400 watt hqi ballest?

[mil hse]

Where is the best place to get one? i have been looking and i seem be getting only 250 s? I just bought a cheep PFO dual HQI ballest and i need to get the best or really good sockets and refractors... your help let me know what you guys are using and where you got them?

 

[mil hse]

no one ?

 

[RokleM]

Huh? I read your post a few times and have trouble attempting to figure out what you're asking...

Socket has little to do directly with the ballast or "quality" (based on the really good sockets and refractors comment). Typically the reflector has nothing to do with the ballast as well (unless they came as a bundle). Your cheap PFO dual HQI ballast isn't a bad decision at all.

My suggestion would be to sit down, compose a post we can all understand, explain your current setup, and describe what you'd like to see. Are you looking for all the different lighting components, just individual parts, don't understand what to buy, don't understand where to buy, etc. That's my best recommendation based on the little amount I could decipher.

 

[mil hse]

Ok i just realised that i posted the wrong word."ballest".. i m looking for a good reflector and duel ended socket not the "ballest" Every where i look i seem to be finding only 250 sockets and reflectors???

 

[DarG]

The double ended sockets for both 250 watt and 400 watt de lamps are the same. The 400 watt lamps are longer, so it is the spacing of the sockets that is the difference. In other words, the 250 watt sockets on a standard 250 watt bracket wont work. But there are some 250/400 watt reflectors out there that have adjustable sockets for both lamp wattages.
You can also buy the deluxe DE sockets which can be mounted seperately as well as buying the standard 250 watt sockets on a bracket and removing them from the bracket to mount seperately. I have also seen an adjustable 250/400 watt DE bracket with sockets but I dont know where.

The main issue is that there is not a huge selection of DE 400 watt lamps. But there are SE lamps that run on the 400 watt HQI ballasts. And there are more reflectors available for the 400 watt SE lamps. The socket for these lamps is the same mogul socket as used for 250 watt mogul (SE) lamps. So for the sake of bulb choice you may want to go with the single ended, Mogul bulbs. But then again, most of the 400 watt SE's are designed for probe start ballasts so it may be a wash between pulse start - HQI se and de lamps ... assuming you are going to run the proper ballast for the bulb.


Just for reference, Icecap makes a DE reflector/pendant adjustable for 250 or 400 watt DE lamps.
Sunlight Supply has the Lumenmax reflectors that will accept 250 watt or 400 watt SE bulbs.
There are others.

This article lists some of the available bulbs and which ballast they are designed to run on. There are probably a few more bulbs available since the article was written and maybe a few that are no longer made. But it is a good reference.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-03/sj/index.php