MH 400 Options???

[Peace River]

I was given (2) 400w metal halide pendants with the controller box. They each have a Hamilton double ended 14k bulb that are blown, however I have seen them both working in the past and know where to buy replacement bulbs. I have used a wide variety of LEDs and T5s but have limited experience with MH (I am aware of the heat implications, the cost of bulbs, and the need to change the bulbs every 12-18 months). What are my options? What depth of tank would I be able to use this with and be successful at raising corals? Would one or both lights be too much for a 55g? 75g? 120g? 150g? What type of corals would appreciate this much light? If this is a viable option, should I purchase the 10k, 14k, or 20k bulbs? Thank you in advance for the helpful input!

 

[biecacka]

2 on any 4ft tank will grow whatever you want if all other variables are good. 400wts can punch to the bottom of just about any tank, I run 2 250wts on my 4/4/24 cube and the do a great job. 10/14/20k is going to be a personal preference really. All will work just fine.

Corey

 

[Peace River]

2 on any 4ft tank will grow whatever you want if all other variables are good. 400wts can punch to the bottom of just about any tank, I run 2 250wts on my 4/4/24 cube and the do a great job. 10/14/20k is going to be a personal preference really. All will work just fine.

Corey

Thanks Corey - I appreciate the feedback!

 

[A. grandis]

I was given (2) 400w metal halide pendants with the controller box. They each have a Hamilton double ended 14k bulb that are blown, however I have seen them both working in the past and know where to buy replacement bulbs. I have used a wide variety of LEDs and T5s but have limited experience with MH (I am aware of the heat implications, the cost of bulbs, and the need to change the bulbs every 12-18 months).
What are my options?

I'm not sure I understood your question here.
I believe what you are calling "controller box" is actually the ballast. Please post pictures so people can better help you.

What depth of tank would I be able to use this with and be successful at raising corals?

Down to about ~30" - 36" for most "photosynthetic" corals. But that, like any other light source will depend on what type of system, nutrients, placement, organisms, maintenance, etc...

Would one or both lights be too much for a 55g? 75g? 120g? 150g?

Depends on the measurements of the tank and the plan of the system.
We can't just generalize that. No matter what type of light system you get.

What type of corals would appreciate this much light?

Basically every "photosynthetic"coral would appreciate metal halide light. Again, the system you choose will need the right amount of light, so you need to choose what you want, then you plan the light around it.

If this is a viable option, should I purchase the 10k, 14k, or 20k bulbs? Thank you in advance for the helpful input!

Of course it's a viable option... for the right system!
It's better for you to make a plan and use the fixture for the system that you plan to have, not the other way around!
You can use the pendants with new ballasts for the wattage needed for that system you choose.
You can use the pendants and get 250W or 150W ballasts. Some electronic ballasts have a dial and you can choose the wattage.
10K, 14K and 20K ... will be more like your personal choice or the need for the corals you want to keep.

 

[DuckSlayer627]

I run 2 400wt Ushio 14K's on a 120 gal 4ft x 2ft x 2ft. I have run Hamilton 10k in the past and I think they are a little more blue/less yellow (more of an ice white) than the Ushio 14k. I have acro's that grow anywhere in the tank. From the bottom glass to 6 in. down. Like the previous poster stated 10k, 14k or 20k is really up to you, But it depends on the brand since some 10k's could be more blue than a 14k of a different brand. And some 20k's can be really blue and some people love the Radium which is a white/blue with the correct ballast.

 

[A. grandis]

OK, here is a visual example of what halides are capable of...
The tank in the video was approximately 98" X 39" X 29" and had HQI 400W-600W dimmable ballast.
Note the size of the tank and the corals he had in that system.
Colorful, healthy and naturally grown corals.
Good old times when most of us had halides as a primary source of light.
Boost your volume to enjoy the music!
Cheers!

 

[Bpb]

Two 400 watt bulbs? If you’re putting those on a 4 foot tank in the 75-120 gallon range I’d strongly suggest 20,000k Hamilton’s and hang them kind of high. That’ll be a lot of heat and par for that water depth

 

[Peace River]

As an update, the ballast box is marked PFO Lighting Inc. and the model is a AQ2-400MH-120V 4.0x2 Amps. I took the chance and ordered two 400w DE bulbs because I found some CoralVue bulbs for $20 each. Although both of the lights were working in the past, only one of the bulbs came on when powered up and I noticed that the socket on the other fixture needs to be replaced so I ordered two replacements.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I was given (2) 400w metal halide pendants with the controller box. They each have a Hamilton double ended 14k bulb that are blown, however I have seen them both working in the past and know where to buy replacement bulbs. I have used a wide variety of LEDs and T5s but have limited experience with MH (I am aware of the heat implications, the cost of bulbs, and the need to change the bulbs every 12-18 months). What are my options? What depth of tank would I be able to use this with and be successful at raising corals? Would one or both lights be too much for a 55g? 75g? 120g? 150g? What type of corals would appreciate this much light? If this is a viable option, should I purchase the 10k, 14k, or 20k bulbs? Thank you in advance for the helpful input!

Giesemann and Hamilton websites

 

[Peace River]

Giesemann and Hamilton websites

Thanks @vetteguy53081 ! I ordered the replacement sockets from Hamilton and they should be here later this week.

 

[jda]

So that PFO ballast could be 400w HQI (probably is) - or about 450 watts. Not all bulbs can handle this wattage - if you can still find 400w DE bulbs, they can. Giesemann supposedly can too. Radium cannot anymore and they burn out or explode more than they don't - they changed the "formula" a few years back but they could before, so be careful of old posts.

You can put mogul sockets in those reflectors and switch them out to SE stuff if you ever cannot find DE bulbs anymore, just be careful when you choose the bulbs.

 

[Peace River]

So that PFO ballast could be 400w HQI (probably is) - or about 450 watts. Not all bulbs can handle this wattage - if you can still find 400w DE bulbs, they can. Giesemann supposedly can too. Radium cannot anymore and they burn out or explode more than they don't - they changed the "formula" a few years back but they could before, so be careful of old posts.

You can put mogul sockets in those reflectors and switch them out to SE stuff if you ever cannot find DE bulbs anymore, just be careful when you choose the bulbs.

Thank you for the feedback - great tip about the mogul sockets! The blown bulbs were Hamilton 400w and I replaced them with CoralVue 400w. Hamilton also still has 400w DE bulbs available.

 

[Silent]

I really liked the coralvue 20k's. They were my favorite.

 

[Bpb]

To be honest, I’m pleased enough with what I’ve seen from Hamilton bulbs and the price is right. While it would be cool to still be able to get reeflux, AB, or Xm bulbs, these will more than suffice and I make sure to order several every time they go on sale

 

[A. grandis]

I think we all love the Hamilton bulbs. I'm using 2 X 250W 20Ks over my 75gal system with electronic ballast and love it! They also have the best customer service ever!

 

[biecacka]

This makes me want to put my halides back up right now


Corey

 

[C. Eymann]

So that PFO ballast could be 400w HQI (probably is) - or about 450 watts. Not all bulbs can handle this wattage - if you can still find 400w DE bulbs, they can. Giesemann supposedly can too. Radium cannot anymore and they burn out or explode more than they don't - they changed the "formula" a few years back but they could before, so be careful of old posts.

You can put mogul sockets in those reflectors and switch them out to SE stuff if you ever cannot find DE bulbs anymore, just be careful when you choose the bulbs.

OPs ballast looks to be a pulse start magnetic HQI ballast, which used to be the #1 choice to run SE radiums on back in the day.

When did radium change their "formula" or envelope gas mix?
Before LEDs, basically the best lighting setup for SPS was Radiums on magnetic HQI ballasts with T5s or vhos.

Shame to hear that they changed, because I am actually considering sticking with halides for my new reef and had been looking at bulb availability, was glad to see radiums are still available but hearing that they aren't as good as they used to be is rather disheartening.

 

[Peace River]

OPs ballast looks to be a pulse start magnetic HQI ballast, which used to be the #1 choice to run SE radiums on back in the day.

[...]

Here is a picture of the label on the ballast. It doesn’t appear to be the HQI option.

 

[C. Eymann]

Here is a picture of the label on the ballast. It doesn’t appear to be the HQI option.

Does the box have a ANSI code on it anywhere? because if it is a standard magnetic 400w M59 ballast, it may fire or may not fire the 400wDE bulbs you have but it wont run them to their best ability.

 

[Peace River]

Does the box have a ANSI code on it anywhere?

I’ll look this evening and let you know.