englishreefer Posted June 7, 2003 Share Posted June 7, 2003 I have just set up my first nano 10g. I am running 4 15w Nos on 20w ballasts (2 actinic. 2 powerglos). does this mean i am running 80w. I have heard pc is 3 times more powerful per watt. is this true. what is the equivalent of my set up in pc. i would be delighted if someone would please enlighten me on the subject. I am really confused on how much light i have, its driving me mad. thanx. Link to comment
englishreefer Posted June 8, 2003 Author Share Posted June 8, 2003 dont all answer at once Link to comment
Nullig Posted June 8, 2003 Share Posted June 8, 2003 Are they magnetic or electronic ballasts? And are the bulbs hooked up in series? or parallel? Check the lighting forum on Reef Central. There's a lot of info there, along with comparative tests. Noel Link to comment
englishreefer Posted June 8, 2003 Author Share Posted June 8, 2003 they are electronic, and are hooked up in series. i have look through and searched. i have found very little on NO. Link to comment
wetworx101 Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 I have a 10g hood I custom built with 5x15w NO bulbs in it. the bulbs were like $20 ea!!...so even though the hood was DIY-cheap, the fixture still cost more than if I had even just bought a PC fixture... After giving the hood to my cousin, I took down the tank (I have two others to keep the creatures in) and I am looking into using the PC 2x65w from my 20h since I hope to finish moving that up to a 175wMH soon, or buying a 96wQuad fixture...Sorry, bout your question: It seems that PC bulbs are about twice as efficient as NO bulbs. Not just straight efficiency, as in lumens, but in intensity and quality of light. So my 75 watts of NO could be replaced with a single 36watt PC bulb (and I have a friend with just a 36wPC over his 10g that is flourishing)...and my bulb cost would go down to about a quarter of what I have now. Link to comment
englishreefer Posted June 9, 2003 Author Share Posted June 9, 2003 i realise the pricing issue, but as i live in england i have searched for pc and they have only come out in the last month or two. the reason i have used NO is because 1) pc wasn't out 2) i had them already of other tanks. thanks for the input. am i running 60w or 80w due to the ballasts, i think i have heard that i am at 80w but can't remember. is this true thanks. Link to comment
SaltyDawg Posted June 19, 2003 Share Posted June 19, 2003 Even though you are running (4) 15 watt bulbs the 20w elec. balists are driving them slightly past their limitations into the 20 watt range I would suspect. So 80 watts of "Total" Power is a very good guess. Either way with the 4 NO bulbs in such a shalow tank you are set. Just make sure they are 10k or at the bare minimum 6.5k. Your goal should be to have at least 3.5 to 4 watts per gallon. You have surpassed this marker with your set up. Link to comment
englishreefer Posted June 19, 2003 Author Share Posted June 19, 2003 they are 2 actinic and 2 18000k, are these bulb choices best. Link to comment
lizbeth Posted June 19, 2003 Share Posted June 19, 2003 I would think with that mix you tank would look very blue/purple. My 18000K powerglow bulbs are very purple. Most people run a 50/50 mix of "white" 6500K to 10,000K bulbs with actinic bulbs. When you overdrive bulbs it's really hard to say what watt they actually run at. I just tell people I am overdriving NO bulbs. Link to comment
englishreefer Posted June 19, 2003 Author Share Posted June 19, 2003 i guess it is kinda blue/purple but i like the color given, but then again i havnt seen them with 6500k. In efficency are they still giving out anough lumens or would my corals benefit from changing. Link to comment
lizbeth Posted June 19, 2003 Share Posted June 19, 2003 If your corals and you seem happy I would leave it. Hagen makes a Lifeglow 6700K bulb that according to the box is recommended for use with the powerglow bulbs. You could try replacing one of the powerglows with a lifeglow to make the light appear whiter. Link to comment
Nullig Posted June 19, 2003 Share Posted June 19, 2003 I believe that if you are running 2 bulbs in series off a single ballast, you would be underdriving them as the electronic ballast would see them as a single bulb. Noel Link to comment
Nullig Posted June 19, 2003 Share Posted June 19, 2003 Check out this thread on Reef Central - lots of info on overdriving. http://reefcentral.com/forums/showt...&threadid=48133 Noel Link to comment
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