Which MH Ballasts should i get?

[lotsofgallons]

i need two 250w mh ballasts and i dont want to spend a lot.

i already have the two pendants, 2 250w bulbs and the 4 prong sockets.

any inexpensive recommendations?

 

[hilde123]

I cannot recommend any inexpensive alternatives, but can tell you I have had many icecaps for years, with hardly no troubles, when I have had a problem (only once which was my fault), icecap was awesome fixed it promptly for $20. They are also extremely effecient and do not give off much heat. You may want to consider theses parameters as it may be worth the investment.

 

[lotsofgallons]

do they make a single ballast that fires 2 250w bulbs?

 

[kfowler]

Ballastwise.com has inexpensive ballasts. I believe the Coralvues are fairly inexpensive. I personally use the Ice Cap also. Two of them would run you around $230.

Ballasts make a huge difference so I would spend your money wisely.

 

[kfowler]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9918246#post9918246 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by lotsofgallons
do they make a single ballast that fires 2 250w bulbs?

I believe Coralvue does. Problem is if it goes you lose both lights. Still a viable option though.

 

[NYReef]

I use this one:

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...Code=SL-902.495&Category_Code=sunlightballast

It is quiet, doesn't get too hot, and fires on timers and with all bulbs.

 

[twon8]

what color temp bulb are you planning to run?

if 10k i would go with magnetics, if higher electronics, icecaps are great but most other electronics work just as well.

 

[petedoc]

I purchased a dual 250MH electronic ballast from Greatdel on ebay that is better than my coralvue and blueline ballasts. It fires the bulbs instantly and has a built in fan. The price was unbeatable. He sells the very popular discounted MH bulbs from China that have been reviewed extensively in this forum.

 

[lotsofgallons]

petedoc..im familiar with this seller as i have bought bulbs from him in the past..i will probably order a dual 250 ballast if he has any..what kind of socket connectors does it have for the pendents? is it the 4 pronged one? im new to mh so i dont know if diff ballasts accept different types of sockets..by the 4 prong socket i mean the same ones found on the blueline ballast.

 

[petedoc]

The connections for a MH light are very simple, two wires to each bulb. You will just need to connect the wires to a simple two wire section that goes to the MH mogul socket, just like wiring a simple table lamp. I don't know if he has any dual 250 MH ballast on Ebay for sale right now, but I know mine sure works well.

 

[lotsofgallons]

understood, but mine are DE, is it the same for DE?

if so, then the ballast comes with 2 pairs of wires (one pair per light) and you must hardwire these to the wires coming from the mh sockets? my mh pendents have those 4 pin connectors already wired that plug directly into the male adapters built in to the blueline ballasts. would i have to cut these 4 pin female adapters off, exposing the bare wires and hardwire them to the wires coming from greatdel's ballast? if you can snap a picture of how the ballast comes wired i would greatly appreciate it

 

[lotsofgallons]

up

 

[petedoc]

Your four pin connector has only two live wires and a ground. You can either eliminate the connectors or splice into the wires. The wiring from the ballast is really simple, just two cables, each containing two wires that go the mogul fixtures.