Magnetic or electric ballast?

[Lingwendil]

Does anyone know the difference between electronic and magnetic ballasts? Which is "better"? hellolights has a 13w retrofit, and they have an electronic one, or a magnetic alternative, and I was wondering which would best be worth my money.

[cj_basser]

the electronic ballasts make oyur bulbs last longer........i too am soon to get a ballast and was wondering which one.

 

ill be tagging along

[coral reef]

yes electronic ballasts run at a lower wattage than magnetic ballasts but the advantage of magnetic is that the bulbs run hotter and hense produce more par (but not a very large fraction)

[Lingwendil]

More par? What do you mean? I hope I'm not just being ignorant... So from what I hear, the electrics the way to go. Do you think that 13w 50/50 would be enough for an AGA 5 gallon? I plan on keeping zoos and mushies (softies, basically).

[liquidfluidity]

Par is a term used when describing a lights intensity at a specific depth. Say a ballast produces 100 par with a 10k bulb but another ballast produces 150 par at the same depth . The second one which has more par is actually brighter but the bulb may not last as long. I would say if you're just going to run pc bulbs , go electronic , but if you're going to run a DE metal halide bulb 150w and up , use a magnetic Hqi ballast since they will run the bulbs "hotter " thus producing a higher Par rating. It's like running a 250w halide bulb with a HQI ballast - your par rating and intensity is close to what a reading would be of a 400 watt SE bulb on a standard or electronic ballast would be. I hope I wasn't too confusing there.

[ViciousFishes]

I say electronic is better all around. Definitely better than regular magnetic ballasts(mogul base) and almost equal to the "HQI" ballasts (double ended) and saves you enough money in a year to buy a new bulb. Electronic ballasts are also silent and run cooler, plus your lights wont flicker like some magnetics will. The par gain is minimal with "HQI" ballasts in my humble opinion. As far as your problem Lingwendil, you don't have one. That 13watt retrofit only comes with a magnetic ballast, you have no choice to make. 13watts for your 5gl. AGA for only softies should be good enough, but if you could stuff 2 of those retrofits in your hood that would way better. You can never have to much light.

[liquidfluidity]

I would have to disagree about HQI ballasts. These bulbs are run way better on an HQI magnetic ballast and will have far better par ratings being ran against any electronic ballasts except for the Geisemann electronics. Take a peek over at Reef Central and do a search and you will see all of the info you will ever need to see what I'm saying. I do agree that electronics are quieter , are cheaper to run , and are better for SE bulbs but if you're looking for intensity , HQI DE magnetic is the way to go. I also agree that more light is always better. This is just my experience from over a years worth of research and over a 100 other opinions including the moderators at R/C.

[ViciousFishes]

Well apparently you didn't comprehend my post. I was implying electronics are better all around considering cost,operation, and so on. I never said they ran DE bulbs better than a HQI ballast but are close enough and as you stated yourself the Giesemann ballast is right there with HQI ballasts as far as PAR. The best of both worlds. The PAR gains are not spectacular, 15% to 18% with the HQI ballasts. There is to many things to take into consideration as far as what bulb,ballast,and reflector combination will give you the best PAR value. You can head over to http://www.advancedaquarist.com/index/ and read this article "Spectral Analysis of 250 Watt Double-Ended 10,000 K Metal Halide Lamps and Ballasts". Its in Volume 3, Issue 2 (February 2004). To close this out HQI do drive DE bulbs better than any other ballast but at at a greater cost for not much gain. Not a better choice than electronic in my opinion.

 

Peace.

[Lingwendil]

Thanks liquidfluidity, actually very easy to understand. From what I hear, electronics seem to be more cost-effective in small/shallow tanks, where 'par' isn't such a requirement. For a cheapass like me (since I get very little money every now and then) that means longer use for your money, so, everybody wins. (except for losers, of course)

[KrackerG]

the only advantage to go w/ a magnetic ballast is the price... except, you'd be paying more for electricity and bulbs...so in the long run, your paying more.

 

sooooo, get an electronic ballast:)

[liquidfluidity]

here's a real comparison. It shows the benefits of using magnetic ballasts vs. electronics especially when it comes to DE bulbs. http://www.caddnima.com/myreef/misc/250page.htm