ARO Ballast

[hckycoz]

anyone have one of these? What do you guys know about them?

 

[rams]

what kind of ARO ballast?

 

[hckycoz]

250 watt but i dont remember where the site was now. Another question dennis. will this work? is that price too good to be true?
On Customaquatics.com there is a PFO Dual 250W ballast for $139.99

 

[rams]

"utilizes a tar style ballast" sounds like a nice electric bill not very efficient. :thumbdown

You get what you pay for with MH ballast. Sit tight and wait for a good used deal. :thumbsup:

 

[hckycoz]

what about a Bluewave II Dual 250w ballast for $174 from oceanencounter.com?

 

[hckycoz]

aquactinics.com has an IceCap 250W Electronic HID Ballast for $115, i know i would need 2

 

[rams]

dude what kind of bulbs do you want to run first? Brand? Size? Color? then pick a ballast.

 

[hckycoz]

ok i want either a 12k Sunburst bulb,
or a 14k Hamilton,
but i dont understand why i would pick the bulb first? By size, what do you mean?

 

[DrBDC]

I have 2 ARO 175/150 electronic ballasts. I bought them used less than a year old and I've had them trouble free for about 1 to 1 1/2 years. No probs yet.

 

[rams]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7301012#post7301012 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hckycoz
ok i want either a 12k Sunburst bulb,
or a 14k Hamilton,
but i dont understand why i would pick the bulb first? By size, what do you mean?

certain bulbs need a certain ballast. If you have your heart set on a German bulb verses an American made one comes to mind. Do you want to do double end DE bulbs or single SE. Double end could require an electronic or HQI magnetic ballast. It really isn't that confusing but when you are looking to save a buck on a ballast you might be limiting yourself to certain bulbs.

 

[hckycoz]

thanks roy thats great to know. i may be getting those or the bluewave. not quite sure yet, but like i was asking dennis why would i pick the bulb first? What is the relationship the bulb and the ballast have other than the power.

 

[hckycoz]

ok so whats your opinion on the double ended, cause i have gotten mixed reviews.

 

[rams]

There are different types of ballast out there than just your power ratings. :thumbsup:

 

[rams]

I won't do double end again

 

[hckycoz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7301126#post7301126 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ramtheory
There are different types of ballast out there than just your power ratings. :thumbsup:

What do yo mean by this, i know there are HQI and Duals, but are you hinting at something else.

 

[rams]

search button my hockey friend here is a start:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=550860

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=832838

this is how I learned, you mentioned you liked the price of that PFO dual ballast. It is a TAR like ballast. Do you know what a TAR ballast is? You sound like you need to do more research before you decide to spend anymore money. Many people have typed up many responses on this subject. If I had time to cut and paste the facts I would but it is late. If you have trouble with the search there is another google method since you are not a premium member. Mike if you get confused on some things then ask some specific questions. Sorry I am not a MH sales person just went with what I liked. You should too. It is an investment so get out and see some lighting schemes in person. Best thing I did. Later man :thumbsup: no secrets.

 

[hckycoz]

thanks dennis

 

[Shooter7]

I have 2 ARO 250w electronic ballasts. Can't say much about longevity, since I've only been using them for a little over 4 months, but they haven't given me any problems during that time.

And to be able to compare different bulbs on different ballasts, you can look at Sanjay's page where you can look for the results of testing he's done of various bulbs on various ballasts.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=590771

 

[avgjoe]

You'll want to check out this site. http://www.cnidarianreef.com/lamps.cfm

I'm not so sure electronic ballast are more power effecient then magnetic. At least from the results from the site above. However, the amount of heat each produces is another story.

i.e

Par/Watt = Effeciency

The following ballast results using the same XM10K bulb.

Icecap Electronic Ballast
530 Par/252 Watts = 2.1

ARO Electronic Ballast
526 Par/250 Watts = 2.1

PFO Standard Ballast
600 Par/268 Watts = 2.2

PFO HQI
835 Par/340 Watts = 2.45

 

[DrBDC]

Here is a good link on bulbs and ballasts:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=624185