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Unread 11/16/2011, 10:58 AM   #351
sirreal63
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cas1069 View Post
i have a current 72" 150w de fixture that has the ballast going out on it, i wanted to ask if anyone knows if i could upgrade the ballast to 250w and not have to change out the hqi scokets on it and not have it blow up on me?
The sockets on a 150 are different than a 250, not going to work without a major re-do of the fixture. Sorry.


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Unread 11/24/2011, 09:23 AM   #352
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sirreal63 View Post
The sockets on a 150 are different than a 250, not going to work without a major re-do of the fixture. Sorry.
thanks for the help and never be sorry when your helping someone not start a house fire


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Unread 11/30/2011, 05:31 PM   #353
ironsnake
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Which MH kit?

Hi all, I have an Oceanic 120G that's 4Lx2Dx2H and I'm a newb when it comes to MH. I am planning to keep only softies and LPS. I would like to just use one light that spread through the center of the tank. This is the kit I have in mind so far:

- Ballast: IceCap 250W Electronic Ballast
- Bulb: Radium or Ushio 250W 20,000K
- Reflector: LumenArc III

Three questions:
1) Will 250W be enough for the corals?
2) Will the reflector spread by enough to cover a 3 feet area from the center of the tank? I guess this one also depends how high I need to hang it.
3) Radium or Ushio bulb?

Thank you very much!


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Unread 12/04/2011, 12:27 PM   #354
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Just want check before I do this. But on the LuXcore adjustable 250-400w ballast I want the wireing for the Reflector to the ballast to be no longer then 10 feet correct?


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Unread 12/04/2011, 02:53 PM   #355
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Well I did a quick wire up just to see if they fireed right up with all the wire and they did. So nm ill just wait and trim up the wire once all my stand and what not are built. Thx though


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Unread 12/06/2011, 08:14 PM   #356
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Will a 42" x 24" x 24" tank with SPS be adequately lighted by 1 250w MH or 1 400w MH?
Or is it wiser to go with 2 bulbs?


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Unread 12/07/2011, 10:09 PM   #357
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I have a Sunlight Supply Maristar with 2x250 DE-HQI and 2x96 t5ho. I have new 20k actninc lamps for the t5s and the old MH lamps that came with the fixture need to be replaced before I start placing livestock. I am looking on Marine Depot and they have the 14k Phoenix Lamps for 41.99 (like $45 off from retail, but I am concerned that the 14k and the 20k mix will be too blue and hamper coral growth. I know that everyone I have ever talked to about the Phoenix Bulbs has nothing but good to say about them, and the price is great, so what are the thoughts? Does have body run a similar set up and have a FTS?

Thanks A lot


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Unread 12/07/2011, 10:48 PM   #358
sirreal63
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No accurate pics but the Phoenix is more of a 20k look than a 14k. They work well as a standalone bulb. It may be a little too blue but are your T5 actintic or 20K? There is a difference.


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Unread 12/08/2011, 12:36 PM   #359
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Just Checked... they are actually actinic. I did order the Phoenix Bulbs after reading a lot about them... I hope they will be the look I am going for


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Unread 12/08/2011, 12:37 PM   #360
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Oh and it looks like those ar 28 watts each, not 96 watts... Not sure where I got that...


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Unread 12/16/2011, 10:53 PM   #361
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Light schedule

Hello everyone! I have a question and need an aswer....

What should my light schedule be? As of now i have the MH 2x250w on for 7 hours from 2pm-7pm...T5's go on from 7pm-11pm then the moon light LED's go on from 11 or 12am to 5am....from 5am till 2pm the T5's are back on. This is what i have in a 125 gallon reef

Setup: CORALIFE 48 AQUALIGHT PRO 250Wx2 MH, (4)True Actinic 03 Blue compact fluorescent and (4)470 nm lunar LED

Do i have to have the aquarium completely dark at all during the day or are do i keep the same schedule I have now. It seems to be doing really well but i guess i really want to know if i am suppose to completely turn the light off at any point during a 24 hour period. Thanks for all you guys/gals help!

Jacob Rodriguez


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Unread 01/10/2012, 09:35 PM   #362
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That is a very long photo period.


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Unread 01/18/2012, 06:52 AM   #363
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I have a 75 gallon tank with 90+#'s of Fiji rock in it. First reef tank, always had fish only tanks prior.

I purchased a newer used Coralife 48" Metal Halide Retrofit setup. It has 2 150W 10K MH, 2 True 03 Blue Flors, and 4 Blue LED Moons.

The MH bulbs are 6-8" off the surface of the water. I don't know what exactly I want to keep yet, so I am looking for some pointers on what corals I can keep with this light. However, what should be the cycle time for the MH lights? Right now, they come on at 0630 after 30 minutes of just the blues on, then I swithch the MH's off at 1930 and then the blues at 2130.

To long?

Thanks!


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Unread 01/18/2012, 09:22 AM   #364
sirreal63
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The halides should be on about 7 hours and I would set the T5's to come on an hour before and go off an hour after the halides.

As far as what you can keep, it depends on the bulbs you have. In a 75 you should be ok the 150's but coral placement will depend on what the bulbs are. 10K bulbs and you will be ok with any coral, but some Acro's will need to be higher up. LPS and softies can be on the sand bed but I would keep the LPS as close to directly under the bulbs as possible.

Also, this post should be in the Reef Discussion or the Lighting forum. :-)


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Last edited by sirreal63; 01/18/2012 at 09:22 AM. Reason: Geriatric issues.
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Unread 01/18/2012, 09:40 AM   #365
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Thanks Jack, and sorry for the misplacement.


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Unread 01/18/2012, 09:47 AM   #366
sirreal63
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No biggie Justin and I understand how it happens, we were all new here once. :-) Be sure and post some pics of the setup, pics are always welcome and encouraged.


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Unread 01/20/2012, 12:29 PM   #367
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Hi I have a question is putting 2 250 on a 36" long tank 20" high be an overkill?


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Unread 01/23/2012, 09:01 AM   #368
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Has anyone ever had to touch a HQI to get it to light up?


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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.
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Unread 01/23/2012, 10:35 AM   #369
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Endy0430 View Post
Hi I have a question is putting 2 250 on a 36" long tank 20" high be an overkill?
Yes. I had a 250 on a 36x18x24 and it was fine. Right now I have 2 250's and a 175 on a 6x2x2 tank and it has some sps coral in it.


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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.
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Unread 01/23/2012, 10:44 AM   #370
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I had some 250 watte DE bulbs that occasionally I had to actually touch to get it lit. It may have been a loose contact. This was yrs ago. Now I have a new 175 that is doing the same thing. It can set for hrs. and If i just touch the bulb it lights up. Everthing is grounded good. The ballast is only 3 months old and the bulb is new. The previous bulb is only 3 months old too. I am going to put it all on the bench tonight and eliminate the fixture by securing the wires directly to the bulb.
I have done a lot of searching the web on this issue and found nothing. If you have heard of this please reply. I will send a beer!


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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.
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Unread 01/23/2012, 11:38 AM   #371
AVDweeb
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OkStudent View Post
I had some 250 watte DE bulbs that occasionally I had to actually touch to get it lit. It may have been a loose contact. This was yrs ago. Now I have a new 175 that is doing the same thing. It can set for hrs. and If i just touch the bulb it lights up. Everthing is grounded good. The ballast is only 3 months old and the bulb is new. The previous bulb is only 3 months old too. I am going to put it all on the bench tonight and eliminate the fixture by securing the wires directly to the bulb.
I have done a lot of searching the web on this issue and found nothing. If you have heard of this please reply. I will send a beer!
I've had a similar issue with my 250W's. Although they won't always fire up when I turn on the fixture, after a few minutes they often will. Do yours just stay off or will they eventually power on?

-Russ


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Unread 01/23/2012, 11:53 AM   #372
sneaton
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what is good frag tank lighting? tank is only 12 inches deep,48 long,24 wide


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Unread 01/23/2012, 11:58 AM   #373
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This one will stay off forever. I have let it go for a week on vacation with a cam on it. I have heard of them eventually coming on. Thanks for the quick reply


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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.
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Unread 01/23/2012, 12:33 PM   #374
AVDweeb
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sneaton View Post
what is good frag tank lighting? tank is only 12 inches deep,48 long,24 wide
Well, a lot of it will depend on your budget. If budget is no concern, how about 2x 150W's and a 2x actinic system for sunrise / sunset?

Something like this.

What's great about the AquaticLife series is that you can point the MH's at the corals that will need more light than others.

My $0.02.

-Russ


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Unread 01/23/2012, 02:56 PM   #375
OkStudent
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AVDweeb, I really did not describe it well. THis is weird. Here is what I do to get it lit. I grab the rectangle reflector with one hand and slide the UV filtering glass off with the other. This is while the ballast is trying to fire the bulb. Then I grab the bulb between my thumb and forefinger and it usually lights off. If it doesn't I keep doing that or unplug it and plug it back in and touch it some more. Only once or twice out of about 15 times I could ot get it to light.
I know you are not supposed to leave prints on these bulbs but who cares with this junk!


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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.
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