Your Metal Halide Questions Answered

[Mr. Fosi]

Depends on how high the tank is, how close the light is to the tank and whether it is in a closed canopy.

[Collar Crazy]

Depends on how high the tank is, how close the light is to the tank and whether it is in a closed canopy.

 

Ok, I wasn't sure if I was being overly paranoid or not. Apparently not! Thank you!

[Illusions2281]

Is it ok ot hang a 24" light above a 20" tank? Also, is the t5/HQI combo worth the extra money?

[Mr. Fosi]

Sure, but you'll probably get a lot of spillover onto the floor.

 

Dunno anything about combo fixtures, sorry.

[moto826]

whats the best bulb for a 150 sun pod i bought the blue leds in group buy

[Mr. Fosi]

Phoenix 14K

[shaunmfpitcher]

can anyone tell me if this will be a good light for my new 20 long reef tank.

Coralife Aqualight Advanced Tank-Mount, 1- 150 W 14,000K HQI.

 

thanks in advance

[majtek862]

I just made the switch to MH on my BC29 and I would have to say it was the right decision for me. I'm completely happy! I shopped and researched for weeks before pulling the trigger on this upgrade obviously because of the money involved. The first time I fired it up, I was blown away! I can't seem to take my eyes off my tank now. In fact, it makes my other tanks look completely dull in comparison. I still have a couple pieces of screen between the fixture and water to slowly acclimate and it seems to be working fine. IMO there's nothing out there that compares to the quality of light you get using MH.

[OkcKoolaid]

i have a 70w mh ballast and everything is already hooked up, with light and reflector, problem is is that the wires are too short from light to ballast, what size wire should i get and where should i get it, thanks

[el_heb]

Hi all

 

I'm new to the nano reef hobby, i'm planning on using a pc light 18w on an NC6, but i thought of future-proofing my investment with a clip-on 150w MH lamp, my questions are:

 

Can i use a 150w MH clip on lamp on a nano cube 6g, with no canopy or hood? If not, can i change the bulb to a 70w? The arm of the lamp is adjustable and looks like it could stand 10-15cm from the aquarium water level

 

Thanks

[Mr. Fosi]

Can i use a 150w MH clip on lamp on a nano cube 6g, with no canopy or hood?

 

Dunno.

 

If not, can i change the bulb to a 70w?

 

Only if you change the ballast as well.

[racerfreak]

how are the MH fixtures form fishneedit.com I was thinking about getting their 150W MH

[evilc66]

Decent for the money. Stock bulbs aren't that great though. If you order one, get the next color temp up from what you actually want, and it will end up looking closer to what you want. That might not make much sense, but the 20K looks more like a 14K bulb, and the 14K looks like a 10/12K.

[racerfreak]

I was actually thinking of getting a 150W Ushio 20K bulb if I do go with MH

[Mr. Fosi]

Prop says Ushios are crap but a lot of people sing the praises of Radium.

[mihael]

Hello!

 

Stupid questions coming from a totally beginner considering Lights and MH in particular.

 

I bought a Mini Halogen Reflector Lamp, 150W, 230V/50Hz (living in Europe), the bulb that came with gives very low yellowish output. I have a 6 gallon nano tank future to be reef:) I was thinking to buy a DE 150 W 10 000 k bulb :

 

http://www.internetnatrgovina.com/product_...products_id=692

 

First, I don't know if that bulb will fit this reflector:

 

Reflector: R7s

Bulb: Rx7s

 

Also the length of the store bulb is longer that the length of the reflector bulb. What is the difference between R7s and Rx7s to be more accurate?

 

Can you clear it for me, can i work something out of this make it suitable for my tank (even if i ll have to build a canopy to accommodate the requirements of a MH: heat, protection...and so on?)

 

Thank you in advance!

[evilc66]

First off, the difference is length obviously You need the socket and reflector from a 300-500W halogen worklight to fit a 150W MH bulb.

 

Second, MH bulbs need a ballast to fire, unlike a halogen lamp. As it stands right now, you wouldn't be able to get it to work.

 

Also, be very careful. As a beginner, you are planning on putting a lot of light over a small tank. It's very doable, but you have to be very cautious with acclimation of any coral you put in there, and it's position in the tank. Not all corals like a lot of light. I would suggest if you end up running that 150W MH that you place the lamp about 12-16" above the water to start and see how the corals react.

[mihael]

Thank you but can you explain to me for what stands: Rx7s and R7s? It must be some sort of standard of the socket or something?

[evilc66]

Yes, they are two different socket standards. One is longer than the other. You have an RX7s bulb, so you need an RX7s socket, which the 300-500W halogen fixtures use.

[mihael]

I got it! Thank you very much!

[SiLkk]

Prop says Ushios are crap but a lot of people sing the praises of Radium.

 

I should be receiving a Radium 150w 20k to replace a stock bulb on my sunpod 20" anyday now. I'll update with pics and info when I get it installed.

[SiLkk]

What is normal 'burn-in' for a new bulb? As of now, first lighting of my Radium 20k the water looks extremely greenish yellow.

[Mr. Fosi]

Perhaps 100 hrs.

[MitchReef]

I recently saw a reference to a study (I guess it was) that indicated that Phoenix bulbs stay stable enough across their lifetime to actually allow running them until they stop firing....

 

Does anyone know where this reference may have come from?

[Mr. Fosi]

I didn't go that far, but I did say that they are good for at least a year in my Phoenix 14K thread.