Halide Q & A

Nice to know, thanks! I didn't realize that a non-pulsed ballast with no igniter would do that. Obviously the electronic will ignite them, otherwise I believe the M135 are meant to.
 
overexposed said:
Hey everyone, I am wondering if anyone knows what happened to XM bulbs? I am running 3x400w XM 20k's and it is time for replacement, but I can't find them anywhere!!! I found reference to them being discontinued on one storefront, but after hours and hours of Googling I can't find any other reference to them being discontinued or anything. If you go to the XM website it looks like everything is still business as usual.

So... does anyone know of someplace where we can still purchase XM 400w mogul bulbs?? Or do we need to find a replacement? I may have to switch to Radiums, since they are still readily available everywhere as far as I can see. But I have M59 ballasts so they would run sub-optimally in my system.
Click to expand...

So nobody knows what's up with XM bulbs being unavailable? Maybe I should create a separate thread so it gets more visibility...
 
I have to agree with Shifty on the Hamilton lamps. I have a new quad of 400W Radiums, but since December have been burning 14K Hamilton's. Very happy so far. Great growth!
 
Lighting suggestions..MH/combo over 58g 1 or 2 MH

Lighting suggestions..MH/combo over 58g 1 or 2 MH

For my 58g 36" tank I'm thinking about moving away from led and switching to a Hamilton Cebu Sun MH/t5 (MH + 4t5 HO). Should I go with 1 x175, 2×175, 1x250, or 2×250. Tank dimensions:*36.5 x W 18.5 x H 21.*

I don't want any limitations on the types of corals I can get (or placement). I plan to have some LPS on the sand and lower level of the tank. and SPS mid and High.

I'm leaning towards the 1x250 as it seems like a the best bang for the buck. Would this get me the coverage I need to have SPS across the tank? Or, would it make more sense to get 2 x 175MH. Maybe 2x250s (but that seems excessive)?!
 
If that tank is 36" deep, you might want to consider 400W. You can alway raise the fixture but you can only lower it so far. If you are considering alot of SPS, Hamilton also recommends the 400W for a tank that deep.
 
2x 250w cebu sun for 125 g 72x18

2x 250w cebu sun for 125 g 72x18

Hi all, how would a 60" Cebu sun 2x250w work on 72" tank, yes I know a 3x250w would be better but don't want all that power.
 
I would think wonderfully, especially with the T5 supplementation. For your more light demanding pieces, place those more directly under the 250 lamps.
 
Thanks Rippster, that encouraging.How far off the water should I suspend the fixture for decent coverage?. The tank has 2 center braces, would this be an issue?.
 
That's going to be a system/tank specific thing. I'm running 2 dual 400W Cebu Sun w/ the 8 T5 and initially I had them around 12-13" off the water surface. I took PAR readings and now run around 7-8" off the water surface. If you can get the PAR where you want with the fixture higher, than you may also avoid heating the water as much. I now only run the 4 MH lamps about 5 hours a day and the T5 10 hours. Raising them I could likely run longer, but I'm having great growth and new coloration I never had under LED, so I'm good where I'm at and using less electricity. We'll see in a few months how things go when I swap out to the LED/T5 hybrid for the summer months.
 
Thanks Ripp, and the 2 center braces? will that interfere in any way, would you happen to know how far the halide bulbs are from each other on the 60" fixture, sorry for all the questions, lol.
 
How wide are the center braces? Hopefully the lamps line up over the openings. If you contact Dave at Hamilton ( hamilton207@hamiltontechnology.com ), he can give you exact info on all the Cebu Sun fixtures. He's a fantastic guy to work with and more than willing to help in any way he can. He is also very good at making accurate recommendations for their fixtures over specific tank sizes and type of reef desired.
 
Do most people go with the Hamilton Magnetic or Electronic Ballast? From what I've read on the archives here the electrics are more versatile and don't get as hot, so I'd think that would be the way to go? They tack on $45 extra to swap out for the electric so thought I'd see what you guys prefer.
 
Magnetic ballasts are much more energy efficient. I own 4 LuXcore electronic ballasts pushing 2 dual 400W Hamilton Cebu Sun fixtures. The LuXcore still get very hot, but with their efficiency and flexibility to run different kinds of lamps, it made it a win/win for me. What you need to decide is what wattage lamp you need and then decide on the ballast. For example, with the 400W LuXcore, I can go from 250W, 250W HQI, 400W, and 400W Super Lumens. This allows me a great range of flexibility in any lamp "I" may want to use. On the flip slide, LuXcore offers their 250W that can be run 150w, 175w, 250w, 250w Super Lumens. There are other electronic ballasts as well, and can be found on grow sites such as the Solis Tek. I will say CoralVue, and very specifically their rep Chris Conti, provided me great service when I had some ballast problems.
 
Thanks. I definitely want to switch to Halides over my new tank. I want the growth my friend is getting from his Radiums. I guess it will be 3x250w. LED has been fun for color.
 
Put the Radiums on M80 HQI ballasts or you will be leaving potential on the table. I think that you will like the Radiums on M80 more once they get the coral colored up.
 
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