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01/27/2012, 05:17 AM | #376 |
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The dealer says I need a different type of ballast. This one is for single ended bulbs. I am going to try a 150 double ended first, if it does not work I will try a 175 single ended. My 250 same type of ballast is running DE's fine, but i have read on some of the other 175 ballasts they will run a 150 DE and a 175 SE. This is what I get for trying to save a little $ by using a industrial ballast.
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180 G mixed reef, siphon horz. overflow. Mag 12, 3 x 250 phoenix 14k MH Lumen Bright, 2x 54 actinics. 10x5 CFL Algae scrubber, Reefkeeper lite, kalk. RDSB, DIY Steel stand w/oak panels. |
02/01/2012, 06:01 PM | #377 |
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I'm designing a 48Wx24Lx13H shallow sps/ fish only tank. Its shallow but the catch is i want the fixture hung (make space for mangroves to one end, coral on the other). Anyone think around one and a half-two feet over the tank is too much and will it take away too much from the sps? I'm considering a 36", 150w, 14k HQI fixture with 4, 39w t5's, might bump it up to 2, 150w HQI.
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02/04/2012, 11:55 PM | #378 |
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I need some help deciding on a light for my new tank..its a 24x24x20 cube, and I plan on mainly an LPS and softie tank..with maybe a few SPS in there..would a MH and T5 combo be overkill for that tank? Or would it be alright? I really want to try a MH out, just because I've never used one before and would like to. What do you guys think?
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02/08/2012, 06:44 PM | #379 |
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I would be looking at led if i were you
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I'would take this with a grain of salt-but which brand? Current Tank Info: 16g aga bow25lbs LR,Aqua C Remora |
02/08/2012, 07:09 PM | #380 |
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RUFF, I currently have LED and wanted to try something new. Wantedto go with MH and T5 combo.
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02/08/2012, 10:01 PM | #381 |
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Between two MH fixtures for new tank
I'm building a 90g room divider reef in my basement and have pretty much decided to go MH. I've found two pretty affordable fixtures on eBay (around $300), but am still skeptical. One is 2 x 250w 14k MH with 4 T5 Actinics and the other is 2 x 250w MH with 4 PCs. Is there a big difference? Are there any MH fixture brands to avoid? Any advice would be appreciated! Oh yeah- plan on keeping soft corals, LPS and clams....maybe SPS in the future...want to keep my options open.
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02/08/2012, 11:49 PM | #382 | |
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Quote:
as for t5 vs pc the pc are more $ to repalce and are on the way out due to t5s. but some ppl think that you get more reaction off antic pc than t5s how ever with th t5 you can mix antics to give you the color you want your tank to be. hope this helps |
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02/08/2012, 11:53 PM | #383 | |
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Quote:
just my $.02 |
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02/10/2012, 02:29 AM | #384 |
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Question about lighting a 54 corner tank.
I am starting a 54 gallon mixed reef tank and want to be able to keep any coral. Not sure what light I should have.
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02/10/2012, 07:47 AM | #385 |
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02/10/2012, 12:33 PM | #386 | |
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Quote:
I'm not too concerned with heating issues, I can deal with those as they arise. and as far as $ in power goes; this is an expensive hobby as it is, a little extra $ for the lights isn't really my main concern at this point. The tank will most likely end up in a store for display purposes. So for the K rating on the MH, would 20K be really brlue? or just slightly blue? Because I really don't like the look of white on corals. And on my T5's I was thinking of using ATI blue+ and ATI purple+ for some pop for the different colors of corals. Does that sound good? |
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02/11/2012, 12:48 AM | #387 | |
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Quote:
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02/11/2012, 10:32 AM | #388 | |
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Quote:
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02/12/2012, 12:03 PM | #389 | |
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Quote:
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03/01/2012, 02:18 PM | #390 |
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Big cats, you won't go wrong with 14k 150watts. I like using Phoenix 14k de bulbs. I get good growth and great color.
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03/03/2012, 05:01 PM | #391 |
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i went from tek t5 to MH with led supplement and ive been extremly happy
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03/03/2012, 09:20 PM | #392 |
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Oh great...another bot.
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Jack No One has ever been seriously injured by using the search function. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be a convenience store, not a government agency. Current Tank Info: Reefing the Pentagon. |
03/04/2012, 10:45 AM | #393 |
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Found some Current USA Metal halides. I love them. 2 - 3' (2) 250W bulbs 9 blue LEDs and 9 white LEDs for night lighting. They work great other than the water temp tries to get up over 82. I'm looking at chillers now.
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03/05/2012, 02:45 PM | #394 |
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82 is nothing to worry about, keep it under 85 and you won't have issues.
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Jack No One has ever been seriously injured by using the search function. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be a convenience store, not a government agency. Current Tank Info: Reefing the Pentagon. |
03/05/2012, 06:16 PM | #395 | |
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Quote:
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125 Gallon Reef Tank Current Tank Info: Reef tank |
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03/07/2012, 03:59 PM | #396 |
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will have halides over t5s anyday it is also the most penetrating of lights its expensive to change bulbs every 6 to 8 months but worth it
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03/08/2012, 11:17 AM | #397 |
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Unless you are over driving your bulbs, there is no reason to change them so soon. You can easily go beyond a year with a properly driven bulb. I usually go 14-16 months on a bulb. Over driving a bulb is different, but if you are not doing that, you are throwing money away.
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Jack No One has ever been seriously injured by using the search function. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be a convenience store, not a government agency. Current Tank Info: Reefing the Pentagon. |
03/08/2012, 11:27 AM | #398 | |
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Quote:
Have you found that this is not the case? |
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03/08/2012, 12:27 PM | #399 |
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Yes but the shift is not as noticeable as you may think, and the shift does not stop growth. I would not take what MD says as gospel, they sell bulbs, the last thing they would do is tell you not to change them, they have a monetary stake in the advice they give, that rarely equates to solid advice. A stand up company they are, but there is no testing that I have seen that requires a change in MH bulbs so soon, unless they are being over driven.
One study by someone NOT selling bulbs indicates the opposite of the mythinformation that has been passed down over time. http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/ac/index.php As always look to your corals for the health of the tank, IME there is little reason to change a bulb driven correctly at anything less than a year. If the color shift is noticed, and it bothers you, then by all means change it but I have never noticed a major color shift and I have never had my corals respond poorly to a 14 month old bulb. You will notice a change in PAR and color initially when you change bulbs, as they do lose intensity but if you read the study above, this happens very early in the bulbs life and remains fairly constant after that. I have doing the extended change routine since that article came out in 2007 and have not had any issues from doing so. Bad information morphs from good information, and probably this came from people who were running 400 watt Radiums on HQI spec ballasts, which severely over drives them, as the 400 watt Radium is actually designed to be run at 360 watts. For those people a change at the 6-9 month mark is warranted and recommended, and it is possible from that came the notion that all MH bulbs needed to be changed at no more than a year. I don't really know, but I do know that I have never had an issue with running my bulbs at the 14-16 month mark. Honestly they could probably go longer but I like to mess with my equipment. :-)
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Jack No One has ever been seriously injured by using the search function. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be a convenience store, not a government agency. Current Tank Info: Reefing the Pentagon. |
03/09/2012, 04:59 AM | #400 |
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i will do that then i saved all my bilbs will let them go longer
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