Bad ballast help.

ZildjianDevil

ZildjianDevil

Member
Hey guys,

Figure I'd start a different thread since this is just about ballast help.

Well as you guys know I have 3 x Icecap 250w Electronic Metal Halide Ballasts. Well the one out of the three is bad. And now I'm in the market for buying a new ballast. Since I can't get the Icecap ballast anymore, what do you guys recommend as far as 250w Electroinc Ballast?

Coralvue, Lumatek, etc...


Thanks guys!
 
Well the thing is I still have the other two icecap ballasts running. Now If I get something different which I have to since icecap is out of business, will it change the way the bulbs burn?
 
There will be overlap from your other ballasts. As long as you don't run a 6500k k in the middle with 20k xm on the sides it will bleed in nicely. You should be fine. Many people do this even with different k bulbs and it all seems to wash out in the end.
 
I deff want to run all of the same bulbs on all three ballasts. Maybe a 14k of something, but if I buy the galaxy ballast and run the same bulbs with my icecap ballast would they look the same next to eschother since their all 250w Electronic ballasts?

Or will they burn the bulbs different since their two different company's of ballasts while running the exact same bulb in both?

I can't buy any HQI ballast since my reflectors are only SE
 
They should look the same. The radium, ushio, and phineox all are SE bulbs or you can get them in SE. Running hqi ballasts with SE bulbs just limits the bulbs you can run, but I don't care cause these 3 are the best bulbs in my opinion. You could also get the galaxy or lumatek select-a-watt ballasts which has a switch to change the current going to the bulb. They still don't push the hqi spec bulbs fully but are about midway between running electronic ballasts and hqi ballasts. I think I remember reading they give 290 watts to the bulb on the hqi setting.
 
Ok that sounds pretty sweet. So this is my last and final post about ballasts I swear! Lol

Which do you guys prefer... Coralvue, Galaxy, or Lumatek for 250w Metal Halide Electronic Ballasts for SE Bulbs?
 
I see you kicking yourself in the future for not getting HQI ballasts for the Radiums or the Phoenix. :D
 
sirreal63 said:
I see you kicking yourself in the future for not getting HQI ballasts for the Radiums or the Phoenix. :D
Click to expand...

I can't. If I get hqi ballasts, then I would have to change out all my lumen brite mini penndants. And I'm not doing that after all the money I spent on both the ballasts and reflectors.
 
I don't get why radium and Pheonix make SE bulbs if everyone says they suck abd are underdriven while using electronic ballasts.

But they are amazing bulbs for DE and only ran on HQI ballasts.
 
ZildjianDevil I think your missing something here. The 3 bulbs are designed to be run on hqi ballasts which gives them more watts so one might say you are overdriving the bulb, but in this case there not being overdriven just run to the spec they were designed to run at. A electrinic ballast will put 250 watts to the bulb reguardless of the bulb. The hqi ballasts puts 330 watts to the bulb. The extra power to the bulb gives you more par and makes the spectum of the bulb come out like the manufacter designed it to. On a hqi ballast the radiums are a crisp white light with a blue tint, on electrincs they are blue windex color and you loss par when underdriving them. You do not need to replace your reflecters you would just need to replace ballasts and get a end for the wires coming off the reflecter to plug into the ballast female plug. Radium only makes se 250 bulbs, phoenix was just de untill a yr or so ago and they sell a se version of it, ushio you can get both se and de bulbs.
 
I'd stay away from Lumateks. My cousin who works for Hydrofarms ( probably the biggest hydroponics wholesaler) told me that the Lumateks suck and they were getting boxes of returns daily.

I've used the Lumateks awhile back and for some reason it was really loud. also made my phoenix bulb flicker a lot. not a good ballast
 
I think you somehow missed that 250 watt Radiums are SE bulbs. There are some SE bulbs that are HQI spec. :-) HQI does not mean double ended bulb, though most DE bulbs are HQI it is a specification, not a bulb style. :-)
 
Well as of now I'm not going to be purchasing any hqi ballasts. Just an electronic 250w Metal Halide Ballast. I just need one.

What is everyone's take on The Galaxy vs Lumatek? And do I buy the new ballasts that have multi wattage feature like 250w-400w or is that just a waste of money?
 
Everyone has their favorite ballast. I have used ARO's since 04 or 05, (old age sucks) and have never had one go bad and the price is right too. In fact I am using two 150 watters now that have been with me a very long time, absolutely silent and small and easy to hide, they do not run hot either.
 
So I can buy an HQI Ballast, and run the Ushio, Radium, and Pheonix bulbs in SE and they will run the way should? Than on electrinic ballasts
 
That is correct. I like the Reeflex Cube for numerous reasons, but it's size may be an issue if you do not have a place to put it. I am at the new house and my Reeflex Cubes are at the old house, so I cannot look to see if they can be wall mounted, but a simple shelf would work.

http://www.marinedepot.com/Aqua_Med...-Aqua_Medic_USA-AQ6813-FILTACBAMHHFMB-vi.html

I see where it can be had cheaper through Amazon but Marine Depot will be there with support should you need it. It is always best to run a bulb with the correct ballast, this becomes more important with HQI Bulbs like the Radium and the Phoenix, it is like having a car that is designed for premium gas and you run regular through it, yes it will run, but not as intended. If that analogy helps. :-)
 
I have the reeflex cubes also. Have them on a shelf on back of canopy. which ever ballast you do get they have ends like you would buy for an extestion cord to match the end of the ballast plug, think it was like $10 for the reeflex cubes when I got them from aquacave. The nice thing about magnetic ballasts is if they stop working you can get parts to fix them aposed to trashing the hole ballast.
 
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