bustayanky
Active member
bump i still need some more info haha
Magnetic or Electronic?
- Thread starter bustayanky
- Start date
gcarroll
Active member
The SLS Blue Wave 7 ballast is a magnetic HQI ballast (M80). It is the manufactuer recomended ballas for all DE bulbs and most if not all German 20K SE bulbs (also the 14K Aquaconnect). It will burn a 250 watt DE to manufacturer specs as well as any other HQI rated bulb. It will significantly overdrive any non-HQI rated bulb. It is bigger, and heavier as well as more user friendly compared to Icecap ballasts. It consumes more wattage and nearly produces proportionately more PAR than an Icecap.
five.five-six
Well-known member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10822742#post10822742 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jdieck
Neither one nor the other and totally the opposite
Now seriously. The intensity of the arc can change the PAR (Light intensity) and the Kelving (color) which way will go depends on the bulb and the current/voltage the ballast apply to it.
Rather than say one color or the other IMO because a good electronic ballast rund the bulb closer to the specifications of the manufacturer I would say that what you see is what the manufacturer intended it to look like be it blue, white or yellow.
I always thought this was BS as well, however, I just made the change from M to E, I can tell you anticdotally, that the tank does look bluer. I do not know if running the lamps in spec causes this or if the lower intensity changes my perception of the color, I can just tell you that it looks bluer, and that was totally unexpected
JeffersonReef
New member
I have a 2 dual 250w PFO brand magnetic ballasts... and they run much cooler than my hamilton ballast used to... still getting the par I needed, just run much cooler. Im very happy with them.
bustayanky
Active member
So you guys think i should just go for the single ended 250 W bulbs with a ballast that runs it to save time and trouble of trying to mod it? Plus i hear there are a lot more selection on bulbs and i wouldn't need a glass protector since the SE bulbs have UV filters rite? Let me know
five.five-six
Well-known member
manny reccomend a protector on SEs as well, there are plenty of DE 250's to choose from. one nice thing about Ebalasts is that you can change from SE to DE fairly easly
dragonforce
New member
Whats your budget? I like to spend my money on the livestock so I like to go cheap as possible. You can get advance magnetic ballasts on ebay for around 60 dollars shipped. A decent reflector runs 30 bucks shipped with the mogule socket. All you need then are an extention chord, and a light bulb. Cheers
bustayanky
Active member
So when overdriving the SE bulbs, how much faster will you have to change out the bulbs? I think im going to just stick with the SE 250 Watt Reeflux 12k bulbs? Tell me what everyone thinks about that and what ballast would be best for that configuration? Sorry to bother everyone so much. I just want to do it right the first time or it will be more time consuming later on.
gcarroll
Active member
If the SE bulb is overdriven, you ususally need to change bulbs every 9 months. Some guys change them out every 6 months. It really depends on the bulb. Your corals will let you know when it's time to change them out.
Personally I would consider running the HQI ballast with the Reeflux based on the fact that they produce 50% more PAR. Another great choice would be the SLS Galaxy e-ballast which is an e-ballast that is tuned to European HQI specs. I have noticed only 5-10% drop in PAR due to the ballast swap. I saved approx 30-35 watts per ballast which enabled me to bump up to 5 bulbs with nearly the same energy cost.
Personally I would consider running the HQI ballast with the Reeflux based on the fact that they produce 50% more PAR. Another great choice would be the SLS Galaxy e-ballast which is an e-ballast that is tuned to European HQI specs. I have noticed only 5-10% drop in PAR due to the ballast swap. I saved approx 30-35 watts per ballast which enabled me to bump up to 5 bulbs with nearly the same energy cost.
bustayanky
Active member
nice. that sounds good i think im going for electronic ballast with SE 250 W Reeflux 12k bulbs.
bustayanky
Active member
hey guys does anyone know that one website? It was something like e ballast dot com or something like that?
bustayanky
Active member
looking for Dual Galaxy 250 W electronic ballast? Do you know anyone with one for sale with the mogul for SE bulbs?
jdieck
New member
This month's Tank of the Month (Which has some impresive coral coloration) mentiones using Reflux 12K but with the CoraVue ballasts and reflectors.
I tought you amy be interested in it as the coralvue bulb ballast combinations seem to do wonders at least for the 400 watt ones.
From the TOM writeup:
"I then decided to try the ReefLux 12K lamps, and I was equally impressed with the noticeable blue hue they produced. I wanted to try these in order to get more “pop†in the corals’ color. I was really surprised that the corals’ growth did not slow down, and the SPS were turning to insane colors! I have to give quite a bit of credit to these lamps for the success I have had with my reef. I run all five metal halides in CoralVue Lumenarc mini reflectors and they’re powered by CoralVue 400-watt electronic ballasts."
bustayanky
Active member
Hey guys what do you think about this deal? With some SE 250 Watt 12k Reeflux bulbs on my Lumenarc IIIs? Will it work? What's the difference between these ones and the icecap ballast you guys recommended?
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1215430
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1215430
EmDy
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10879083#post10879083 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Lagger
Nice! :thumbsup: Did you get a lumen arc/max to go with it?
john, I dont have enough space in my canopy so i went with the mini. I only turn on for 2.5 hrs yesterday...I have to stop by somewhere to get sunblock for my corals...haha..
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