Recent content by qwiksilver

So then, if a certain ballast is designed for a certain bulb (ie MH for MH, M59 for 400w, etc) then it won't overdrive it. Of coarse a ballast will overdrive a bulb if you put the wrong bulb on it (ie Single ended bulb on a de ballast , HQI as it were). That would be like trying to run a 100W...

Well, the 1 10k should tone it down quite a bit, and if the xm 20k is anything like the hamilton 20k I have, it will be white anyway. I thought it was supposed to be blue, but I guess hamilton thought they should make it whiter than their 14k. I have been extremely disappointed with their bulbs...

But if tar ballasts (magnetic ballasts) came out first (which they did), then is it that they OVERDRIVE a bulb, or that the electronic underdrives it. So, if the bulb lasts longer with an electronic, than wouldn't it just be that the electronic can LENGTHEN the life of the bulb, and not that the...

Thanks for the input. :lol: I like the blue effect as well, and I think with having the 1 10k and the 2 20's it should balance out well, and at the same time supply enough par for the corals!

Thanks for the input. I just went back and exchanged the 2 175's for 2x250's. So, I will go with 3 250's, the centre one only being on for about 4-5 hours. Now I have to decide: 2 20K and 1 10K, or 2 10's and 1 20?

Wether or not a de 400 is brighter than a 400 se isn't the delimma. You could only compare an electronic de 400 to a magnetic 400 de. To really know you would have to use the same bulb, allow it time to warm up, take a lumen output reading, turn it off, use the same exact setup, switch ballasts...

I can't go with 400's because I live in a small apartment and that circuit is shared with half the suite. Would be nice, but I can't. Anyone else do this (175's on a 24" deep tank)?

The things is, I was going to go 20K XM on the 2 175's and and 10K XM on the 250. Any thoughts? Thanks

120 gallon 48x24x24. I am using a 175 on each side with a 250 in the middle. I have mainly SPS and was planning on keeping them near the top with the lights about 5" or so above the tank. Any thoughts?

I'd actually run two. I have a 54 with a 400 running, and I sometimes wonder if its enough. With SPS and clams they'd be happy if you had more light. Then again, i am one of those that think you can't have too much light.

Yeah, it will be viewable from three sides with the overflow centered on one end. I was planning on leaving a lot of room for swimming, cuase I'd like to do a microhabitat of a "Indo-Pacific Backreef" where it meets the lagoon. So, I will have caves and crevices, but probably more open space on...

Think it's ok to put a regal or Kole Tang(s) in a 135gallon tank? Dimension would be 40"x26"x30".

I am thinking either mission impossible style (lol) or snorkiling.... kinda my own piece of GBR!

Turns up in low flow areas (increase your flow) and usually shows up when your lights get old and change spectrum. So, you could add more powerheads and change your lights. Or, if you have a high fish load you could get rid of some. Also if you overfeed... problem. Clean your sponges and filter...

Well, I want my SPS's up top, and given I have a 400 MH with HO T5's Actinics I think the light will be enough for SPS up top. I don't want to go for the full tank of SPS, don't care for it that much. Underneath their level, probably 12-18" down I would have LPS and some higher light demanding...