M58) will go to E39 SE socket. i think its a magnetic ballast with a probe start. i can probably find out more info when we start working on it. hope this helps
advance transformer co. 250 watt metal halide (M58) will go to E39 SE socket. i think its a magnetic ballast with a probe start. i can probably find out more info when we start working on it. hope this helps
Gary Majchrzak
Team RC
yes, this helps 
look here:
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=201570
are you going to run any other supplemental lighting along with the halides?
(For example: it's common practice to run actinic VHO fluorescents or T5's to simulate dawn and dusk.)
look here:
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=201570
are you going to run any other supplemental lighting along with the halides?
(For example: it's common practice to run actinic VHO fluorescents or T5's to simulate dawn and dusk.)
wah-zoh
New member
i plan to see what the halides do alone, and if light is very uneven i will. i would prefer not to.
wah-zoh
New member
perfect!!! so i just need to make sure that the bulb has built in ignitor.and is compatible with my socket type ect.. i see the examples of brands as well. very helpful thank you.
Gary Majchrzak
Team RC
you got it.
FWIW I'm not a fan of extremely blue lighting and I like the Hamilton 14k's a lot.
FWIW I'm not a fan of extremely blue lighting and I like the Hamilton 14k's a lot.
wah-zoh
New member
questions on test kit. i have been using a friends test kits, i want to get my own but need to know what i should test for.dont want to buy tests for things i dont need to monitor. i plan on keeping soft corals and fish only. i have been using Salifert Test Kits, testing (po4, ca., alk, mag,) api kits for (ammo, Nitrite, Nitrate). do i still need all of these? or can i cut some of them out considering i am not keeping sps, or lps?
block head
New member
test kits are a great investment. the sooner you can buy your own,the better off you'll be. i'd skip the po4 and nitrite altogether. hobby grade po4 are almost worthless. nitrite should not be present in a cycled tank. if it were me i'd buy ca,mag,alk asap. api is very reliable ,just not super accurate. for my money ,i'd buy salfiert mg,and api :ca,alk,and nitrate( when i could get around to it).
wah-zoh
New member
skimmer upgraded to octopus nw 200. wow!!!!!!! sea clone is in the trash!! haha. but i dont have any more room in my sump, so now it looks like i will be up grading that next. oh yeah got 2x koralia 4's to put on with my k5. so far looks like to much flow? maybe i have them in wrong directions? i will continue to mess with them untill i get it right.
wah-zoh
New member
upgraded some more stuff. added larger sump went from 20 gal, to 45 gal. it now fits everything down under tank. makes routine maintenance easier. looking into a controller "reefkeeper elite" need to do more research. If anyone has one i would like to know your opinions on it.
there is alot of inspiration in the URS
