Bobby417919 Posted March 26, 2004 Share Posted March 26, 2004 I wanted to know if anyone ever used halogen lights on an aquarium. Or even if you can use them at all Thanks Link to comment
theclearblue Posted March 26, 2004 Share Posted March 26, 2004 Only good for growing the bad things. I hate halogen just for exisiting, I shake my head every time I see a 500 watt fixture for 30 bucks. Link to comment
onthefly Posted March 27, 2004 Share Posted March 27, 2004 I ran one over my fuge for a month or so.....no problems...just urine yellow! The thing I'd love to try, is getting a G4 based halogen fixture and use the xenon replacement bulbs HD sells. There supposedly 4x bright, 4x whiter, and run MUCH cooler! Link to comment
Chyendra Posted March 27, 2004 Share Posted March 27, 2004 I was wondering about the small "desk lamp" type hallogen fixtures, and if I could use one of those over my hob fuge. The halogen bulb i'm thinking of are about the size of a quarter, and are more square then long. what do you guy think? would my chaeto grow under this? Link to comment
mogurnda Posted March 27, 2004 Share Posted March 27, 2004 Halogen lights are essentially goosed-up incandescents. You get about 25% the efficiency (PAR per watt) of fluorescent or PC lights. So, you get yellow light, more heat and no benefit. Link to comment
onthefly Posted March 27, 2004 Share Posted March 27, 2004 From experience......my Chaeto grew better under the halogen, then PC. Like mogurnda says, they're really HOT and that's why I took it off. Thus my interest in the xenon bulbs.....if they're whiter, brighter, and cooler than halogen....that might be the ticket. Link to comment
matt the fiddler Posted March 27, 2004 Share Posted March 27, 2004 well, if we could find a way to cut lighting costs in half going halogen/ xenon- there would be that much more money for other DIY and livestock.. and it would be easy to get a nice grow out tank or fuge, that will be hidden for the most part.. running enough watts for sps growth, cool enough for sumer, and cheap curious how cool a xenon would be complared to a metal halide. you know who we should ask about details? thay lighting enginering major in college guy on here designing the LED moon lights with actnic glow. how much are the xenon bulbs? Link to comment
onthefly Posted March 27, 2004 Share Posted March 27, 2004 There like $5.....cheap! I've been checking to see if they release a G-8 base xenon, but so far only G-4. I know I have some xenon flashlights and their very white and very bright. I'm not sure how much cooler the xenon would be compared to MH......but MH and Halogen are almost the same right? So, by the manufactors own description, it would be cooler.....how much, I dunno? Link to comment
1fish2fish Posted March 28, 2004 Share Posted March 28, 2004 I tell you what guys. I'm planning to set up my 1 liter pico this month and have been looking for a way to light it given the very limited space. I'll be the guinnea pig and try out some xenon bulbs. I can get some 50 watt xenons with a 600 lumen output. Think I would need more than one over a 1 liter? Perhaps start with one and upgrade as needed. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Link to comment
1fish2fish Posted March 28, 2004 Share Posted March 28, 2004 I've been doing a little web searching on xenon bulbs. The main problem I see with them is that htey tend to have a life expectancy of about 3000 hours, but hten the are pretty much cheap enough that I guess that isn't too huge of an issue. The do indeed sell a DE xenon bulb. I have found them in 75 watt and up, buthte main problem is that they cost about $310 and up each. I did see one on Ebay for $75 though. MH makes more sense at that price. I have noticed that there are a number of 12 volt xenon auto headlamps for sale on the market these days. SOme of them have a color temp of 7000k to 10000 k. The 7000 k can be found for a pretty reasonable price, but over that the price goes way up. I am thinking of getting a couple of 7000k bulbs and wireing one up over my 1 liter. with a reflector, a heat sink and a fan. I'm reasonably sure that there will be a fair amount of heat produced, but it might be fun to try it. I guess the only other issue is finding a 12 volt power supply that will provide enough current. Link to comment
Von digity Posted March 29, 2004 Share Posted March 29, 2004 I think that those auto Xenon HIDs also require their own ballast, not just a 12v dc power supply. Thats why nobody really messes around with em. My friend bought a cheap HID kit on ebay for 200-300 bucks a year or two ago for his car, not sure how much they cost now though Pepboys has a 5000k (or was it 4000k) wanabe HID bulb. It should run off of an appropriate base and power supply. Link to comment
1fish2fish Posted March 29, 2004 Share Posted March 29, 2004 Ya, most of the bulbs 8000k and up require a ballast (the real HID's) They do make wannabe xenon gass filled 7000k and even 8500k bulbs that will run off of straight 12 v, but the higher K value cost more. I actually just bought a set of 7000k's on Ebay to try out. I made sure that I got the same type as my truck uses so if things don't work out I can always use em to replace my headlights so I can annoy oncoming drivers with my white headlights. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...item=2469593862 I plan to hit up a junkyard t get the connector out of a trashed vehicle. I'll just need to pick up a DC power supply with enough current and power. It will be interesting to see if it works. At $15 shipped for two I'm not too worried though. If we don't try we will never know. Link to comment
ifynanceu Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 the other problem you run into with xenon (true hid) is the kelvin rating...in the auto applications, you are lucky to find 8000k rated bulbs and man are they expensive...they are out there, but the most common range between 5400k and 6500k...could you imagine a mercedes or euro with 20,000k headlights, my god that would be blinding! the nice thing though, is they are very low wattage...the retro kit i installed into my car use 35w bulbs vs. those crappy blue pep boys bulbs which are upwards of over 110 watta each...who knows, maybe someone will build a hood/reflector system using them for a tryout... they are certainly smaller, but you would have 2 igniter/ballast boxes to hide...i don't think they take much to fire them...ebay has them cheap Link to comment
ifynanceu Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 hey 1fish2fish....the ones you got on ebay are the simulated hid bulbs...they are just painted glass tubes and may have a small amount of xenon gas in them, but all true hids have an igniter/ballast system to power them. i went through a couple of sets of those before buying the real deal ($350 for bulbs, harness adapters, and ballasts). you have to be very careful with those other types...the higher wattage consumption (double to triple over stock) causes most wiring to them to melt. just a little info from experience (not my car, but many friends have had this happen). Link to comment
1fish2fish Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 Ifynanceau, Ya, I am aware that the ones that I have ordered are not true HID. I am going for them just to see if they will work. They claim 7000k so it will be interesting to see the outcome. For the cost if it does not work out I really won't be all that upset. As far as wattage goes the bulbs I have ordered are 65 watts, which is the same as my stock bulbs so There should be no issue of melting wire harnesses if I opt to install them in my vehicle. While I'm sure that true HID would be an interesting way to go about lighting an aquarium the current cost per bulb really makes them unattractive. Might as well go with MH. As far as the thread goes we are talking about halogen bulbs and the topic of the xenon replacement bulbs for halogen fixtures came up. Looking at the available bulbs using xenon gas, the automotive bulbs are the most attractive IMO. They have the highest light output, can be found with reasonable color temps, are inexpensive, run off of 12 volts and basically might work. Even though the bulbs are coated to produce a higher color temp they still produce a reasonable light. It will be interesting to see if it works. I plan to try and run them off of a computer power supply I have laying around. If they don't work then I'm out a whole $14 (that's one less case of cheap beer) and a little bit of time to set them up. Since I consider tinkering with my tanks to be entertainment I should get at least a few hours (maybe many more) of entertainment out of trying this, will likely learn something along the way, and will be able to pass on information to other hobyists. For me to go to a movie would typically cost about $15 (just for me). The movie would only last about an hour and a half. The other point is that if nobody ever tries things like this then the hobby will stagnate. Link to comment
ifynanceu Posted April 1, 2004 Share Posted April 1, 2004 you are totally correct!! i was in the same position with the colored bulbs vs hids for the auto..i noticed the wattage after a 2nd look on the ones you bought, which is a very good thing...most are 110w + per bulb...i opted for hids becuase my stereo system in my car puts sucha draw on the elctrical already, plus they work so much better!!! (reflective signs seem to glow really bright). that is a good idea to try a computer power supply to fire them, i never thought of that. very cost effective, but if one is to try hids, they are about as cost effective as a good electronic halide setup, and if the person was smart...they would buy a fitment of hids that would fit a personal vehicle just in case... i understand the halogen part of the thread, but the throw off such an ugly spectrum of light...alot like an incandescent...really yellow, not much for true white... it would be nasty for all of us if nobody experimented in the hobby...could you imagine all tanks being as ugly as they used to be with rusty metal strapping to hold them tight at the seals, on flowered 60's/70's genre furniture surrounded by brady bunch green shag carpet? ouch!! enjoy and keep experimenting... Link to comment
1fish2fish Posted April 1, 2004 Share Posted April 1, 2004 HEY! What's wrong with shag carpet? Or the Bradey Bunch for that matter? LOL The lights just arrived so I have something to do this weekend. I'm ging to try and snag a wire harnes from a local auto wrecker tomorrow. I guess the big question now is... Do I use high beams or low beams. LOL The low beam is actually only 45 watts and the high is 65. I Think I'll try low first and see what it's like. It will be interesting to see how much heat they put off. I was considerig drilling an old halogen work lamp to fit the bulb so that I can hang it as a pendant and the reflector should work. I'll post pics as I go along. Link to comment
ifynanceu Posted April 3, 2004 Share Posted April 3, 2004 try to gat them both to activate!!! wow!! that will be bright, but just like in your vehicle, if you hold the switch in between, both filaments will light up... that is not a bad idea using the old light, you may be able to run both bulbs. at least you know it can handle the heat, those work lights could fry an egg like now! as for the brady's..they are pretty funny, especially when you look at the fashions and decor of that era and laugh (mostly because for some ungodly reason it is now coming back into style) and think of how cool that show and style was... i definately want to see the pix when you are done!!! enjoy fish Link to comment
1fish2fish Posted April 3, 2004 Share Posted April 3, 2004 I set a single bulb up under my polished aluminum reflector with my actinic bulb. Running a single bulb I have found that the tank doesn't look as visually bright as with my 27 watt Quad PC, which is 7100 k I believe. I think that they are so bright when mounted on a vehicle because the lens focuses the beam. The reflector doesn't do as good a job of this. I am also wondering about the aount of UV this bulb is putting off. The animals seem to be opening wider for the new bulb though. Just like any bulb in the 6500 k to 7000k range it is fairly yellow, but a 9 watt actinic remedies that. It also seems to put off less heat than my 27 watt pc. I do get a very nice shimmer effect that I do not get with the PC though. Link to comment
ifynanceu Posted April 5, 2004 Share Posted April 5, 2004 that is interesting to hear...i wouldn't think they would have that effect on the corals/animals. i also wouldn't think they generate less heat although they are much much smaller so there is less area for heat to build on...did you get both filaments to fire, or just one? Link to comment
1fish2fish Posted April 5, 2004 Share Posted April 5, 2004 I only got one filament to fire. I found that when I ran positive leads to both outside pins (the center is the negative) I ended up getting no fire at all. In an interesting twist of fate the right headlight on my truck blew out last night and I have resorted to installing my new toys to avoid any issues with the local law enforcement. There is another hallogen bulb that I'm considering trying when I set up my 1 liter. http://www.purelandsupply.com/Whitestar200502.pdf Unfortunately the 6500 k only comes in a spot which only has a 12 degree spread. Since my 1 liter is so small I think it will work though. I think I's end up intalling some blue LEDs to shift the spectrum a little though. I'll probably give this a try in the next month. i figure at $8.50 plus shipping I may as well give it a shot. Plus I already have a fixture for hte ushio. It's a studio style light housing with fins, which should help dissipate the heat. Link to comment
maroonclown Posted April 5, 2004 Share Posted April 5, 2004 I'll try those as well. There is one problem I see: you said they cost about $9 bucks right? Well, when I was doing my searches for Higher kelvin halogens, the only ones I ran across were 2500 watts and cost close to $600. Are these ligit? Link to comment
1fish2fish Posted April 6, 2004 Share Posted April 6, 2004 if they are DE type bulbs then they are likely xenon arc lamps. they require a ballast to fire. basically at the cost they are less attractive thant he MH. Even the lower wattage ones that I've seen have cost over $200. Keep in mind that the Whitestar lights only have a spread of 12 degrees. That means that to light a larger tank it would take la fair number of them. Of course you can move them higher and the beam will cover more area, but you will lose intensity. Hopefully they come out with a flood light in the same model line soon. If I'm not mistaken LEDs also have a spread of about 12 degrees. The whitestar lights should be perfect for my 1 liter though since it is only as wide as a pop can is tall. I think I'll probably have to supplement with some blue LED's just for the sake of aesthetics though. Link to comment
ifynanceu Posted April 17, 2004 Share Posted April 17, 2004 or you could adjust them the other direction into a reflector and reflect the light into the tank... Link to comment
toefu Posted April 17, 2004 Share Posted April 17, 2004 Well, last week one of my headlights went out, so for kicks I went ahead and tried this project for fun as well. Seems that I have the exact same results as 1fish2fish. The light simply does not look that bright at all. Although it does create the same metal halide effect of ripples in the water. I custom cut a reflector for the light and it seems that this light would generate far too much heat as well. Although the concept is cool, It's simply not worth having a 200watt AT power supply sitting beside a fish tank. Not to mention I'd have to wire some fans to cool this bulb. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.