MH for 120 gal tank

[rm41400]

Hi all

hoped to get some advice on getting a new ballast.

Currently I have a dual PFO 400 watt PS ballast with two mogul pendants. Its a little too hot for the old bedroom. I plan to downgrade and buy another PFO ballast that is rated at 250 watts and reuse my pendants. Which PFO dual ballast should I get? The 250 watt HQI, PS, or Electronic? At the moment I do not plan to purchase new pendents. I may want to get some DE pendents in the future if that is a good idea.

THanks everyone

 

[fishdoc11]

If it was me I would get electronic. Then you aren't restricted with bulbs or with DE/SE etc......Also bulbs will last longer than on HQI and less electricity etc.... JMO.
Chris

 

[rm41400]

Thanks Chris! I also posted in the Premium Aquaticd vendor thread and got this response.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=7341484#post7341484

What do you think? They seem to lean towards the HQI....

 

[fishdoc11]

Well everyone has their opinion

What bulbs do you plan on using?

 

[cee]

If you want to run anything over a 10k bulb, you'll be happier with a HQI ballast IMO. Many of the big acro keepers in Cali are running HQI/Radium combinations. But, if you're worried about bulb costs, electricity costs, etc., then electronics will save you some $$ in the long run. Also, reflectors can make a big difference...

Dave

 

[fishdoc11]

And IMO if you are going to run 10K's there is no reason to get electronic. Magnetics are cheaper and more reliable...confused yet

Knowing what bulb you want to run will go a long way in figuring out which ballast you want to run.

Also FWIW I am basing my HQI opinion on my own HQI running an AB DE 20K that just does'nt get good color out of any Acros. So take my advice in that department with a grain of salt...just one bulb/ballast combination experience does not an expert make

Chris

 

[J4Life]

I just recently upgrade from running straight VHO's to running MH's and VHO supps.

I have 2,, 250 watt SE, 10k XM's running on 2 ARO electronic ballasts with 2, 110 watt URI, Super Actinic R's on an IceCap 660 ballast. My corals color have never looked better and the growth that they're all showing is amazing. I believe this is 3rd week since I made the switch and my green cap as grown at least a 1/4 inch or more.

I like a natural look and that is just what the XM's give me. You can check out this thread to see some tank pictures.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=840751

Good luck in making your decision. Oh and one other note the XM, SE bulbs run about $65 from www.hellolights.com which makes them an even better choice.

Take care,
Bill

 

[rm41400]

Thanks guys for all the replies. As of now I do not plan to supplement with actincs or anything so I plan to get a bulb in the range of 13k-20k.

My requirements or standards (lol) for my light upgrade/downgrade are fairly low. As long as they are lower output (less heat) than my 400watt 20k's then it should help with the bedroom temp and chiller running. Decent color and decent growth are all I hope for.

Guess its hard to know what bulb you want untill you really see them. However I do have 2 newer 20k hamiltons I got from a trade I will use for starters. If they are too blue I will get a bulb closer to the 15 k mark.

Nice tank pics J4life.

 

[fishdoc11]

As long as we are posting tank pics
2 250 SE Ushio 10K's on magnetic ballasts with 2 110 URI VHO atinics and 2 55 watt blue PC's. I plan on using this same setup with one more VHO atinic on my 120.

Chris

 

[fishdoc11]

A good thread on the same topic. 250 Radiums on HQI's like Dave was saying. I was assuming Dave was refering to 400's:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=840787&perpage=25&pagenumber=1
Chris

 

[Pickupman66]

chris, I cannot wait till my sps get that big. how long have you had many of those? did they come in close to that size?

 

[fishdoc11]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7355032#post7355032 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Pickupman66
chris, I cannot wait till my sps get that big. how long have you had many of those? did they come in close to that size?

Most about 2 or 3 years and fragged many times. They were all grown from frags

Maybe I need to post some pics in my own thread so as not to derail this one................