Cheapest Metal Halide Set up?

[nereefpat]

20 gallon long. . . hahaha

With the 30" long by only 12" wide, that's tough without lots of light spill.

If you're wanting old school, you might be better off with a 4 bulb T5 setup.

 

[MoshJosh]

I'm down to get a bigger tank. . . just have to find a place for it. . . and probably get a divorce too. . .

 

[PaulErik]

Where have you seen electronic 120V halide ballasts at 99 or even 90% efficient? I think someone is confusing power factor with power conversion (efficiency). Very different things.

The only thing I would add is do not buy old used mag ballast. They break down and in time become only 70% efficient. The electronic ballast are sometimes 99% efficient. If you have an old mag ballast that gets supper hot , that is wasted energy plus in most cases will only run probe type lamps. Radium and Phoenix run on Pulse start ballast either M80 / M138 or higher or electronic. M57 - M59 will not. My best looking coral where under MH. Today I only run LED, but I care more about fish so I just have frogspawn and softies

 

[RedoubtReef]

With the 30" long by only 12" wide, that's tough without lots of light spill.

If you're wanting old school, you might be better off with a 4 bulb T5 setup.

I would second this with it only being a 20 gallon tank. Or, move up to something 75 gallons or larger

 

[MoshJosh]

I would second this with it only being a 20 gallon tank. Or, move up to something 75 gallons or larger

I have a 2 bulb T5 fixture sitting in the garage. . . could always get that back up and running. . . but I have already been there done that. Want MH. . . don't need. . . but want

Also, My LFS has 14k and 20k DE MH bulbs in stock. . .

 

[jda]

For a tank that small, look for a 150w double ended setup. 14k Phoenix bulb. This is a best-of-breed type of small tank setup.

I am just in Denver(ish). Some of the good stores never stopped carrying MH bulbs. There is about 12-18 folks who care about what I do (acropora) and none of them use LED to do the heavy lifting anymore. A few went that way, and the most recent was happy with some AI/Kessil blend for about 6 months and let us all know about it. Then, he found out what so many other did... they were just really good at continuing the work that his MH were doing and after a while, his acropora did not look the same even though he was happy with his many euphyllia. Heat is not an issue here, so even with a hot setup, people don't mind. The point is that the bulbs still sold... the main reason that stores did not carry them is because Amazon and the like were a LOT cheaper... but now they all seem to have the same prices, so I buy them locally if I can. T5s were hard too since you needed such a large inventory of all the different types and sizes - they stores that I go to were the same price as BRS, but you had to order and wait a week.

 

[reeftivo]

you could do a DE 150 watt reefbrite MH fixture. there are around 250 though and you would still need bulb and ballast.

ebay has some cheaper T5/MH DE combos but those may be a gamble at the same price

 

[alton]

Where have you seen electronic 120V halide ballasts at 99 or even 90% efficient? I think someone is confusing power factor with power conversion (efficiency). Very different things.

All my original Coral Vue ballast when it was owned by David where 90% efficient. Post #35 according the label is 96%. I still remember switching from heavy tar ballast with T12 lamps to the new electronic ballast with T8 with the weight and heat/energy savings.