Metal Halide

[Cory]

I bought a used cebu sun metal halide fixutre. The bulbs are of unknown age. It has 3x 400 watt Radiums.

How can i tell when its time to change them? Does anyone know what sort if lux I should be getting 8" below the bulb in air? So far i get about 22000 lux with my phone.

 

[jda]

Just change them now and get a new baseline. I never trust any used bulbs.

Nobody can really know what your output will be, but 400w radium on good reflectors have good output... each one will have the output of around 3x Radion XR30s, or so. All of this depends on the ballast too.

 

[Cory]

Just change them now and get a new baseline. I never trust any used bulbs.

Nobody can really know what your output will be, but 400w radium on good reflectors have good output... each one will have the output of around 3x Radion XR30s, or so. All of this depends on the ballast too.

How old can they be before needing changing? I heard standard is 12 months but im paying 100-120 canadian for each bulb so Id like to not spend if I dont have to. Corals are growing fine under them but was curious if they were years old or just months.

 

[jda]

A year is a good timeframe. Some will go way longer and two years or more, but this is not optimum.

A good rule of thumb is that if you change the bulbs and the corals do not miss a beat, then you were good. If you change them and stuff bleaches a bit, then it was too long and they lost too much intensity.

I change my Radiums at a year of 10 hours. ...longer if I don't run them that much.

 

[Cory]

A year is a good timeframe. Some will go way longer and two years or more, but this is not optimum.

A good rule of thumb is that if you change the bulbs and the corals do not miss a beat, then you were good. If you change them and stuff bleaches a bit, then it was too long and they lost too much intensity.

I change my Radiums at a year of 10 hours. ...longer if I don't run them that much.

Ah okay. My 3 are on 6 hours a day in succession. The 4 t5s are on for dusk to dawn. Is 6 hours enough?

 

[jda]

I dunno. It depends. Maybe with some T5s and if you don't have any light hungry acros. I don't supplement, so I run my halides 9-10 hours.

Even if it is enough, the corals might repsond to more in like kind.

 

[Cory]

Are you familiar with hamilton cebu sun fixture? Im curious when you remove the glass panel is it normal for it to be tight and screech when pulled out.

 

[jda]

It is glass on metal. Not really made to be smooth.

 

[mdb_talon]

How old can they be before needing changing? I heard standard is 12 months but im paying 100-120 canadian for each bulb so Id like to not spend if I dont have to. Corals are growing fine under them but was curious if they were years old or just months.

Been awhile since i used MH, but a year was about max i could expect to get out of them. I loved MH, but bulb cost was one of reasons i no longer use them

 

[Cory]

Whats a good height from the water to mount these?

 

[Syntax1235]

Whats a good height from the water to mount these?

Generally you can’t go wrong with a foot above the water.

 

[A. grandis]

I bought a used cebu sun metal halide fixutre. The bulbs are of unknown age. It has 3x 400 watt Radiums.

How can i tell when its time to change them? Does anyone know what sort if lux I should be getting 8" below the bulb in air? So far i get about 22000 lux with my phone.

When bulbs are looking really black it's time to change. The age of the bulbs is directly related to the darkness of the arc inside. It's always better to start with new bulbs in an old fixture, that way you know for sure when to change. One of the best fixtures ever made IMHO. You lucky boy!!! You won't regret!

 

[A. grandis]

Been awhile since i used MH, but a year was about max i could expect to get out of them. I loved MH, but bulb cost was one of reasons i no longer use them

QUALITY comes with a price. There is not much difference in cost... it's actually cheaper to use halides in most cases.. Search threads about the math involving and you will understand..

 

[A. grandis]

A year is a good timeframe. Some will go way longer and two years or more, but this is not optimum.

A good rule of thumb is that if you change the bulbs and the corals do not miss a beat, then you were good. If you change them and stuff bleaches a bit, then it was too long and they lost too much intensity.

I change my Radiums at a year of 10 hours. ...longer if I don't run them that much.

Is that the photoperiod you use normally? No T5s, right, only halides?

 

[Cory]

When bulbs are looking really black it's time to change. The age of the bulbs is directly related to the darkness of the arc inside. It's always better to start with new bulbs in an old fixture, that way you know for sure when to change. One of the best fixtures ever made IMHO. You lucky boy!!! You won't regret!

Yes i really love this fixture its amazing. I recently took out the tempered glass just because i have a glass lid and was blocking additional light. Is that a problem?

 

[mdb_talon]

QUALITY comes with a price. There is not much difference in cost... it's actually cheaper to use halides in most cases.. Search threads about the math involving and you will understand..

How about this math for you. Blackbox for $150 lasts several years and grows coral and looks just fine. Just bulb replacement alone is significantly higher cost vs led over that period. As I said in my original post I loved MH and just dont use based off the cost... no reason for a snarky comment insinuating I just dont understand the math.

 

[Cory]

For me leds look too chromatic. I really dislike that unnatural look. Metal halides look more like natural sun to me, especially the shimmer.

 

[AwakenedReefer]

I have become very conscious on how the things around me affect me. Now there is a potential cost to LEDs that nobody talks about…

Dangers from blue light exposure worsen with age: 'Detrimental to human health'

Researchers from Oregon State University say the damaging effects of daily, lifelong exposure to blue light worsen as a person ages.

studyfinds.org

I try to stick with incandescent anytime I can. I spend hours looking into my tanks. It’s hard to buy our health back.
Besides, imo, LEDS look like crap anyway.

 

[A. grandis]

Yes i really love this fixture its amazing. I recently took out the tempered glass just because i have a glass lid and was blocking additional light. Is that a problem?

I would prefer to leave the tempered glass on the fixture and let the tank breath freely. Gas exchange is really important to saltwater aquariums.

 

[A. grandis]

I have become very conscious on how the things around me affect me. Now there is a potential cost to LEDs that nobody talks about…

Dangers from blue light exposure worsen with age: 'Detrimental to human health'

Researchers from Oregon State University say the damaging effects of daily, lifelong exposure to blue light worsen as a person ages.

studyfinds.org

I try to stick with incandescent anytime I can. I spend hours looking into my tanks. It’s hard to buy our health back.
Besides, imo, LEDS look like crap anyway.

We've seen posts about that here before. I am also concern with that.. the very computer/cell we use to post out sentences here in this forum also have some of those LEDs. One of the reasons I try to minimize my time here. This life is getting too dangerous!