Metal Halide Highboy

[Fishy888]

With the exception of my first reef tank, which was a nano back in 2009, all my reef tanks were lit with MH. I have a 90 gallon cube currently , 29” x 29”. I have been thinking about how I want to light this tank. I really want halides. Despite the heat they’re still the king, and they cost less typically, and they look AWESOME doing it.

I have the chance to pick up a highboy from a warehouse locally for 15 bucks. If nothing else I can use the ballast and socket out of it. Can I use the fixture as is though? I ask this because it seems to me the light should be about the perfect size for the space it needs to light and the reflected light should mainly stay in the tank. I’d have it about 6 to 8 inches above the tank and I’d have fans to pull heat out from under the light.

 

[oreo54]

Depends on the reflector angle.

3. BEAM ANGLE:
High bay lighting uses common beam angles such as 60°, 90°, and 120°.

 

[Fishy888]

Awesome. I think it’ll be 60 or 90. Guess I’ll find out soon.

 

[Fishy888]

Here’s a picture of it.

Even though it looks like it says “no good “ on the reflector it’s actually a number next to “good”. I got to light it before I bought it.

 

[Backreefing]

Idk about the reflector? Or any of it honestly. Would it be easyer to hit Facebook market place or Craigslist and pick up a metal halide fixture designed for aquariums . They pop up cheap many times . The reflector on that thing looks way deep and narrow. You may end up with a spot light and not much spread . ? But good luck with it.

 

[Fishy888]

Sadly around here they’re pretty much unobtanium. The cities where that may be true are 100 plus miles from here. I might have to change out the reflector but I have the ballast and capacitor. That alone runs $35 bucks plus so I’m ahead of the game that way. I’m going to see how it looks over the tank since I will probably have it 8 inches from the water surface.

 

[Smite]

I was a lighting technician. Those suckers get very hot (I run and love halide). Even the ballast compartment is going to put off heat. That reflector is meant to be up on a pole so expect a very narrow beam angle. Our aquarium lamps don’t normally get put in a reflector like that, hopefully it adjusts up a ton to meet the mogul socket or you’re going to waste a lot of light.