Lights by Aqualine
- Thread starter toptank
- Start date
I just installed a 4' dual 250 over the 75 here in the shop.. I like it alot. I have 250 iwasakis on the tanks on either side, and the HQI blows them away. Colors are more vibrant as well vs. the iwasaki+VHO actinic. Myself I would probably do the 250's on larger tanks or SPS tanks, and 150's for softies/LPS. The things look killer too..
I can only compare it to my fathers 2x150 archadia and it's cooler. But then again, it's 200W less heating power and he's got much better ventilation in his house. (I have none
). My appartment is built around '50 and has a "gravity fed" ventilation (or something) = no fans on the roof and it really gets warm inside from time to time. -> Propably because of poor ventilation, I have had some problems keeping my tank temp down too.
dont know about the mushroom comment cause mine have never looked better,i have 3 250s,aquaspacelight,plus my fishand sps look more vibrant,so I recomend these lights to anyone,they will make water temp go up a little,but you cant beat this light all ballast are mounted into fixture,two plugs are all that you have to deal with,plus I saw two tanks side by side at coral reef in seekonk,go see the difference for yourself,the iwasakis look like a deep water compared to the aqualines
Hey Barry,
I decided after much debate to go with Aqualine. From what testing I have seen the bulbs display less yellow and have more intensity than ushio de bulbs.
I just ordered a 2x150w aquastarlight future. It is 4" narrower than the aquaspacelight and has no actinics. I went with this fixture because of all the possitive feedback I have seen. I could have done pfo pendents, but they end up costing about the same amount so I didn't see the point. Basically there are some with complaints on the pfo spread and I don't want to complain or have to do it over again.
The bulbs don't go on sale as often, but from what I have seen make up the diference in function.
I should get my fixture tomorrow. I will let you know. I am swapping from 250w ushios and flat spectral reflector, so I expect the same or better intensity out of these 150w hqi's.
I decided after much debate to go with Aqualine. From what testing I have seen the bulbs display less yellow and have more intensity than ushio de bulbs.
I just ordered a 2x150w aquastarlight future. It is 4" narrower than the aquaspacelight and has no actinics. I went with this fixture because of all the possitive feedback I have seen. I could have done pfo pendents, but they end up costing about the same amount so I didn't see the point. Basically there are some with complaints on the pfo spread and I don't want to complain or have to do it over again.
The bulbs don't go on sale as often, but from what I have seen make up the diference in function.
I should get my fixture tomorrow. I will let you know. I am swapping from 250w ushios and flat spectral reflector, so I expect the same or better intensity out of these 150w hqi's.
Say Doug,
Besure to let me know as I haven't decided yet about the 250s or 150s. My new setup is on;y 17" and the time I get in some sand and some LR it will be less that 10" from the top of the tank. I think the 150s will work well with my application.
This is going to be a clam tank so I do need the intense lighting but I heard the 150 HQI are about as intense as normal 250 MH.
I wonder about the heat?
Barry
Besure to let me know as I haven't decided yet about the 250s or 150s. My new setup is on;y 17" and the time I get in some sand and some LR it will be less that 10" from the top of the tank. I think the 150s will work well with my application.
This is going to be a clam tank so I do need the intense lighting but I heard the 150 HQI are about as intense as normal 250 MH.
I wonder about the heat?
Barry
Just remembered that changing a bulb to my aquastarlight was a real pain in the ass.
When I got mine and tested it, it was OK for the
first 10 hours or so, but then one of the bulbs
broke from other end.
I had to take the whole light apart to get the broken bulb out. The sockets were so tight, that I had to remove the bulb with it's sockets and
then pull the socket one way and a friend pull the bulb another way
Finally got the
bulb out in million pieces, sent it back and got a new one without a charge
The replacement bulb went into the socket much more easily... The sockets sucked it in with a gentle press.
The light is build quite nicely, everything is mounted on a rack in the upperpart of the fixture. Quite easy to take a part and back together...
I hope the next time I have to replace the bulbs they come off easily.
When I got mine and tested it, it was OK for the
first 10 hours or so, but then one of the bulbs
broke from other end.
I had to take the whole light apart to get the broken bulb out. The sockets were so tight, that I had to remove the bulb with it's sockets and
then pull the socket one way and a friend pull the bulb another way
bulb out in million pieces, sent it back and got a new one without a charge
The replacement bulb went into the socket much more easily... The sockets sucked it in with a gentle press.
The light is build quite nicely, everything is mounted on a rack in the upperpart of the fixture. Quite easy to take a part and back together...
I hope the next time I have to replace the bulbs they come off easily.
Hey Barry,
I got home yesterday at about 2:30pm and spent an hour and a half modifying my hood to hold the fixture
.
It is a bit of work to change the bulbs, but realistically this process is only required every 1.5-2 years so what is an extra 10 minutes? Mine went in easily and fired right up.
I don't have any quantitative measure on intensity, but I think that the 150w AB fixture is almost as bright as my 250w Ushio's. The color is better, less yellow than the Ushio. I think that the color looks great even without the actinics on. I have 1 40w actinic in my hood for supplemental. Time will tell as far as coral coloration, but initially I am very pleased with this fixture.
I don't notice any appreciable heat issues yet. The entire fixture does get hot to the touch. It also smells up the room, but that is normal for any new fixture. I had the fixture on for about 6 hours yesterday.
My hood positions the fixture about 8" over the water. It had good spread and not much in the way of hot spots or shaded areas. This is over our 72g bowfront wich is already a pain to get good light distribution on.
Drop me an e-mail if you have any other questions on it.
I got home yesterday at about 2:30pm and spent an hour and a half modifying my hood to hold the fixture
It is a bit of work to change the bulbs, but realistically this process is only required every 1.5-2 years so what is an extra 10 minutes? Mine went in easily and fired right up.
I don't have any quantitative measure on intensity, but I think that the 150w AB fixture is almost as bright as my 250w Ushio's. The color is better, less yellow than the Ushio. I think that the color looks great even without the actinics on. I have 1 40w actinic in my hood for supplemental. Time will tell as far as coral coloration, but initially I am very pleased with this fixture.
I don't notice any appreciable heat issues yet. The entire fixture does get hot to the touch. It also smells up the room, but that is normal for any new fixture. I had the fixture on for about 6 hours yesterday.
My hood positions the fixture about 8" over the water. It had good spread and not much in the way of hot spots or shaded areas. This is over our 72g bowfront wich is already a pain to get good light distribution on.
Drop me an e-mail if you have any other questions on it.
Sponsor Reefs
We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.
Click here to sponsor $10:
