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Unread 11/21/2019, 05:26 PM   #26
angieg1123
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It has a 250w double ended MH. 4 t5 actinic lamps and 4 moonlights all in one unit. My anemones love it...super simple for me too.


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Unread 11/21/2019, 08:51 PM   #27
JennyFlow
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14k or 20 k for ~30 inches deep? Will the 20s hurt certain soft corals? If so which ones?


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Unread 11/21/2019, 09:32 PM   #28
angieg1123
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Mine has a 15k bulb for the MH


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Unread 11/21/2019, 09:34 PM   #29
angieg1123
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How long is your tank?


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Unread 11/21/2019, 09:38 PM   #30
Bpb
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JennyFlow View Post
14k or 20 k for ~30 inches deep? Will the 20s hurt certain soft corals? If so which ones?


Doesn’t matter. Whichever you prefer. 20k of the same brand/ballast/reflector will be lower par than a 14k. You’re safe either way


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Unread 11/26/2019, 11:05 PM   #31
JennyFlow
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250 watt 14k looking mighty nice, but do I supplement w t5 or LED, or both!?!


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Unread 11/26/2019, 11:11 PM   #32
JennyFlow
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Another noob question, everywhere I look the radium says 20k, is there no radium 14k?

Whats the best brand for 20 and for 14?


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Unread 11/27/2019, 06:45 AM   #33
Bpb
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Correct there is no 14k radium. At least not one you’ll find on any website selling reef bulbs.

Best bulb is like best skimmer or best salt. People will generally just recommend what they have settled on. It’s impossible to make the claim of best. At this point you basically have pretty limited options

Hamilton
Radium
Ushio
Giesemann
Reef brite

Am I forgetting any? There’s not near as many options as there once was. I’ll be honest I just use Hamilton bulbs. I have several years in back stock of them as well so I’ve kind of gone all in. Giesemann are double the price, radiums are about $20-30 more per bulb as well. Don’t hear much about reef brite bulbs. People seem to like ushio as well but I’ve never used them before.

Radiums paired with an m80 ballast are my favorite looking of the list. Hamilton 20k are in a close second.


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Unread 11/28/2019, 10:36 AM   #34
on the spot
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JennyFlow View Post
250 watt 14k looking mighty nice, but do I supplement w t5 or LED, or both!?!
This is the "what I like vs. what you like" part of lighting. The MH will be doing the heavy lifting, the rest is just eye candy.

As for me I prefer the 20K 250's Plusrite branded bulbs. When I was running a full reef three of these in lumenbright reflectors were great.

I really love the radiums too, and still have the extra ballasts just in case.

I'd suggest picking up a used fixture or reflector. Try out the different bulbs - You can find them used also. A little shipping. Find the color you like best.

Then decide on a fixture. That used one you bought first will let you experiment with single and double ended bulbs.

HTH


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Unread 11/29/2019, 11:00 AM   #35
dadnjesse
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Originally Posted by Bpb View Post

Radiums paired with an m80 ballast are my favorite looking of the list. Hamilton 20k are in a close second.


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M80 ballasts are hard to find these days.


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Unread 11/30/2019, 07:44 PM   #36
rc1626
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M80 ballasts are hard to find these days.
Hamilton Technology has them. And parts to fix as well.


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Unread 11/30/2019, 10:56 PM   #37
Bpb
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dadnjesse View Post
M80 ballasts are hard to find these days.


Correct Hamilton has m80
Ballast assemblies in stock and ready to go. The PFO and ReefFlex cube ballasts are all extinct though. Hamilton is hanging in there with the MH gear. You really can get literally anything you need from them and not be left wanting, save for Phoenix bulbs.


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Unread 12/01/2019, 07:15 AM   #38
Apercula
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My lights on my old 75g tank, 2007-2012, were 2 175w metal halides with 2 36inch t5 actinics for supplemental blue. My preferred bulb on the halides was the Hamilton 10k.


In the pictures are worth 1000 words department, here is a full tank shot from January 2010, and close up of a small section from August 2009 with the 10k halide, t5 actinic combo.


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Unread 12/01/2019, 09:25 AM   #39
hkgar
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Originally Posted by Apercula View Post
My lights on my old 75g tank, 2007-2012, were 2 175w metal halides with 2 36inch t5 actinics for supplemental blue. My preferred bulb on the halides was the Hamilton 10k.


In the pictures are worth 1000 words department, here is a full tank shot from January 2010, and close up of a small section from August 2009 with the 10k halide, t5 actinic combo.
Be very careful of those green Palys. They can kill you. I spent 3 days in the hospital. I won't have them in my tank.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2515630


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180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx

Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels
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Unread 12/01/2019, 09:50 AM   #40
five.five-six
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JennyFlow View Post
There are fewer MH fixtures available these days, what would you guys say the Cadillac of of fixtures available today is with nice reflectors, and bulbs :-)
Cadillac Would be what I’m running. Giesmann spectra with Radium B lamps (20K) on a M80 ballast. With T5 and direct replacement LED actinic for supplements. I’m actually running select-a-watt ballasts so I can switch between 250W and 400W lamps with ease.

For dimming, as others have said, I start with the LED, then add the T5 then light the halides one at a time :30 min apart. End of photoperiod the Halides shut down one at a time fallowed by T5 then the LEDs


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Originally posted by yellowslayer13:

"I hate that hole"

Current Tank Info: SCMAS Member 225 peninsula euroreef RS180 Apex 400W X 3 20k radiums / Spectra mixed SPS
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Unread 12/01/2019, 09:54 AM   #41
five.five-six
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dadnjesse View Post
M80 ballasts are hard to find these days.
M80 ballasts can be found used And for free or almost free, but the problem is the igniters go bad and the M80 igniters are hard to find. Hamilton has M80 igniters but they are only rated for 6’ of lamp cord between the ballast and the lamp.

For Radiums or DE lamps you only want electronic ballasts that are HQI or better yet, select-a-watt with an HQI option.


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Originally posted by yellowslayer13:

"I hate that hole"

Current Tank Info: SCMAS Member 225 peninsula euroreef RS180 Apex 400W X 3 20k radiums / Spectra mixed SPS
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Unread 02/12/2020, 08:15 AM   #42
JennyFlow
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What is M80 and what would be the alternative? Do I want M80?

Same question with HQI, what is that and do I want it?


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Unread 02/12/2020, 08:19 AM   #43
JennyFlow
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And do I need a ballast for each bulb? For a giesemann with 2 MH areas I would need 2 ballasts or one?


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Unread 02/13/2020, 05:14 AM   #44
sbeason
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M80 is a magnetic ballast for metal halide bulbs. You need a ballast for each bulb.


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Unread 02/15/2020, 01:48 PM   #45
hkgar
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HQI is a type of metal halide and is double ended versus mogul ended


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Gary


180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx

Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels
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Unread 02/16/2020, 05:57 PM   #46
reef4life07
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kessils

Quote:
Originally Posted by JennyFlow View Post
1. Can metal halides be dimmed for like a ramp up and down? I thought they are either full on or off but just want to confirm this.

2. I really like the look of tanks with MHs, is there a way to replicate that look with LEDs if you play with the sprectum settings, I know you can adjust the colors. Or do I need to go old school and buy MHs?

Thanks!
Kessil has a nice shimmer like mh's.


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