Halide bulbs Interchangeable?

[Twin_II]

I am currently running power compacts (4 - 96watts over my 75gal) and am considering getting a new lighting system.

I would like to know if I can place a smaller watt halide bulb e.g. 150w in a 250w halide fixture (similar to placing a smaller watt incandescent bulb in a ceiling fixture). I know with standard incandescent fixtures you should not go above the wattage/volts that the fixture is rated but can go lower, just want to confirm that the same is true with Halide fixtures/ballasts.

The type of Halide fixture I am looking at takes HQI Double Ended bulbs. The reason I am asking the question is I am worried about ‘burning’ my current inhabitants by going up to 250w but want to have the flexibility of not having to replace my entire lighting system as my reef system grows. I currently only have mushrooms and a rose bulb anemone. The personnel in my LFS have not been helpful in answering the question as they provided conflicting answers and said they would get back to me after speaking with the manufacturer rep.

Thanks much!
Sarah

 

[Len]

Hi Sarah,

Halides must be used with the exact proper wattage and type. A 250W bulb must be operated with a 250W ballast.

250W is a good wattage to consider as it will allow you to keep a wide range of corals.

 

[Twin_II]

Thanks for the quick response.

I've also been reviewing T-5 fixtures, and have been going through posts today and some are moving away from MH and moving to T-5s. Are T-5 really stong enough to support corals, or are MH still the way to go?

Kind regards,
Sarah

 

[Len]

T5s are good lights and very well suited for most corals in shallow tanks. For deeper tanks (over 24"), I'd go with MH instead. Keep in mind you'll need multiple T5s to get strong output, which means the replacement cost of bulbs is usually going to be a little higher then halides.

 

[Ben1]

T5s are good lights and very well suited for most corals in shallow tanks. For deeper tanks (over 24"), I'd go with MH instead. Keep in mind you'll need multiple T5s to get strong output, which means the replacement cost of bulbs is usually going to be a little higher then halides.

Ontop of that the halides are spot heat so tend to heat the aquarium more causing you to run your chiller more to compensate. Depending on how often you change your halides, and how often you change the T5's the replacement bulb cost can be more with T5 but I think it comes close. I know when I was running Radiums I was changing them every 9 months plus 2 PC actinics every 9 months. The T5's I do think I can get 18 months out of, but I use 12 T5's and replacement cost of about $25 per bulb, so $300 every 18 months. The halides I changed twice in that time the radiums cost me $90 per bulb x 2 = 180 plus the actinics were $30 each x 2 = 60 so $240 every nine months. In all fairness there was an artical in AA I think recently stating that halides don't need to be changed as often as people once thought. Ontop of that I might chage before 18 months on my T5's so for me it was close enough to be a non issue. Once I factored in the cooler running temp, the nice even light coverage, and the ability to pick the bulbs I want to really tweak the look of the tank to my liking worked for me. AS Len pointed out though for deeper tanks halides are still the way to go.

 

[Twin_II]

I really appreciate the feedback.

My sandbed at its low point is 3in deep so from the top of the bed at that point to the water surface is 16in. So it sound like T5s may be a great choice considering bulb longevity and keeping heat down.

The 2 fixtures I’m looking at are the Aqualight Pro HQI/Compact Fluorescent/Lunar Light Fixture (the 150w or the 250w MH not sure) or the Nova Extreme T-5 Fixtures w/Lunar Lights.


Thanks again!
Sarah

 

[Anonymous]

I really appreciate the feedback.

My sandbed at its low point is 3in deep so from the top of the bed at that point to the water surface is 16in. So it sound like T5s may be a great choice considering bulb longevity and keeping heat down.

The 2 fixtures I’m looking at are the Aqualight Pro HQI/Compact Fluorescent/Lunar Light Fixture (the 150w or the 250w MH not sure) or the Nova Extreme T-5 Fixtures w/Lunar Lights.


Thanks again!
Sarah

Do not get a fixture with PC supplements. Use MH with T5 or VHOs. PCs are weak and their actinics look terrible IMO. With your depth 150 watt MH will allow you to keep any coral, with the most light loving in the upper 1/3 of the tank. I need those glitter lines and only halides create them well.

For MH these look promising:

http://www.aquacave.com/belize-sun-36-h ... -2554.html

You can also change the bulb to what temp you want and change to an electronic ballast(which I recommend).

 

[Ben1]

Do not get a fixture with PC supplements. Use MH with T5 or VHOs. PCs are weak and their actinics look terrible IMO.

I agree I never found a PC actinic that looked right to me. Yet both my MH fixtures used PC's so I dealt with it. T5 and VHO actinics depending on the bulb brand are much better.