Inside Sun MH bulb for $ 30.00 ???

tbrennan said:
I use their 175 10k have not had any problems and I like the price

How does the color compare to any other bulbs you've used? How long have you had it and have you noticed any change in the color?
 
Well, I just ordered 3, will post the experience when I receive them. Now I have to work on the VHO system I am going to supplement them with. I am thinking of a Ice Cap, ARO or Pro ballast with 3 x 60", I am still undecided what combination of bulbs to go with, 50/50 and/or all actinics. Any suggestions for that?
 
They have some good deals on MH systems too..

I'm curious how good these guys are, especially their "Econo" MH systems, 80.00 for a whole 400w setup...
 
SeanCallan said:
They have some good deals on MH systems too..

I'm curious how good these guys are, especially their "Econo" MH systems, 80.00 for a whole 400w setup...

I think the $80 Econo is a refurb, I was going to get two but other's suggested it was too much light for a 75.

I am currently running 2 250's from this company of the "econo" variety @ 10K.

Good price, communication, and shpping with tracking.

Never owned MH's so I have nothing to compare them to.

Color seems fine. Some may question the parts used for the fixtures, but I think it'll be just fine in the long run.

I was looking for a fair, "un-inflated because of the hobby price" on Metal Halides, and that is exactly what I got.

~Eric
 
From looking at llebcire's thread I noticed these bulbs are the Plus brand. You can also get these on ebay.

When I purchased my setup used, it came with these bulbs running on a ballast from cooltouchlighting.com. They are 250w 10K metal halides.

They are yellow by themselves. I have 4 55w PC running with them. Here is a pic of the tank with the MH bulbs in question. It is 2x 250w 10K MH by Plus, 2x 55w 10K PC by Jebo and 2x 55w Blue by Jebo.

10037PICT0389.jpg


Since this image I have re-aquascaped and changed out the Jebo blues with true atinics and added 2x 40w Coralife true atinics. I'll post a new image shortly. I have to wait till the lights come on. I will also post a pic without the additional PCs.
 
Like I said, I ordered 3 of the 175 W last night.
Now I have 3 different order pages open trying to decide on the VHO supplement. Based on the recent comments, I am leaning towards going with 3 x 60" Actinics and no 50/50's. The best deal for a complete kit with IceCap 660 ballast, end caps, mounts and 3 60" bulbs seems to be on Custom Aquatics for $ 286.90 less the 5% RC discount (Shipping is $ 40.00). Oceanencounter has the same thing for $ 305.95 with free shipping. I wonder if I can archieve this any cheaper? Want to add that being female I have GREAT respect (fear) for electricity and wiring in general, that's why I am shying away from barebones do-it-yourself kits.
 
As promised.

As promised.

Here are some new images I just took showing the Plus brand 250 watt metal halides. I didn't adjust the images at all.

This is an image of my tank showing all lights. 2x Plus MH 250w 10K, 2x Jebo PC 55w 10K, 2x No Brand Name PC 55w Actinic 03 and 2x Coralife NO 40w Attica 03.

10037MHandPC-noflash-1.jpg


This is an image of my tank showing MH only.

10037MHonly-noflash-1.jpg


This is an image of my tank showing the PC and NO only.

10037PConly-noflash-1.jpg


The MH are about 6 months old. I have them mounted about 10" above the water with spider reflectors. The PC lights are mounted just inside the reflectors and are about 7" above the water. Thames lights are centered front to back. The tank is 24" front to back. The NO actinic 03 are in front about 6" above the water.

The lights aren't too bad. I would just like more blue. The PC doesn't penetrate to the bottom very well. The tank is 30" tall. I was thinking of using VHO actinic. IF that gets the blue I'm looking for then the Plus MH will suit me fine. Otherwise I will go with a CoralVue 10K or 14K.
 
My ballast is a pulse start as well and I haven't had any problems.

From my searches for bulbs I have seen many that can be used on either pulse or probe start. I don't know for sure if this is the case with the Plus brand as I purchased the system used.

Now there is a sticky thread in here that explains the differences in ballast and says that most pulse start ballast will fire a probe bulb, but since the probe has the ignitor in the bulb, the ignitor in the pulse ballast could cause problems, even fire.

Here is the thread.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=201570
 
Well I intend to buy my bulbs from someone else, I was just curious as trustworthly their ballasts are.

I've never heard of them unlike all the others you see on here so I wonder how they compare. If I wasn't a college student and I have a postive flow of cash I'd be glad to test it, but till then, I need to ride someone's coat tails.
 
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