Is this a good setup

[Reef_bones]

I want some opinions before I purchase this 250w retro kit.
the kit includes:
- IceCap 250W Electronic Ballast
- Spider Reflector with Mogul Socket
- Power Cord
- 250W Metal Halide Mogul Base Lamp (XM 250w 10,000)

for 214.00 shipped to my door.

Aqua cave rocks..

I only want to buy this once ya know what I mean. I have bought to many things in this hobby 2 times simply to try and save money. Well it doesn't work..lol. It is so true that you get what you pay for.

Can I do better than this kit for under 250. I don't need moonlights or supplimentals I got that already. Just need a retro MH kit.

 

[bertoni]

I'd try to substitute a PFO parallel reflector for the Spider, but otherwise, that sounds like a nice kit to me. This site has a lot of data, if you want to do some research:

http://www.reeflightinginfo.arvixe.com/

 

[BeanAnimal]

Yeah the spider seems to be the worst of the bunch with regards to efficiency.

 

[Reef_bones]

Yeah the PFO does look like the better reflector so I will go with it. Thanks for the tip Bertoni. Do I need a UV shield? Do they make them to fit these type reflectors. I have a 2 year old and don't wont his eyes fried from looking up at the light..

 

[BeanAnimal]

The SE bulbs outer envelope is a UV shield. Adding another piece of glass underneath will stop more UV in theory, but it will also signicifacntly cut down the overall light that enters the tank.

 

[Reef_bones]

Good enough for me. I explained it to the wife and it made sense to her to so no UV shield. The light will be in a canopy anyway. 2 120mm fans on each end should be sufficient cooling right? I already have a few 120's and 80's laying around.

 

[BeanAnimal]

You may want to seek a second opinion... esp if the kid and wife are involved I am by no means a UV expert.

Yes and you can add fans if needed. Push air into the hood and let it rise out the top of the hood if you can. That way natural convection will help move the heat away.

 

[bertoni]

I'd worry a bit about the kid, actually, although I don't think another UV shield would help. I'd just worry about him staring at bright lights for too long, maybe. I don't know much about small children.

 

[Reef_bones]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8817284#post8817284 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bertoni
I'd worry a bit about the kid, actually, although I don't think another UV shield would help. I'd just worry about him staring at bright lights for too long, maybe. I don't know much about small children.

He doesn't even care about the tank to be honest with you. If he does look at it he just yells "FISHY" then takes off. As long as the front canopy door is down he shouldn't see the bulb directly just the light coming through the water.

Now my 5 year old was totally the opposite. He overfeed my tank once when he was 2 and totally annihilated my last planted tank when he was a little older than 3. Seems that baby powder and water don't mix well...:eek2:

I 'm looking at the luminarc reflectors those seem to get the most out of a bulb...Price is a little steep but what isn't in this hobby. If your gonna pay 60 bucks for a light bulb you might as well get the best piece of precision bent TIN CAN you can get for it..lol

I am going to go ahead and get the kit with the spider reflector for now, It will work better in the crappy canopy I am using while I make the canopy my wife wants. I will use 2 luminarc reflectors in it. It will make the build a lot easier having the reflectors not in use. Using the spider reflector with some screen (at first)will give my corals to adjust to full blown 500w of MH from 285 of VHO.... Then hitem with the lumenarcs...

The NEW Canopy should be done by Feb. I have been considered ONE 250 MH on a track, moving across the tank from left to right. Moving slow enough that it took 8-9 hrs to make it across, then they would go out and move back across at night.

 

[bertoni]

I have the Lumen Max 2, similar to the LumenArc. It is very effective, from what I can tell.