Halide Wattage Question

Reefinny · Dec 29, 2018

Hi all,

I recently picked up a 175W Reefbrite fixture. It came with a 175w bulb and ballast, but my tank is a cube and 24" deep so I was looking for a little more power. I also have a new ballast I wanted to use with it that is a select a watt, so my question is can I run a 250w bulb in the fixture as long as I am powering it with the correct wattage?

Looking at reefbrites site it does not appear there is really a difference in the fixtures themselves - just the ballasts?

P-Dub · Dec 29, 2018

You are correct. The ballast is your primary consideration. So long as the AWG of the associated cords and the connections are the same, it shouldn't be a problem. The single end socket sometimes has max wattage printed on the base. Otherwise, you can contact Reefbrite directly and ask.

Reefinny · Dec 29, 2018

Cool thanks

Reefinny · Jan 3, 2019

I reached out to Reefbrite - they said not a problem to run a 250w or 400w bulb just make sure the ballast is the same.

DesertReefT4r · Jan 3, 2019

Yep all good. Just chanhe the bulb to a 250w Radium and run the ballast on 250w setting. You can over drive a Radium bulb with no problems, they are mabe to run at 330w.

Reefinny · Jan 3, 2019

I wound up just getting a new 400w Reefbrite Ballast - just got it on. I am getting great par all around. so much on the top of my corals I had to raise the light up.

jda · Jan 3, 2019

If you are going to use Radium 250w, then you need to use the "super lumens" or "hqi" setting for 250w. These are made to be driven with m80 HQI ballasts which are more wattage than a typical 250w electronic or magnetic ballast. Lots of selectable ballasts have this setting.

Driving 20k Radium with 250w ballasts will not harm them, but the color is bluer and the output is less.