Mogul vs DE vs HQI

[solid14th]

I'm still a newbie and want to upgrade my reflectors so I'd like some input. What are the advantages/disadvantages of mogul, DE and HQI for growing SPS? My lights have to fit in a canopy that is only 8" off the water.

Any help is greatly appreciated!!!!!

 

[mpoletti]

I'm still a newbie too, but I think DE and HQI are the same thing.

 

[mpoletti]

Lighting is very personal. There are more bulb choices in SE, but DE fixtures are more sleek and light the tank in a more direct light. DE bulbs also need another sheet of glass to protect from the UV light that they produce.

 

[dots]

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-03/sj/index.php

"Another term typically encountered in the aquarium lighting industry is HQI. HQI is a trademark of OSRAM, and stands for a specific brand of lamps made by OSRAM. The aquarium industry has been quite loose with this term and has applied it to any European metal halide lamp and now, even more loosely, to any DE lamp. European MH lamps do not directly conform to the ANSI standard and have different operating current and voltage requirements. In most cases, a direct match may not exist with U.S. ballasts, so the aquarium industry has tried to find ballasts that work with those lamps, and have labeled these as HQI ballasts. For example, the M80 and M81 ballasts are called “HQI ballasts” in the aquarium industry, for 150-watt and 250-watt lamp applications, respectively."

 

[solid14th]

Thanks for info and link to Sanjay's article!!!

I like the color of the SE bulbs I have now, so I think I might just upgrade the reflectors.

 

[GSMguy]

Good reflectors make all the difference.