Dimmable Ballast?

MERCURYROCKET

New member
coralvue dimmable ballast.....has anybody used these and what was the results? ie bulb or ballast , did it lengthen or shorten life? did it make a big difference hi 2 lo 35% in briteness? did the color quality stay the same? where they 250s or 400s thanks for taking alook greg
 
I have 3 x 400 watt CV dimmables with Helios 20K bulbs (SE). I overdrive, and you should expect a shorter lamp life. Underdriving is not supposed to shorten life, and is actually supposed to lengthen life. I also have a 250 watt CV dimmable ballast with a Helios 20K bulb (SE).

The CV 250/Helios 20K in overdrive looks a lot like a 250 watt PFO Magnetic ballast/Helios 20K.

Basically, with CV dimmables, either 250 or 400 watt, the more you underdrive, the bluer the bulb will get (in a 20K), the more you overdrive, the whiter the bulb gets.

Side note: The Helios 400 watt 20K SE bulbs are a lot bluer at any stage of dimming or normal operation than the Helios 250 Watt SE bulbs.
Dave
 
I have 3 x 400 watt CV dimmables with Helios 20K bulbs (SE). I overdrive, and you should expect a shorter lamp life. Underdriving is not supposed to shorten life, and is actually supposed to lengthen life. I also have a 250 watt CV dimmable ballast with a Helios 20K bulb (SE).

All my lights are in combination with LB Minis.

The CV 250/Helios 20K in overdrive looks a lot like a 250 watt PFO Magnetic ballast/Helios 20K. But the CV is electric, and uses less amperage to start and maintain the light level.

Basically, with CV dimmables, either 250 or 400 watt, the more you underdrive, the bluer the bulb will get (in a 20K), the more you overdrive, the whiter the bulb gets.

Side note: The Helios 400 watt 20K SE bulbs are a lot bluer at any stage of dimming or normal operation than the Helios 250 Watt SE bulbs.

Wether you need the dimmer on the CV ballasts depends, IMO, on what corals you want to keep. It is a handy feature during acclimation, and also good if you want the extra light for an SPS tank. My 210 gallon is all SPS and the OD feature on the 400 watt ballasts is nice.

The dimmers also allow a bit of flexibility if you decide to change they type of reef, like going for SPS to Softies, or LPS to SPS, etc.

They are also a bargain, IMO, as they add only $10-$20 extra onto the cost of the product itself, depending on who you order from. I got all my CV ballsts from Reef Specialty, Reef Exotics, and HelloLights.


Dave
 
dimmable ballast

dimmable ballast

acropor thank you for your observation......i am from covington are you by any chance close to there....greg
 
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