Combining different 400watt MH bulbs??

[Mouse]

So far i have been unable to get my hands on any 1000W 6500k bulbs. I can only find 10 & 20,000 K bulbs. I was also considering 3 x 1000 w setup for my tank, allthough to start with i was just going to get 20,000k bulbs and see how it looked. Then some time at a later date i was going to exchange some of the bulbs for a lower temperature and add VHO Actinics untill i was satisfied with the flourecence. I have heard from retailers using the 1000w 20,000k bulbs that the light they give off is incredibly blue and does have its own sort of flourecence built in. There have also been reports from Germany of very mature systems using these bulbs manageing to turn Acro's blue. I would love to hear what you finally decide on using as i find myself with the same dilema. I have not been aware of having to make any additional provisions for the bulbs with regards to the electrisity supply to my house.

 

[Sue Truett]

Len, you sure are probably right on about that. These pc's{not the same exact ones} have been on this 120 for the 3 1/2 years it's been setup. I have replaced them as need be, but wasn't told that there are new true actinics out there in a pc form. I still like the vho's but if there is something in pc. actinic that is comparible it might fit better over this 120. Glad you brought this to my attention.

my 180 ecosystem sps tank: http://berlinmethod.com/suet/
my 120 sps tank: www.marshreef.org/members

 

[M.E.Milz]

Thanks for all of the input. It gives me plenty to think about.

As for PC's vs. VHO, my reason for using PC's is based on the size of the Icecap ballast. The 660 can run 4-96 watt PC's for a total of 384 watts. If I go with VHO's, I can only run 2-6' (160 watt) bulbs, for a total of 320 watts. My assumption is that I will get more intensity from 4 96watt PC's than 2 160watt VHO's. Am I wrong here?

 

[jimmy n]

Milz,

One further thing to consider is running the bulbs parralel with the tank instead of perpindicular. This allows the colors to blend better with spider relfector as the front and back are open and creates a "tunnel" that you can vent with fans in the hood.

Jim

 

[jimmy n]

Like this

This shows a 10K bulb facing a 12K bulb and they blend well.

[ October 04, 2001: Message edited by: jimmy n ]

 

[canadawest]

On the Icecap 660 balast you can run any combination of lamps that does not exceed 16' total lamp length. (The flexibility of the Icecap ballast is it's beauty)

So you can run 3x5' VHO or 4x4' VHO which is 420 and 440 watts respectively.

It will also run 4x96W PC lamps which is 384 watts. So your VHO solutions both give you more output from two different configurations.

 

[canadawest]

Len, was that spittle that just hit my shoe?

<kidding of course>

I just checked two online stores and looked at their "dual 400 w/ 10,000K retro kits" and they were around $500. But if you say that you could get a dual 400W setup with 10,000K lamps for only $400 then you're right the cost factor isn't really significant.

In any event, even if cost isn't a deciding factor, I think that there are still a lot of pros with the VHO solution over the 2 MH lamps.

 

[M.E.Milz]

Andrew, since my tank will be 6'-8" long, then 6' VHO bulbs are the only length that will work, and I am limited to 2 such bulbs on an Icecap 660. If I could get away with running 3x 6' bulbs off of this ballast (and there has been some suggestion that this is possible), then I agree that this would probably be a better option than 4x 96watt PC's (each of which are 3' long). Do you see why I am liening towards PC's over VHO's?

 

[M.E.Milz]

Any comments on my last post comparing 2-160 watt (6' each) VHO actinics vs. 4-96 watt (3' each) PC actinics for use on a 6' long tank?

 

[Len]

I'd go with two PCs (true actinics only). More light, better distribution. Only thing is that you'll have to replace twice as many bulbs. This is kinda offset by the slightly longer lifespan of PC's.

 

[Minh Nguyen]

I got a 96LX32WX24H. I light my tank with 4X400W 6500K MH with 2X400W 20,000K HQI MH. I like the look of my tank. The 200000K MH on for 13 hrs/day while the other 4 lights are on 6 hrs/day. The lights are stagger is set of two where only 3 hr at mid day when all 6 light are on at the same time.
I think the light are perfect for my tank. You can see it at my home page. The corals and clams are really growing fast and full of color. I don't mind the yellow light of the 6500 K. Once the usefull life of the 20000K bulbs are finished, I consider using all 6500K light.

 

[Big_fish]

Mike,
Since money appears to be a non-issue here

, have you considered going with 6 400W MH's aligned parallel? You could place the higher Kelvin rated bulbs in front to provide the aesthetic appearance you desire while still having the par of the 6500K's. The width of your tank should accomodate this:
65K--65K--65K
20K--20K--20K

An added benefit would be that the lower par of the 20K's may allow you to place some lower light animals in the front of your tank.
There's MY 2 cents.

Also, how's that evil clown doing?

Regards,
Scott

 

[npaden]

I'm running 4 X 400W Iwasaki's using spiderlight reflectors on my 122" X 28" X 28" tank with 4 X 110W VHO Actinics and am happy with the results. I'll take some pics later this week when I get everything switched over.

FWIW, Nathan

 

[EEreefer]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by M.E.Milz:
<STRONG>Andrew, since my tank will be 6'-8" long, then 6' VHO bulbs are the only length that will work, and I am limited to 2 such bulbs on an Icecap 660.</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I run 2 IceCap 660s on my 225 gallon. It is 6' long and I have 3 x 5' VHOs staggered in the front and 3 x 5' VHOs staggered in the rear supplementing my 2 x 400W 6500K MHs perpendicular in the center. The "short" VHO bulbs cannot be detected in the corners of the tank, so 5' bulbs will work fine on a 80" tank if staggered correctly. JME.

 

[M.E.Milz]

Thanks for the suggestions and opinions. As it stands right now, I plan to use 4x 400watt Iwasaki 6500K bulbs driven by PFO EYE (mercury) ballasts, along with 4x 96watt actinic PC's driven my an Icecap 660 ballast.

I have pretty much ruled out using 400watt 20000k MH's for supplemental actininc lighting because of 1) the difficulty of getting an even light distribution without using 3 of these bulbs, 2) the cost, 3) the excess heat that these bulbs will generate, and 4) the extra amps that these bulbs will use, which could very well exceed the capacity of the electrical circuit (my re-wiring options are very limited since this new tank will be going into a high-rise condo that is still under construction).

I may still consider using VHO's over the PC's, but only if I decide to use 4x 6' bulbs, 2 on either side of the MH's. If I go this route, then it makes sense to use 2x Icecap 440 ballasts. But I will probably not go this route because it will be difficult to fit this many bulbs into the PFO retro reflectors that I plan to use (the ones that come with the PFO MH retro kits), as well as because of the extra $$ and electricity.

By the way, after additional consideration, I think that Leonard is correct when he pointed out that it should make no difference how high VHO and PC actinincs are distanced above the water, so long as a decent reflector is used. In other words, so long as all of the light from the bulbs is directed downwardly, it should make very little difference (other than distribution across the width of the tank) how far above the tank the bilb is positioned.

Hey Scott, the clown is doing just fine in the tank in my office (the one with the morays, puffers and triggers). He settled right in with no complaints from the others.

Mike