Switching from LED to Metal Halide

[jda]

SE bulb selection has been increasing. The SE PEC 14k has not been available for years. Giesemann, Hamilton and Reef Brite all have new bulb offerings in the last few years - these have less IR and less heat than some of the older bulbs. You could make an argument that MH bulbs have come further in the last few years than LED panels.

 

[Velcro]

SE bulb selection has been increasing. The SE PEC 14k has not been available for years. Giesemann, Hamilton and Reef Brite all have new bulb offerings in the last few years - these have less IR and less heat than some of the older bulbs. You could make an argument that MH bulbs have come further in the last few years than LED panels.

I just wish someone would come back out with a son agro style 400w ballast and bulbs that can handle the wattage. It would be perfect for my tank.

 

[jda]

Giesemann 17.5k can handle the wattage - one of the locals switched to these. As I am sure that you know, Radium changed their formula and the new ones can explode.

 

[Velcro]

Giesemann 17.5k can handle the wattage - one of the locals switched to these. As I am sure that you know, Radium changed their formula and the new ones can explode.

Well, I have a friend that has been running that 17.5k bulb on PFO ballast and they shift extremely red over a few months...

 

[jda]

That sucks. I have never seen them running. Have you tried the Hamiltons? Heard that they will not pop, but I don't know for sure.

 

[james deed]

I've currently got a 250 watt halide with 4 t5s over a 40 b, and sometimes i think that's not enough lol

Not enough?!? I was planning to reduce the Wattage of my metal halide use because I am living in Florida now. I was advised not to maintain a higher wattage metal halide unless I am willing to pay for more electricity bills to maintain the temperature of my aquarium...

I was googling about metal halide as aquarium lighting and I found out that the reflector is also a critical component to increase the performance of the lighting. What if... hypothetically speaking, I can DIY my own reflector that increases the light reflection. I am good with tools and I can customized a spider reflector to work in this matter, wouldn't it be great?

What do you guys think?

Perhaps if it is successful and I manage to increase the performance by at least 1.5 times, I can even sell at a higher price than spider reflector to cover my workmanship? Haha.... just thinking out loud

 

[jda]

I am sure that Tamatoa is talking about pure performance. Using some fans and paying a bit more is part of this... but so is selling more frags with a thriving tank.

If you are using a high quality commercial reflector with the 95+% reflection rate and 360 degree coverage (Hamilton CoralVue, etc), then you won't likely see any benefit of building your own reflectors. Some cheap Chinese fixtures do not reflect very well. Nobody should be using a spider reflector unless there is no other choice. You can get good german 95+% reflective sheets that are corrosion resistant if you want to dabble in this.

 

[Jay Norris]

Giesemann 17.5k can handle the wattage - one of the locals switched to these. As I am sure that you know, Radium changed their formula and the new ones can explode.

Hi, I tried all the new Giesemann bulbs on my system and they are a little to purple looking for my taste, so I stayed with the Radium 20K lights, until I started switching everything over to the Mitra's.