Is there An electrition in the house? I am pondering getting a low bay light (used for warehouses) off ebay. They can be bought for REALLY cheap. they include the balast, bulb, and a huge useless reflector. Almost all come with a diagram that shows you how to rewire them from 220 to 120V. I am a little handy and have messed with a little wiring (changing switches, wiring ceiling fans, etc.) If i can figure out how to convert the volts is their anything else i should look out for when doing this? I figure i should be able to take the balast apart from the actual bulb housing and add a longer wire so that i can put the balast under the tank. add a male plug from an extention cord or one for an a.c. unit, and maybe a cooling fan and i should be o.k. BUT AGAIN I AM NOT AN EXPERT. ANY ADVICE??? I would rather not burn my house down!
"Low Bay MH's" Electricians?
- Thread starter blakeoe
- Start date
xtrstangx
Premium Member
Its doubtful that the light will be useful for a saltwater tank. Chances are that the only bulbs you can find are 3000K-7000K which will make your tank appear a nasty yellow color that gives favorable conditions for algae to grow.
Lights and skimmer are something you do not want to skimp on when setting up a reef tank.
Lights and skimmer are something you do not want to skimp on when setting up a reef tank.
Low bay fixtures are usually pretty high priced, the high bays are really cheap on Ebay. Inside the housing you will find a transformer and a large capacitor together they are called a magnetic ballast. Rewiring for a different input voltage is really easy. As far as the bulbs, the ones that come with the fixture will be 3000K-7000K as xtrstangx posted above. They should fire any bulb of the correct wattage that can be used with a magnetic ballast.
There is a link to a chart around here somewhere that has all the bulbs listed and says which ones can be used with a magnetic ballast. IF I can find the time to search for it later I'll post a link.
There is a link to a chart around here somewhere that has all the bulbs listed and says which ones can be used with a magnetic ballast. IF I can find the time to search for it later I'll post a link.
If the ballast is in fact Metal halide instead of High Pressure Sodium(although aquarium bulbs fire from a HPS ballast) it should run any aquarium bulb that meets its rating. bulbs are rated with a Mxx number. M58 or M59(regular and HQI) are common in the hobby. You need to make sure the ballast will fire that particular bulb you are looking for.
The bulb will be junk, the normal K rating of those types of bulbs is 4700k, a far cry from what we use.
Also I would suggest you keep the ballast in some sort of enclosure away from water. I suggest a GROUNDED metal container. You can find this type of stuff at HD or lowes. A disconnect box works well.
The bulb will be junk, the normal K rating of those types of bulbs is 4700k, a far cry from what we use.
Also I would suggest you keep the ballast in some sort of enclosure away from water. I suggest a GROUNDED metal container. You can find this type of stuff at HD or lowes. A disconnect box works well.
If the ballast is in fact Metal halide instead of High Pressure Sodium(although some aquarium bulbs fire from a HPS ballast) it should run any aquarium bulb that meets its rating. bulbs are rated with a Mxx number. M58 or M59(regular and HQI) are common in the hobby. You need to make sure the ballast will fire that particular bulb you are looking for.
The bulb will be junk, the normal K rating of those types of bulbs is 4700k, a far cry from what we use.
Also I would suggest you keep the ballast in some sort of enclosure away from water. I suggest a GROUNDED metal container. You can find this type of stuff at HD or lowes. A disconnect box works well.
The bulb will be junk, the normal K rating of those types of bulbs is 4700k, a far cry from what we use.
Also I would suggest you keep the ballast in some sort of enclosure away from water. I suggest a GROUNDED metal container. You can find this type of stuff at HD or lowes. A disconnect box works well.
i got a bunch of these and they work fine mine are m58 ballasts and they fire any bulb meant to run with it. you can disconnect the socket from the ballast box and extend it mine had a quick disconnect. mine already were wired for 120, but could be converted to 220. i bought mine at an auction for $20 a piece. dont know about the ebay ones.
Thanks to all for the info! I figured it could be done just wanted to make sure b4. I knew i would have to change the bulb. The fixture is what im looking to keep from the low/high bay lights. What is the difference between regular and HQI? Is one better than the other? I am assuming that the wiring will not be the standard 3 prong outlet to plug into a wall socket. Would it be better to wire it to an extention cord (cut off the female end) or should i use something else like a window unit power cord? THANK YOU ALL FOR THE INFO!!
Okay, this is my opinion, so take it for what you will. When I had my 65G I bought a bare magnetic MH ballast off ebay. After I got done wiring everything up, using a grounded box, quick disconnects, and basically similar to ready to go ballasts I really didn't save that much. Plus I had spent the time wiring everything up. So take it for what you will.
As far as the cord you can use an outdoor extension cord for the ballast cord. You definitely cannot use the lamp cord type (which I am sure you already know). You can actually buy replacement cords for power tools that work good too.
As far as the cord you can use an outdoor extension cord for the ballast cord. You definitely cannot use the lamp cord type (which I am sure you already know). You can actually buy replacement cords for power tools that work good too.
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