CADlights 39g Pro build thread

This and many user reviews are what sold me on lumatek

More lumen output
up to 30% more lumens output than some old style magnetic ballasts ...More light equals more yield. We urge you to test this yourself with a good quality light meter. Be sure to also check how much power the ballast is using with an ammeter as many so called 600w magnetic ballasts now draw up to 750w as standard to try to keep up with Lumatek's lumen output.

More lumens generated per watt of electricity consumed
Lumatek ballast have increased efficacy over magnetic ballasts. They lose fewer watts from the power supply to the lamp. The high frequency output results in low power loss at the cathodes in addition to better overall power management.

Stable light output
Excellent for Pharmaceutical-agriculture, laboratories and other uses where precise regularized output is essential.

Fast start-up
It reaches full brightness in under one minute; magnetic ballasts typically take about twenty minutes.

Completely silent
No noise or vibration of any kind

Small compact design
600watt 120v ballast weighs less than 4.5 kilos compared to almost 20 kilos for magnetic ballasts.

Produce less heat
Less heast generated by the ballasts allows cooler running of the environment

Cut-off circuitry
Cuts off when a short is detected. For ultimate safety.

Longer bulb life
Lumen output loss over time, with the correct lamp, is dramatically less than with magnetic ballasts.

Fully interchangeable
Lumatek ballasts can light both HPS and MH bulbs (excluding the 750w which is HPS only).
 
the lumatek won't power the stock cad fixture unless it's retrofitted for a 250 watt bulb. Even though they can run at 150 they use a 250 bulb switched down to 150 output.
 
meinestrasse said:
Yes, I have the newer fixture (2010 model) with external ballast. Not sure on the bulb sizes, but I am planning to upgrade to another fixture anyway so if the 250 is bigger than the 150 DE then I will be sure to upgrade to a 250 fixture.

Geisemann has some nice HQI/T5/LED combo fixtures but they are pricey. Not as much as AI LEDs though.

This is a bit off topic, but check out the system this guy built around a CAD Artisan 50G. He must've dropped at least $20K.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1882745
Click to expand...

Yes, the 250w DE is a larger bulb vs. the 150w DE, so keep that in mind when looking into fixture. I believe the 175w and 250w SE bulbs are the same size, so one fixture could handle both.

Before I settled on the Belize Sun, I was looking into the Cebu Sun 250w SE fixture with 4x24w T5s. Decided it was too much for my 39g, but might be just right for your 50g (Congrats). Unfortunately, the Cebu is not the prettiest of fixtures!

Checked out the Giesemann, nice but too much $$$. Crazy CAD 50g thread - he spared no expense!

meinestrasse said:
While we're on the topic of lighting...

I'm finding it hard to figure out what's really needed for good MH lighting beyond a good bulb. I'm particularly confused about ballasts. I understand hoods and reflectors. What do you look for in a ballast? And what's a good ballast to buy to get the most out of a good bulb?
Click to expand...

For ballasts, if you use magnetic, you need to match it to the bulbs you plan to run. Most DE run M80/81/HQI (pulse), while SE use either M80 (pulse) or M57/58 (probe) depending upon bulb. So a 250w SE 20k Radium uses a M80, while a 250w SE 20K XM needs a M58.

An electronic ballast should be able to run any bulb. From what I've read, magentic ballasts tend of overdirve the bulb, while electronic tend to underdrive (if I understood what I've read correctly).

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

meinestrasse said:
Wow, just read up on Lumatek. Did you have to modify anything for it to fit your fixture, though?

By the way, just found this great site that allows you to do side by side comparison of bulb color with photos over a tank.

http://chrismorris.ca/250wcolour/
Click to expand...

For the ballast connectors, you'll have to check. The Hamilton fixtures use the Lumatek pin pattern, so can connect to the Lumatek ballast. But some fixtures use a different ballast pin pattern, so you might need to cut the cord or open the fixture to wire it to a Lumatek, which I would assume would void the warranty. I think that's why ballasts have an optional lamp cord, in case your fixture doesn't match.
 
Well, since everyone else seems like they're doing it (!), I'm getting on the fixture upgrade bandwagon myself!

My wife has specifically requested that I get the LumenMax Elite reflector (she loves how it looks -- go figure!), so I went with that -- and I also bought a Galaxy Select-a-Watt 250w ballast while they were on sale for $118.

We have an LFS in Richmond (referenced in Julian Sprung's Reef Aquarium Volume II!) that swears by and runs nothing but unsupplemented 250w and 400w CoralVue 14k and 20k bulbs. I was in there the other day and was just blown away by how great the 20k (and 14k for that matter) CoralVue bulbs looked in the store. So, I figured I'd give them a shot unsupplemented and see how it turns out.

New pics when everything gets here!
 
I too pulled the trigger on a new fixture. Belize Sun 150w with HQI magnetic ballast and the Phoenix 14000k, instead of the stock Hamilton. Can't wait till it arrives! Also pulled the trigger on the Tunze ATO.

I was very tempted by the Lumen style fixtures without Actinics - I liked the look of RTs new setup, but just couldn't do it (yet). When I run my 150w Phoenix 14000k w/o T5s on stock, it's just not blue enough for me. Could be my older fixture/reflector/ballast. I'm sure my tank would be too blue for most.

A local LFS also runs the Coralvue bulbs w/o T5s, and I do like the color. We'll all have to post photos of our new lights.
 
Awesome! Can't wait to see how it looks.

I went back and forth with the supplementation issue for a while.. I decided, I can get this now, and if I'm dying for a dawn/dusk or more blue, I can always throw on one of those 15" Reefbrite LED strips.

I'm excited about the Coralvue bulbs -- I was nothing but impressed with the color (not to mention the color of the corals).

In related news, I worked on my stock fixture for a while but couldn't really figure out what was wrong with the rear T5. I'm going to take it into my LFS and see if they can fix it.
 
itsdarrow said:
FYI selling my Euro-reef skimmer that is made for the cadlights pro system

heres the link: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=18470127#post18470127
Click to expand...

Hey itsdarrow! What's up? Long time no hear! Still in the hobby?
You should get a bite on the euro reef. Not bad skimmers but man-o-man, what a pain to work with for me! When I used mine I was running CA at 480 and alk at 10 and my alloy mesh impellers sure didn't like that too much.

Keep us updated on what's up

Happy Reefing

Tivo
 
timdanger said:
Awesome! Can't wait to see how it looks.

I went back and forth with the supplementation issue for a while.. I decided, I can get this now, and if I'm dying for a dawn/dusk or more blue, I can always throw on one of those 15" Reefbrite LED strips.

I'm excited about the Coralvue bulbs -- I was nothing but impressed with the color (not to mention the color of the corals).

In related news, I worked on my stock fixture for a while but couldn't really figure out what was wrong with the rear T5. I'm going to take it into my LFS and see if they can fix it.
Click to expand...

thanks brother! I'll have to check out the Coralvue bulbs now:spin2: I'm looking for a 20k to try out for the hell of it. Still happy with the 14k phoenix though. Going to pull my Ca reactor out of moth balls and see about getting that hooked up again. I'm spending alot of time out of town and feel bad asking family and friends to dose for me. My Wife is prohibited from touching the tank due to past experiences and lack of interest on her part:blown:
 
reeftivo said:
Hey itsdarrow! What's up? Long time no hear! Still in the hobby?
You should get a bite on the euro reef. Not bad skimmers but man-o-man, what a pain to work with for me! When I used mine I was running CA at 480 and alk at 10 and my alloy mesh impellers sure didn't like that too much.

Keep us updated on what's up

Happy Reefing

Tivo
Click to expand...

Yea getting rid of the pro. I really like the look of the 40L artisan tank they have and think that I'm going to getthst next.
What's your opinion?
 
reeftivo said:
Going to pull my Ca reactor out of moth balls and see about getting that hooked up again. I'm spending alot of time out of town and feel bad asking family and friends to dose for me. My Wife is prohibited from touching the tank due to past experiences and lack of interest on her part:blown:
Click to expand...

are you just dosing 2-part right now? i'm using the BRS 1.1ml/minute dosing pumps, and they do a terrific job (but my sump is just a big mess of equipment!).
 
itsdarrow said:
Yea getting rid of the pro. I really like the look of the 40L artisan tank they have and think that I'm going to getthst next.
What's your opinion?
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear that you're getting rid of the Pro. You must have got a case of morefish-itis or coralitis-LOL. The Artisan's are super clean and I would have one now if I had a little more room. If I had my way, I'd have a 600liter tank against my wall off my kitchen. I would however, have to file for divorce before the planning stage:lmao:. The wife feels a bit neglected as it is right now:sad2:.

Only thing I don't care for about the Artisan is the stands. They have no Flair. The all natural wood option is nice but still has the same look. I guess a Wazooo stand would actually take away from what we really focus on but I still like a nice piece of furniture rather than a square with a box of water on it. Just my .02
 
timdanger said:
are you just dosing 2-part right now? i'm using the BRS 1.1ml/minute dosing pumps, and they do a terrific job (but my sump is just a big mess of equipment!).
Click to expand...

Tempting but I'm trying to stay uncomplicated on this one. If I go with the reactor then I'll just set and forget for 6 months (give or take).
 
meinestrasse said:
Tivo, sounds like you need an Apex Aquacontroller.
Click to expand...

Jr's still working okay but you're right! Apex looks nice with all those programmable options. I'm extremely challenged when it comes to programmable electronics due to my lack of patience in that area.

Are they simple, or do they need to have code entered?
 
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