I know nothing about Metal halide. Help.

[banthonyb71]

Ok. Here's the situation. my parents went... oh wait..oh yea Metal halide:rollface:

I have this fixture http://www.saltwatertogo.com/aquati...20-460nm-t5-ho-fixture-with-4-lunar-leds.html

I've tried to sell the fixture because I didn't want halides but...

Long Story short.. I want to see if I could change the 150 watt ballast out with 250 watt ballast and still keep the same fixtures/sockets and use se 250 watt halides in there place. but I would want something same size to fit in same housing.. I have no idea about what specs to look for.

was thinking along these lines

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-ARO-Ele...624?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item25a55f7d70

 

[Bpb]

Hate to say it. But your parents got the funkiest, most non-standard halide fixture in the hobby. Those bulb socket types have little to no room for change and you're basically stuck with what it's got. Any chance of returning it for one of these instead?

http://www.hamiltontechnology.com/i...Halide--4-T5-High-Output-Lighting-System-2113

The cost is nearly identical. The aquatic life fixture uses G12 bulbs which you have basically no replacement options for. The Hamilton uses standard mogul socket bulbs, of which you have dozens of options to choose from as well with years of great reviews on

 

[banthonyb71]

The cost is nearly identical. The aquatic life fixture uses G12 bulbs which you have basically no replacement options for. The Hamilton uses standard mogul socket bulbs, of which you have dozens of options to choose from as well with years of great reviews on

nah, the fixture is old. but i figured that on the g12. well if I have to change the socket and wiring as well, so be it...but who else makes these small foot print ballasts? whats the difference/ how do I search for them? seems they dont make the one I linked on ebay anymore and cant find anything similar.

 

[moondoggy4]

How bout putting two Kessil 350 tuna blues in the fixture,looks like they will fit. But hey thats a lot more money.

 

[tkeracer619]

Nope. Stuck with what you have.

 

[Bpb]

Yeah there's not really a way to retro a DE socket or mogul socket with reflector on that unit. You're either stuck with replacing the bulbs with aquatic life g12 bulbs which aren't great, or scrap it and get another unit. Pulling those g12 units out and dropping in some kessils is a possibility, but not sure you're wanting to spend 500-1000 to mod it

 

[nikon187]

Nope. Stuck with what you have.

+1 sol unfortunatly

 

[banthonyb71]

Yeah there's not really a way to retro a DE socket or mogul socket with reflector on that unit. You're either stuck with replacing the bulbs with aquatic life g12 bulbs which aren't great, or scrap it and get another unit. Pulling those g12 units out and dropping in some kessils is a possibility, but not sure you're wanting to spend 500-1000 to mod it

I already considered that months ago, but im looking for more than what 2 kessils and 2 t5's will give me. It wouldnt be so bad if they had made the fixture 3x150 + 4x54 but since its only 2x54 then I was going to keep the halides and add 2 pucks.

So, why wouldnt i be able to mod to retro the socket? even if i have to make cuts and do rewire?

 

[nikon187]

you would need a new reflector, ballast, end clips and bulbs. Not an easy solution and more expensive than buying new. not to mention the heat put off by the halides and it WILL affect the t5

 

[redwhiteandblue]

Is there even room for a larger bulb reflector application? even if it was possible, you would spend almost as much as a new setup (2ballast, two reflectorso is gonna be around 300 plus) plus bulbs. , so why not buy new or gently used equipment you desire. The cheapest solution is to just add a 54w t5 retro to the fixture.

 

[banthonyb71]

more expensive than buying new. not to mention the heat put off by the halides and it WILL affect the t5

you would spend almost as much as a new setup (2ballast, two reflectorso is gonna be around 300 plus) plus bulbs. , so why not buy new or gently used equipment you desire. The cheapest solution is to just add a 54w t5 retro to the fixture.

The fixture already has t5's but Im not understanding how buying 2 ballasts,bulbs and end caps is more expensive than buying a 2x250 +4x54watt + 4x3 watt led halide/t5 fixture

a decent ficture would run atleast average $800

Is there even room for a larger bulb reflector application?

Thats the question I am asking. is there room? I have no clue. The housing are roughly 6x6x8

 

[redwhiteandblue]

The fixture already has t5's but Im not understanding how buying 2 ballasts,bulbs and end caps is more expensive than buying a 2x250 +4x54watt + 4x3 watt led halide/t5 fixture

a decent ficture would run atleast average $800



Thats the question I am asking. is there room? I have no clue. The housing are roughly 6x6x8

1. You could add 2 t5s to the exterior of the fixture for about 150 bucks plus bulbs, I recommend this because you said if only it had 4 t5 instead of two You would be fine with the setup.

2. 2 ballasts (200) 2 halide bulbs (150), 2 sockets, reflectors (100+) =350 to 450ish. Wouldn't it be easier to sell your fixture for a couple hundred, and spend what you would on a mythical upgrade and get something that's built how you want it. I see used halide fixtures for sale all the time. You can cheap out on pendants as well and probably get better coverage. Spider reflectors are like 25 bucks. Just gotta retrofit them into something.

3. I give you credit for attempting this, however You are wanting to create a Frankenstein light fixture. putting i assume to bigger bulbs inside the same size pre-made fixture after a few have said it won't work sounds like a difficult task.

 

[banthonyb71]

whats wrong with frankenstien? lol

 

[Bpb]

redwhiteandblue, pretty much sums it up. OP, if you really feel like getting out the soldering iron and hack saw and disassemble the entire fixture, cut it up, and retro in some new sockets, be our guest. I think part of the problem is the availability of what you're looking for. There arent a whole lot (none I'm immediately aware of) of DE reflectors of any quality whatsoever that would fit into that fixture, that can be purchased alone. If you gutted a Current or Coralife dual HQI/T5 combo unit, you may be able to use those as they're ultra compact and may fit for your purposes...but then again, if you had access to one of those, why cut up your aquaticlife, and disassemble another unit, when you could just use it as is.

You're not going to be able to hop on any of the repuatable reef equipment dealing sites, and find a little 5"x5" reflector or whatever size you're going to be able to use. MH reflectors sold separately are normally large, because you're trying to maximize the spread of the bulbs. Nobody purchases tiny little reflectors to hang over their tank. They're just not that readily available. Of course you could try to make one, but you're on your own there, and you need to be ready to find cut to size sheets of UV filtering tempered glass, becasue DE bulbs emit a dangerous amount of UVB and you will kill lots of stuff in the tank in short order wthout the glass shields.

Not to mention, that unless you scour the used market and get lucky, you're not going to find decent working ballasts for as cheap as you may think. Sure once in a blue moon you find a "getting out of the hobby, havent used this crud in years" type sales on local forums, but in general, a quality electronic ballast will cost you 100 bucks minimum, used, and up to $160-200 brand new. Quality bulbs are going to also run you between $50-80 a piece as well.

Nothing wrong with frankenstein lights, but it truely will be a frankenstein, and if you're gonna pull it off, you'll likely be purchasing a combination of odd materials, not designed for what you'll be using them for, as well as very old gear with suspect useable life left...if you're hoping to do it on the cheap. Most people who use quality metal halide lighting for its intended purpose (excellent growth and color) realize it is not a money saving endeavor by any means, even up front.

I think people are recommending against it, becasue nobody sees it as a worthy diy project. Not because you're not allowed to, or cant operate a hack saw and soldering iron.

 

[banthonyb71]

Thank You all for the replies and thank you specifically for the detailed explanation Bpb as of to the "why", I cant do it. as for me, the only way I would understand something as simple as 'no it can't be done" Is if the reflectors literally don't fit.

As far as why Im willing to go this far,
hack up the fixture,
not sell.

Is because unless this is done, the fixture is essentially worthless anyway.

Nobody makes decent bulbs for it. The par is not enough for what I'll be doing, nobody wants to buy it that once you add in shipping would even be worth it for me. So at this point it basically nothing to lose situation.

I've already found ballasts which is why I started this thread. I think if reflectors won't fit then I'll just auction it off on ebay no reserve and add shipping and call it a day.

the sad part about it, is that I bought this fixture used 3 years ago for $200 thinking it was a steal. but I knew/know little about halides and the g12 I thought was a model number from A.L.:hmm2:

 

[Bpb]

Not that big of a deal. I almost made the exact same mistake when considering halides at first. Nearly bought this same fixture.

 

[banthonyb71]

its actually not that bad of a fixture for someone with a mixed reef or smaller tank. dont plan on winning any totm with it tho

 

[Jay Ellul]

Simply wont fit

 

[RTMA]

That fixture is just begging for Lumia 5.2s to be retro'ed in. Of course if you wanted to stay with MHs, just like everyone above, I agree, it will be near impossible due to the limited space.

 

[Jay Ellul]

that fixture is just begging for lumia 5.2s to be retro'ed in. Of course if you wanted to stay with mhs, just like everyone above, i agree, it will be near impossible due to the limited space.

yes!