Halide Q & A

[sirreal63]

To the big picture, no, you can get equivalent light from either. DE needs the glass shield and SE does not. DE may burn brighter until you add the glass shield and in general it is at that point it evens out. That is not a hard and fast rule, there are some SE bulbs that kick serious butt but in general that is how it is. Running a bulb designed for DE HQI on an electronic ballast limits the bulb and then putting it behind the glass shield limits it further. So if you have a 150 watt electronic ballast and are using a lower PAR bulb, you may not get enough PAR other than very high in the tank. If this is your situation you may want to switch to a lower K bulb that delivers more PAR. That is the main caveat with 150's, bulb and ballast selection have a large effect on the light output.

 

[eledile]

So, in order to get the color that I want, I may have to go with a SE bulb? Or just find another way to increase the blue with other lighting methods? I just don't know enough about this to jump into it and spend a significant amount of money on something I know little about. I'm assuming that since the DE bulbs need a glass shield they are more prone to breaking? Or is that just because they give off a harmful amount of UV? I need to find a crash course book on MH and read it. Is there a thread on here or any good information about them out there?

 

[sirreal63]

It is to shield the UV. You will not be very successful in finding SE 150 watt bulbs or fixtures in the US. DE is the way to go if you want to run 150's. Do you have a fixture yet or are you just gathering ideas? I can't really offer much more than general help because I do not know what you have.

 

[eledile]

I am just gathering ideas. The fixture I have been looking at is from fishneedit.com I have talked to a few people that say that from looking at their site, they aren't good. But I have a few friends that are using them with no problems at all. They are really affordable fixtures, only $250 for a MH & T5 combo that would be the right size for my tank. But I don't want to end up with something that is going to have to be "upgraded" either. I suppose I could ask them if they offer a SE MH bulb and ballast in 175w..

I am open to suggestions. The more info I can find on them the better.

 

[sirreal63]

Electronic ballast and I have a suspicion they are Chinese knockoff fixtures, the MH portion is a copy of the old AquaMedic lights. I am always of leery of cheap metal halides, the last thing you want to be cheaply made is a MH light.

 

[eledile]

I have talked to the owner of the company and he said that they are made in China..the problem I have is that I have friends that have been using them for a year+ without any issues..
So where should I go looking??

 

[sirreal63]

You just need to decide for yourself if you are ok with a device than can produce more than enough amperage to kill you, and if you are ok with it being built by a company that doesn't care the least bit about your safety, backed by a government that refuses to recognize our laws. You may never have a single issue with the product, but don't for one second assume it is built to the same standards or has passed any of the safety requirements that are required of products built in this country. If there is an issue, you have zero recourse. It may be nothing to worry about, but then it could be, but how would you ever know? If you buy a product built in Germany, Italy or most of the countries in the world, you have some recourse, but China is different, and there is no safety standards that they are bound to. For me it is an easy decision.

 

[eledile]

Well, where can I find the same type of fixtures available that are made here in the US that are somewhat comparable in price? Any good websites to check out?

 

[sirreal63]

Hamilton makes some, but in reality any one that isn't made in China is a safe bet. Marine Depot, Premium Aquatics, Aquacave are good places. AquaMedic, Geisman, to name a few. It is ok to ask here, someone will have knowledge or experience with a fixture.

 

[spider1218]

concerning the expense of a fixture
metal halide balasts start at about thirty dollars for a typical 175 watt or 250 watt setup
they are not electronic but if you are looking at expense only its a good way to go buy a good bulb at about 60.00 and a reflector from 30 to 80 dollars and you have a great light for say 120.00 to 200.00

 

[eledile]

Well, if I was going MH only expense wouldn't really be my concern. But I want to have some T5's on there for before and after the MH comes on and goes off. Not to say that it's necessary but right now with my LED's I notice that the corals "wake up" better when exposed to only the blue lights for at least 10mins before I turn the whites on.. and man do they do well, I've already had lots of propagation from them and they have only been in the tank for 2 months tops. My Duncan sprouted out 5 new heads at once..

 

[spider1218]

that is how my setup is only i have the old t8 bulbs for actinc
works great

 

[eledile]

Now, what if I were to get a ballast that is more safe than the ones manufactured in China?
would that work?

 

[k4ndyk1ng]

hi all!
i have a 48" x 24" x 12"h hoping for it to be sps dominant my question is sould i go for 2 x 150w halides and how much heat would these produce ?
tanks

 

[Daddeo]

hi all!
i have a 48" x 24" x 12"h hoping for it to be sps dominant my question is sould i go for 2 x 150w halides and how much heat would these produce ?
tanks

You would be better off with 2X250 watt for SPS and the heat for the 250's is a good amount. I don't even have to run a heater! Water evaporation needs to be considered as well. I have 2X250 watt MH above my 120 and water lost to evaporation is about a 1/2" in my DT per day, on a 6 hour lighting schedule for the halides.

 

[sirreal63]

I don't think 250's would be better, the tank is only 12" high, but that also brings up whether it is better to use a low par 250 or a high par 150. I would skip the extra 200 watts and go with 150 over such a shallow tank. As far as how much heat you would get, 300 watts with the 150's or 500 watts of heat with the 250's.

 

[Daddeo]

Ah, my bad. I mis-read the dimensions.....

 

[eledile]

Hey sirreal63, if I were to get a safely made ballast and put it on that fixture I was talking about, would that be okay?

 

[sirreal63]

Yes, but I would open that fixture up and double check the wiring. I have owned Chinese equipment in the past, (Odyssea) and the wiring was not safe, loose connections poor routing, etc. You never know what you are going to get, so spend an hour and ensure that it is safe. Cheap stuff is cheap for a reason, usually because shortcuts are taken to reduce labor or products that are copied from other products, and while the Chinese are masters at copying design, they rarely copy the quality of materials. I know you want a fixture with T5's and you can get those and not have to worry about whether your fixture is a ticking time bomb or not.

 

[eledile]

That's true. Do you have any experience with a specific fixture that you know is a good quality one?