Cheapest Metal Halide Set up?

[56longroof]

There are still several manufacturers for metal halides. Hamilton and Ushio are just a couple that come to mind. Catalina Aquarium carries alot of the harder to find stuff too.

 

[rtparty]

While all reefers should do their due diligence in regards to the heating and lighting they employ, in many cases it’s a wash between halides and LEDs. You also have to run T5s to get sufficient spread. For me anyway metal halides are still king. Granted this is a 6500k light but I get insane PAR even at the sand bed. I have to practically keep my mushrooms in the dark for them to fully open.

You don't have to run T5s to get sufficient spread these days. LED bars have been better than T5s for a few years now. The Reef Brite XHO is a better supplement than T5. The Blades are even better than the XHO in every way I have used both.

 

[mosreef]

$100 for a 72" hybrid t5 & MH (plus bulbs and ballasts)

BlueLine Aurora 72" HQI Metal Halide / T5 Lighting System - FIXTURE ONLY ***CLEARANCE***

This spectacular lighting solution combines superior quality into one sleek, integrated fixture that will enhance the growth and color of your corals.

www.championlighting.com

 

[Fishy888]

You don't have to run T5s to get sufficient spread these days. LED bars have been better than T5s for a few years now. The Reef Brite XHO is a better supplement than T5. The Blades are even better than the XHO in every way I have used both.

That may be true. Some like me have to do their reefing on a budget however. I’m fortunate to have a 90 gallon cube so I only need one light. I’d imagine that someone with a 4 foot tank or longer would have to spend thousands for those LED systems. Halides would, even with bulb changes, would be far less expensive and do the same thing.

 

[Fishy888]

$100 for a 72" hybrid t5 & MH (plus bulbs and ballasts)

BlueLine Aurora 72" HQI Metal Halide / T5 Lighting System - FIXTURE ONLY ***CLEARANCE***

This spectacular lighting solution combines superior quality into one sleek, integrated fixture that will enhance the growth and color of your corals.

www.championlighting.com

Nice find!

 

[jmichaelh7]

Used setups are best bet if you can find them .

Reefbrite pendants $1400+ after ballast

 

[Reefing102]

I’ve tried the marine color. They aren’t bad but not my pick

 

[RedoubtReef]

Just curious, what are options for entry level MH set ups? Seems like you need the fixture, ballast, and bulb, any "package deals"? What would you recommend for someone new to MH looking to get started/try it out on a budget?

What size tank?

 

[Yanir34]

MH are still the KING of lighting !
especially for sps !
I have used in the last 15 years with LED's , T5 , LED/T5 , and MH/LED's ....the corals grow much faster and look much healthier with MH , that I saw with my own eyes

 

[Fishy888]

MH are still the KING of lighting !
especially for sps !
I have used in the last 15 years with LED's , T5 , LED/T5 , and MH/LED's ....the corals grow much faster and look much healthier with MH , that I saw with my own eyes

This!

 

[Smite]

Your best bet is to Google old metal halide reef threads. Pendant shoot-outs ect, that will narrow down what you should be searching for used. That is in regards to what will light your footprint best and at what mounting height.
Anything metal halide that's not reef intended should be avoided. They will be spotlights and heat monsters. I worked specifically on commercial and industrial lighting (converting MH and fluorescent to LED) and believe me you don't want those over your tank. Event the ballasts will burn the heck out of you. I've come across ballasts/fixtures that were posted earlier in this thread dripping nasty black goo and still functioning. Don't want that over your tank.

Keywords to search FS threads as well as craigslist, FB marketplace, offerup ect.
Some manufacturer/pendants names. * implies fixtures I've ran, that run cool. As in can touch the housing with no risk of burning. I would look for pendants that are whole, with the aluminum housing not just bare reflectors.
*Hamilton Technology ; Bali Sun, Cozumel Sun, Cayman Sun and some others that are t5 combo
Lumen Bright mini and large pendants
LumenMax Elite and Large pendants
*Reefbrite
Giesemann but the pendants are smaller and they are expensive. Spectras are mogul with t5.


Ballasts to search:
Lumatek
Galaxy
Reefbrite
IceCap
Coralvue Luxcore

First step is decide if you want single ended (mogul e39) or double ended (HQI). This will dictate what pendant you're looking for as well as what ballast to pair it with. I always try to buy selectable watt ballasts that go from 250w-440w. A very shallow tank or smaller tank I'd do the same with 175-250w. This will also include the wattage you need for HQI lamps but let's you start lower wattage and go up from there if need be. I choose mogul ended setups because I feel at this point there are more bulb options still around. HQI seem harder to come by. Also easier to install and swap without breaking.

From my pendant list above, I would narrow a suggestion down to Reefbrite or Hamilton Tech. This is based of my experience with them having best spread and them run surprisingly cool. The ballasts I would narrow it down to would be Reefbrite or IceCap electronic ballasts. Reefbrite ballast with a Reefbrite pendant is as plug and play as you can get. I've ran Radium 250w, Hamilton 250w and Reefbrite 250w with them. All fired fine and looked good. Radium, slightly blue and under driven. IceCap gets a feather in the cap for selectable e-ballast. You can choose to overdrive at 250w HQI, allowing you to run HQI lamps or get the Radium lamp closer to what they are meant to look like. That said, hamilton lamps are awesome IMO. The other ballast choices are good too but will be used and more than likely no guess on how many hours. That said I'm running 1 lumatek selectable and 1 galaxy and my 400w 14k Hamiltons look the same to the eye @ 400w setting on both.

 

[RedoubtReef]

Because metal halides are king! Haha!
Electricity use is a wash.. xr30 pulls close to the same as a 250w mh..

Well said!

 

[zoomonster]

Because metal halides are king! Haha!
Electricity use is a wash.. xr30 pulls close to the same as a 250w mh..

Don't think so... 3 XR30 Pro's LPS template at 55% and total system is pulling about 5 amps right now everything on except chiller or heater. Thats 3 lights, 2 MP40's, main pump + 3 others, ozone, Apex and Co2 controller. 3 x 250w MH + 2 T5's were frequently overheating the circuit breaker and tripping a 15a breaker not to mention heating tank and house. What you said might be somewhat true if you run every channel at 100% which I suspect near no one does.

 

[jmichaelh7]

Metal halide is king

coming from 4 xr30 to metal halide user .

It’s one of those spectrums you can’t comment until you try !

 

[19Mateo83]

I have an extra 250w icecap ballast, was purchased new and used for about 6 months. Perfect condition like new, has been in storage in a file cabinet for the past 12 years make an offer

 

[zoomonster]

LOL I have electronic and tar ballasts, 4ft, 6ft, small pendant, large pendants accumulated over the years even a 1000watt HPS with a blower. Even have a 3ft power compact I drug out today to cure some live rock. Too much of a packrat and too lazy to sell them. Used them for years and great other than the issues they cause. Begrudgingly went to LED and here to stay. If you want to get right down to it the only god of light is sun

 

[Troylee]

Don't think so... 3 XR30 Pro's LPS template at 55% and total system is pulling about 5 amps right now everything on except chiller or heater. Thats 3 lights, 2 MP40's, main pump + 3 others, ozone, Apex and Co2 controller. 3 x 250w MH + 2 T5's were frequently overheating the circuit breaker and tripping a 15a breaker not to mention heating tank and house. What you said might be somewhat true if you run every channel at 100% which I suspect near no one does.

Dude I’m not hating on leds! I’m here to stir the pot because the op was looking for halides and then comes the “oh get leds they’re better post” I run both I feel they both have their place and I like both! If I could only have one I’d have my halides but that’s me.. this wasn’t a which is better there is thousands of threads on that.. haha halides supplemented with radions it don’t get any better in my book..

 

[Fishy888]

Your best bet is to Google old metal halide reef threads. Pendant shoot-outs ect, that will narrow down what you should be searching for used. That is in regards to what will light your footprint best and at what mounting height.
Anything metal halide that's not reef intended should be avoided. They will be spotlights and heat monsters. I worked specifically on commercial and industrial lighting (converting MH and fluorescent to LED) and believe me you don't want those over your tank. Event the ballasts will burn the heck out of you. I've come across ballasts/fixtures that were posted earlier in this thread dripping nasty black goo and still functioning. Don't want that over your tank.

Keywords to search FS threads as well as craigslist, FB marketplace, offerup ect.
Some manufacturer/pendants names. * implies fixtures I've ran, that run cool. As in can touch the housing with no risk of burning. I would look for pendants that are whole, with the aluminum housing not just bare reflectors.
*Hamilton Technology ; Bali Sun, Cozumel Sun, Cayman Sun and some others that are t5 combo
Lumen Bright mini and large pendants
LumenMax Elite and Large pendants
*Reefbrite
Giesemann but the pendants are smaller and they are expensive. Spectras are mogul with t5.


Ballasts to search:
Lumatek
Galaxy
Reefbrite
IceCap
Coralvue Luxcore

First step is decide if you want single ended (mogul e39) or double ended (HQI). This will dictate what pendant you're looking for as well as what ballast to pair it with. I always try to buy selectable watt ballasts that go from 250w-440w. A very shallow tank or smaller tank I'd do the same with 175-250w. This will also include the wattage you need for HQI lamps but let's you start lower wattage and go up from there if need be. I choose mogul ended setups because I feel at this point there are more bulb options still around. HQI seem harder to come by. Also easier to install and swap without breaking.

From my pendant list above, I would narrow a suggestion down to Reefbrite or Hamilton Tech. This is based of my experience with them having best spread and them run surprisingly cool. The ballasts I would narrow it down to would be Reefbrite or IceCap electronic ballasts. Reefbrite ballast with a Reefbrite pendant is as plug and play as you can get. I've ran Radium 250w, Hamilton 250w and Reefbrite 250w with them. All fired fine and looked good. Radium, slightly blue and under driven. IceCap gets a feather in the cap for selectable e-ballast. You can choose to overdrive at 250w HQI, allowing you to run HQI lamps or get the Radium lamp closer to what they are meant to look like. That said, hamilton lamps are awesome IMO. The other ballast choices are good too but will be used and more than likely no guess on how many hours. That said I'm running 1 lumatek selectable and 1 galaxy and my 400w 14k Hamiltons look the same to the eye @ 400w setting on both.

Those are nice choices if you find them for the deal of a lifetime, more likely in big cities but in places like where I live, gas and postage would eat away any savings. That means most budget reefers would have to pass on them.

As far as being burned by the core and coil ballasts…. Meh… if you mount them out of the way and install them correctly they should practically last forever. If they get proper ventilation or, better yet, if they were mounted openly in a room with good air circulation the transformer at least should last at least a century. The caps are prone to issues but they can easily be tested with a DMM. In the installations I have done I look over the transformer for signs of arcing or the smell of French fried tape or wire installation.

I’d imagine that many of the HID transformers you’ve worked on weren’t well ventilated. I know that commercial buildings are built as cheaply as possible so the electrical work on these buildings is shoddy from the moment the building goes up. I’d expect many more problems there than in the hands of a reefer, especially one with good DIY skills.

I wouldn’t want ballasts of any kind, core and coil or electronic, above my reef. As for the reflectors, at least in my case I have a 29” x 29” x 25” cube. The modified high bay lamp which is mounted a foot above the surface not only covers my cube perfectly; it throws out so much PAR that my mushrooms have to be in almost pure darkness in the rocks to open up fully. My duncans are growing like wildfire. My xenia have taken over the world. When I go to 14000k or even 20000k I’ll still get about half the PAR I have now and still be able to grow acros, nems, and clams nicely and with good growth.

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Has anyone used indoor grow lights and ballast? They come with fully in closed fixtures that you can run a fan though and exhaust outside to cool the light and keep the room cooler. I'm just asking because I have a full set up and Wonder if it would work.

 

[Troylee]

Has anyone used indoor grow lights and ballast? They come with fully in closed fixtures that you can run a fan though and exhaust outside to cool the light and keep the room cooler. I'm just asking because I have a full set up and Wonder if it would work.

It would work with the right bulb.. the ballast are all the same electronic or magnetic. Reflectors are a tad different but still get the job done.