Dmorty217
Saltwater Addict
Bulbs are once a year and ballasts will last many years before failure.
Like the look of MHs but...
- Thread starter JennyFlow
- Start date
Bulbs are once a year and ballasts will last many years before failure.
Bpb
New member
I've had ballasts keep trucking for 10
Years. That's no guarantee though. The bad part about giesemann is they don't sell ballasts with their fixtures. You'll have to get with someone on here who runs a spectra and find out what type of ballast is compatible with that fixture. I like electronic ballasts as they can run many different types of bulbs. Not all have compatible cable connections to the fixture though. I don't run a giesemann so I couldn't tell you which one you need
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Japsican
Beans&Rice
I'm running a Giesemann off of a Luxcore selectable ballast. It has an overdrive/HQI setting that you can use if you are using a Radium bulb. If you are using a different bulb, you can use the standard 250W or 400W setting with no overdrive. When I purchased my Giesmann new, it came with the correct plug so you can wire the ballast cord to mate with the fixture.
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angieg1123
Premium Member
Since I have 30 and 36 inch tanks I just bought a MH and t5 all in one fixture off of eBay. I swapped out the bulbs and all is good.
Bpb
New member
I've actually known some people to get very admirable results from those to be honest
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angieg1123
Premium Member
It has a 250w double ended MH. 4 t5 actinic lamps and 4 moonlights all in one unit. My anemones love it...super simple for me too.
angieg1123
Premium Member
Mine has a 15k bulb for the MH
angieg1123
Premium Member
How long is your tank?
Bpb
New member
Doesn't matter. Whichever you prefer. 20k of the same brand/ballast/reflector will be lower par than a 14k. You're safe either way
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Bpb
New member
Correct there is no 14k radium. At least not one you'll find on any website selling reef bulbs.
Best bulb is like best skimmer or best salt. People will generally just recommend what they have settled on. It's impossible to make the claim of best. At this point you basically have pretty limited options
Hamilton
Radium
Ushio
Giesemann
Reef brite
Am I forgetting any? There's not near as many options as there once was. I'll be honest I just use Hamilton bulbs. I have several years in back stock of them as well so I've kind of gone all in. Giesemann are double the price, radiums are about $20-30 more per bulb as well. Don't hear much about reef brite bulbs. People seem to like ushio as well but I've never used them before.
Radiums paired with an m80 ballast are my favorite looking of the list. Hamilton 20k are in a close second.
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Best bulb is like best skimmer or best salt. People will generally just recommend what they have settled on. It's impossible to make the claim of best. At this point you basically have pretty limited options
Hamilton
Radium
Ushio
Giesemann
Reef brite
Am I forgetting any? There's not near as many options as there once was. I'll be honest I just use Hamilton bulbs. I have several years in back stock of them as well so I've kind of gone all in. Giesemann are double the price, radiums are about $20-30 more per bulb as well. Don't hear much about reef brite bulbs. People seem to like ushio as well but I've never used them before.
Radiums paired with an m80 ballast are my favorite looking of the list. Hamilton 20k are in a close second.
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on the spot
New member
This is the "what I like vs. what you like" part of lighting. The MH will be doing the heavy lifting, the rest is just eye candy.
As for me I prefer the 20K 250's Plusrite branded bulbs. When I was running a full reef three of these in lumenbright reflectors were great.
I really love the radiums too, and still have the extra ballasts just in case.
I'd suggest picking up a used fixture or reflector. Try out the different bulbs - You can find them used also. A little shipping. Find the color you like best.
Then decide on a fixture. That used one you bought first will let you experiment with single and double ended bulbs.
HTH
Hamilton Technology has them. And parts to fix as well.
Bpb
New member
Correct Hamilton has m80
Ballast assemblies in stock and ready to go. The PFO and ReefFlex cube ballasts are all extinct though. Hamilton is hanging in there with the MH gear. You really can get literally anything you need from them and not be left wanting, save for Phoenix bulbs.
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My lights on my old 75g tank, 2007-2012, were 2 175w metal halides with 2 36inch t5 actinics for supplemental blue. My preferred bulb on the halides was the Hamilton 10k.
In the pictures are worth 1000 words department, here is a full tank shot from January 2010, and close up of a small section from August 2009 with the 10k halide, t5 actinic combo.
In the pictures are worth 1000 words department, here is a full tank shot from January 2010, and close up of a small section from August 2009 with the 10k halide, t5 actinic combo.
Attachments
hkgar
Active member
Be very careful of those green Palys. They can kill you. I spent 3 days in the hospital. I won't have them in my tank.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2515630
five.five-six
Well-known member
There are fewer MH fixtures available these days, what would you guys say the Cadillac of of fixtures available today is with nice reflectors, and bulbs
Cadillac Would be what I'm running. Giesmann spectra with Radium B lamps (20K) on a M80 ballast. With T5 and direct replacement LED actinic for supplements. I'm actually running select-a-watt ballasts so I can switch between 250W and 400W lamps with ease.
For dimming, as others have said, I start with the LED, then add the T5 then light the halides one at a time :30 min apart. End of photoperiod the Halides shut down one at a time fallowed by T5 then the LEDs
