MH - Is This Right?

[Salvatore]

Found this today: http://www.1000bulbs.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=978

250w MH ballast for 38$ each from 1000bulbs.com. They also have MH 250w bulbs for 27$ each.

Does that mean I can have 500w of MH light (two ballasts and two bulbs) for 130$?

Am I missing something? That seems very cheap. I have an Ice Cap ballast and two uri vho 140w bulbs and I KNOW we paid more than that.

Or are these not for aquarium use?

 

[clyde]

okay, I took a look.

these are MV (Mercury Vapor) ballasts

they run Mercury Vapor lamps only.

you COULD get this, and get Iwaskai 6500K bulbs, nothing else FYI.

MV Ballasts dont run those 10K bulbs etc.

now onto the bulb you were mentioning

I couldnt find it, but make sure its 5,500K or higher, anything lower will be VERY yellow/orange.

 

[Anonymous]

hi.
If you want to DIY, that's how you pay for your labor. Got any old computer case laying around? Use that to hold the ballasts.

Looks bad, but save money. Check the aquarium ballast if you want to spend a little more. Price is good to excellent, but some are over-priced. Let us know about the service.

Oh, the site says it is for both MV and MH bulbs, but I doubt that any MH bulb cheaper than an Iwaski 6500K is good for tank. It is about $55 each.

 

[Salvatore]

Here's the link to the MH bulb:
http://www.1000bulbs.com/shopping/s...cat=(#3)++++Iwasaki+Metal+Halide+(Voted+Best)

Here's another that says its for 'aquariums' (66.25$)...I imagine its the higher K rating:
http://www.1000bulbs.com/shopping/s...47&subcat=275&cat=Aquarium+Metal+Halide+Bulbs

And the ballast description does mention it runs MH; Im just curious about the difference between it and the ones it sells in the aquarium section.

 

[Anonymous]

hi.
The bulb is no good, IMO. The ballast is the same, just that aquarium shop have it inside a nice case with switch and cord all wired up. Unless you are comparing it to an electric ballast.

 

[Salvatore]

The first bulb is no good? What about the 'aquarium' one for 67$?
How do these compare to electric ballasts?

Thanks for all the quick replies.

 

[Anonymous]

hi.
Similar to the other poster, I feel that you should only get bulb that are 6500K or above. If you don't care about how your tank going to look like (I doubt it), then 4500K should be OK. BTW, you can get these low temp color bulb in Home Depot and other lighting store. Iwaki bulbs are popular, and they are good for most reef purpose.

electronic ballast are much more expensive. Check out other reef hardware store for "blue-line" e-ballast. If you want to save money, go with the good old (and ugly) cap and pot ballast instead (the cheap one you see in that link.

 

[Salvatore]

Yes we care a great deal about what the tank looks like, so I'll definitely spend the extra money on the good bulbs when it comes down to it.

If the ballast is hidden in the canopy its fine if its ugly...im more interested in its performance in the long term.

Again, thanks.

 

[dattack]

okay, I took a look.

these are MV (Mercury Vapor) ballasts

they run Mercury Vapor lamps only.

you COULD get this, and get Iwaskai 6500K bulbs, nothing else FYI.

MV Ballasts dont run those 10K bulbs etc.

now onto the bulb you were mentioning

I couldnt find it, but make sure its 5,500K or higher, anything lower will be VERY yellow/orange.

The description says it can run either a MV or MH bulb.

 

[dattack]

Yes we care a great deal about what the tank looks like, so I'll definitely spend the extra money on the good bulbs when it comes down to it.

If the ballast is hidden in the canopy its fine if its ugly...im more interested in its performance in the long term.

Again, thanks.

You should get a ballast enclosure. You can get a grey box at HD for $10-$15 that will contain your ballast.

 

[Anonymous]

hi.
The grey box, or a computer case was mentioned. You want to enclose the ballast because the wire open to air can be a safety issue. It is not a good idea to mount the ballast in the hood, since each is about 30 pound in weight. Two of them is aobut 60 pound. Do you want someing weighting 100 lb on top of your tank? Besides, you want to mount it remotely because the complication of salt/water that can get into the ballast if you put it within inches from the water surface.