R these ballasts ok?

[platax88]

Hello, I currently run 175 X 3 MH on my 125 reef and i am due for new bulbs. I was thinking of an upgrade to 250 watters...

Do you think that These ballasts are ok?

Also, do you think that an upgrade from 175 to 250 watts will dramatically increase water temperature ... of course more fans are in order.

thanks!

Jack

 

[c_stowers]

They say that they are for M58 so they should work. I'm not sure how much par you will get out of them though. You may want to look at an electronic ballast. They run much more efficient and it would probably be worth the $$ in the long run.

 

[platax88]

Oh i see .. i had no idea that the ballast would have an effect on par ... i thought this was specific to the bulb.

 

[cee]

PAR values out of this ballast will be highly dependant on bulb choice. Also, many bulbs will not fire on this ballast, including all DE bulbs, most German bulbs, and some Japanese bulbs.

 

[platax88]

Right now i am running XM 20,000K bulbs (single ended) i was thinking of sticking with the same since i do not suplement. What do you think of them on this ballast?

 

[wooglin]

Magnetic runs much brighter for some bulbs, and Electronic for others. If you are switching to 250 look at the m80 magnetic, that is what lots of people are running their mogul socket 250's with.

 

[cee]

XMs are optimized for your probe start ballast (M57/58/59) and are the best choice for these ballasts. M80 is a HQI ballast and will burn with more PAR but can also shorten bulb life. M80 will fire any bulb too.

 

[platax88]

Awesome thanks ... after reading a bit today i think i want to give the hamilton 14k a shot instead of the xm 20k ... does anyone use these without supplementation?

cee what do you think of these on the M58?

 

[cee]

Not so good. XM20k 73 PAR, Hammy 14k 53 PAR. The SPS 10k looks good on that ballast, measured color temp of about 19k and brightest of those bulbs with a blue tinge (or overbearing blue). I think someone sells SPS in Cali, just can't remember who. See here for bulb comparisons for the M58:
http://www.reeflightinginfo.arvixe....Magnatek&BallastName=9&shield=N&Submit=Submit

 

[c_stowers]

I run the hamilton 14K's with a blue-line electronic ballast. I can't remember the exact numbers, but I remember that for the 14K range, electronic ballast seem to produce the best par. I like the hamilton 14K look and I seem to get plenty of light from just 2 250W bulbs over my 120. I also run VHO actinics, but they almost contribute an unnoticable amount when the halides are on.

 

[wooglin]

Here are some interesting comparisons on the M80 ballast as well:

http://www.reeflightinginfo.arvixe....M 250W 10000K SE 1&x4=PFO 250W HQI (M80)&x5=N

From the reading I have done the shorter life is within the range where many reef aquarists replace bulbs regardless of ballast, ex. every 6-12 months (depending on bulb mfg). You start to have a color shift otherwise that can lead to problems.

 

[platax88]

cee ... thanks for the awesome link ...

I am concerned that the XMs will be too blue, i am trying to get away from that super blue look.

Chris, would you recommend the hamilton 14K's WITHOUT supplementation, was it a crisp white/bluish look to it? Its for a standard 125 so i think its even shallower than your 120

 

[platax88]

wow wooglin, what a jump in PAR ...

The hamiltons jump from 53 to 99

The XM not so much ... only up to 79

By the way, i keep mostly softies/lps and i am starting to keep som caps and moti sps

 

[cee]

Be careful, compare the color temperatures on the M80 vs. the M58. The M80 lowers the color temperature, often below the bulb's rating. Still over 20k+ on the Hammys, though.

 

[c_stowers]

I really like the look of the 14K's without supplentation. The 400W bulbs are more blue than the 250W bulbs. If you want a crisp white look with blue hue, I'd say it's the way to go.

 

[platax88]

Hey Chris, would you go with the hammiltons vs the xm even with the lower PAR rating?

Also, do you think i should even do the upgrade to the 250 Watts, or just replace my 175 watters with the hamiltons? You've seen my tank, and the livestock i keep.

Thanks gain for your help man