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View Full Version : Magnetic vs Electric Ballasts


Reefer08
10/08/2008, 12:05 AM
Whats better? Magnetic overpowers the metal halide bulb while electronic saves electricity. Im considering the Sunlight Supply Bluewave 7 ballast but im not too sure. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

hellssephiroth
10/08/2008, 05:09 AM
i would go electric, more efficient, runs cooler, lighter, maybe safer? im sure they last longer as well but just my guess.

rickyfins
10/08/2008, 06:01 AM
I use Mag ballasts over Electronic. With all the hype and issues I have seen I am not sold yet. That doesn't mean they are not as good or better, I just don't see them running long term with all the issues with electronics overall.

I would also have to say it depends on your personality as well.

Being that I obsess over small stuff, I went with Mag ballasts knowing they fire the same way everyday until the capacitor goes, then you get a new capacitor.

There are so many differences between bulb and ballast choice as well as a Mag ballast when compared to each brand of electronic ballast will fire the same exact bulb differently so that is something else to consider.

I use 250 Watt Mag ballast with XM 20k bulbs, they don't fire extremely blue as they are overdriven, but when fired on some electronic ballasts they burn more blue. The less blue indicates a higher Par value which means more intense light. The down side of this is that I only get 9 months on a SE bulb instead of 12. I am willing to trade 3 months of bulb life for higher light output. This is still much better than the DE bulbs which IMO only give you 3-6 months of light worth using depending on bulb brand/ballast.

A fellow reefer from my society has been through 4 or 5 ballast and bulb combinations in the last 2 years as he is another that obsesses over these things.

Yes I drink the MH coolaid! LOL

grigsy
10/08/2008, 06:45 PM
I prefer magnetic ballasts also for metal halide bulbs. I have just had to many problems with electronic ballasts. They are just too finicky. And, if you use an HQI bulb, definitely go with an HQI ballast. The HQI bulbs are significantly dimmer when lit on an electronic ballast.

Reefer08
10/09/2008, 12:45 AM
Im looking for a ballast to run a double ended bulb. I was considering the bluewave ballasts by sunlight supply or the Lumatek "digital" ballasts. Its for a frag tank btw.

skoomamonster
10/09/2008, 02:06 AM
I was thinking about getting a Lumatek ballast, they say that "Light meter readings indicate that the Lumatek ballast is up to 27% brighter than common core and coil magnetic ballasts" Idk it sounds nice i'm either going to get the Lumatek or a Pfo ballast. For a frag tank i would go with what ever is cheapest and get some 10k bulbs, keep in mind how much electricity the ballasts use too.

rigleautomotive
10/09/2008, 08:33 AM
the magnetic hqi ballasts work nice and depending on which bulb you choose they may be your best ballast.some of the electronic ballasts do not fire some bulbs very well and are notorously inconsistent with some bulb ,ballast combinations.the plus with the electronics is they are described as being more energy efficient and run cooler.