Metal Halide Ballast Questions
- Thread starter russelas
- Start date
HQI is a type of metal halide. Regular screw-in metal halides, also called "single-ended", have a glass outer envelope and an inner quartz tube. Take away the outer bulb leaving just the "double-ended" inner part and you have an HQI bulb.
HQI bulbs must be mounted in a fixture designed for them to prevent excees UV emmisions and to protect from the high temp of the quartz tube (about 3000 degrees). In a single-ended lamp, the glass outer envelope does both.
Also, most HQI require a different ballast than single ended bulbs.
As far as ballasts from lighting supply stores, I don't find a huge difference. Sure the ballast itself is cheaper, but you really have to compare apples to apples. A ballast from an electrical supplier is just a transformer and capacitor with exposed wires. Buy a pair of 175W ballasts, put them into an enclosure, add plugs, cords, and switches, and it gets pretty hard to beat a PFO dual 175W which sells for under $150.
[ February 12, 2002: Message edited by: MattM ]</p>
HQI bulbs must be mounted in a fixture designed for them to prevent excees UV emmisions and to protect from the high temp of the quartz tube (about 3000 degrees). In a single-ended lamp, the glass outer envelope does both.
Also, most HQI require a different ballast than single ended bulbs.
As far as ballasts from lighting supply stores, I don't find a huge difference. Sure the ballast itself is cheaper, but you really have to compare apples to apples. A ballast from an electrical supplier is just a transformer and capacitor with exposed wires. Buy a pair of 175W ballasts, put them into an enclosure, add plugs, cords, and switches, and it gets pretty hard to beat a PFO dual 175W which sells for under $150.
[ February 12, 2002: Message edited by: MattM ]</p>
Can't disagree with MattM.
Do be sure to protect against the UV given off by these bulbs - it's no joke - you will be injured if you expose yourself directly to the light from a HQI bulb (similar to sunburn) for long enough.
Acrylic sheeting is cheap and will block UV.
Do be sure to protect against the UV given off by these bulbs - it's no joke - you will be injured if you expose yourself directly to the light from a HQI bulb (similar to sunburn) for long enough.
Acrylic sheeting is cheap and will block UV.
Andy,
I'm sure Tom wasn't offended. It's just that he and I are somtimes in a difficult position when someone asks us where to get something we recommend.
We are both hobbyists and try to give good advice here, but we also run Inland Reef Aquaria.
We sell stuff online and it would be a violation of the posting guidelines to hawk stuff here. At the same time, when someone does ask, we can't really be expected to promote our competitors over ourselves.
So his "cough and cry about it", as you put it should probably have been interpreted more as a "Psst, hey buddy..." whisper suggesting that the guy who offered this advice in the first place (me), actually sells the stuff and included a link to the store's web site in his post, without, of course promoting our store in violation of the guidelines.
It's a fine line to tread, and sarcasm does not transmit very well in text.
I'm sure Tom wasn't offended. It's just that he and I are somtimes in a difficult position when someone asks us where to get something we recommend.
We are both hobbyists and try to give good advice here, but we also run Inland Reef Aquaria.
We sell stuff online and it would be a violation of the posting guidelines to hawk stuff here. At the same time, when someone does ask, we can't really be expected to promote our competitors over ourselves.
So his "cough and cry about it", as you put it should probably have been interpreted more as a "Psst, hey buddy..." whisper suggesting that the guy who offered this advice in the first place (me), actually sells the stuff and included a link to the store's web site in his post, without, of course promoting our store in violation of the guidelines.
It's a fine line to tread, and sarcasm does not transmit very well in text.
not to get in some heated argument, but i disagree with most of what you have to say. I am not a retailer, and i was simply giving advice due to my experience and the sheer fact that they have cheaper prices than Inland. I also made a valid suggestion to try to buy somewhere close enough to not have to ship the product. You guys are the ones promoting and advertising your own products on this website. It couldn't be made more obvious through highlighted links. I have nothing to be quiet about.
andy
andy
Bucktronix -
I would hardly equate including a link in our sigs to "pimping" as you call it. If one of posted something like:
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>
Sale!
For a limited time only! Get your new reef widget at Inland Reef Aquaria!
<hr></blockquote>
That would be different. But we don't do that. The only time that Tom or I include a link to a product we sell is when someone has asked us about it. That is permissible according to personal communications I have had with the administrators here - I did ask them before doing it. I will defer to their opinion if one of them wants to jump in here.
Andy -
You disagree with most of what I have to say. That's fine, but can you clarify?
You disagree that Tom wasn't offended? You disagree that we are both hobbyists and try to give good advice here? You disagree that we also run Inland Reef Aquaria? You disagree that we sell stuff online and it would be a violation of the posting guidelines to hawk stuff here? You disagree that we can't really be expected to promote our competitors? Etc., not sure what I said that you disagree with.
No one has a problem with you recommending Premium Aquatics, I've done it myself on occasion. In this thread I told someone that he could get the product he is asking about at "Any of the better online retailers - Us, Marine Depot, Premium Aquatics, etc."
No one suggested you should be quiet, nor criticized anything you said. You suggested Premium Aquatics, Tom pointed out that we sell it too. You assumed that Tom was offended, I said he isn't and tried to explain.
You stated "You guys are the ones promoting and advertising your own products on this website". If you feel that we have done so in an inappropriate manner then I reiterate my suggestion that one of the administrators comment on this.
[ February 13, 2002: Message edited by: MattM ]</p>
I would hardly equate including a link in our sigs to "pimping" as you call it. If one of posted something like:
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>
Sale!
For a limited time only! Get your new reef widget at Inland Reef Aquaria!
<hr></blockquote>
That would be different. But we don't do that. The only time that Tom or I include a link to a product we sell is when someone has asked us about it. That is permissible according to personal communications I have had with the administrators here - I did ask them before doing it. I will defer to their opinion if one of them wants to jump in here.
Andy -
You disagree with most of what I have to say. That's fine, but can you clarify?
You disagree that Tom wasn't offended? You disagree that we are both hobbyists and try to give good advice here? You disagree that we also run Inland Reef Aquaria? You disagree that we sell stuff online and it would be a violation of the posting guidelines to hawk stuff here? You disagree that we can't really be expected to promote our competitors? Etc., not sure what I said that you disagree with.
No one has a problem with you recommending Premium Aquatics, I've done it myself on occasion. In this thread I told someone that he could get the product he is asking about at "Any of the better online retailers - Us, Marine Depot, Premium Aquatics, etc."
No one suggested you should be quiet, nor criticized anything you said. You suggested Premium Aquatics, Tom pointed out that we sell it too. You assumed that Tom was offended, I said he isn't and tried to explain.
You stated "You guys are the ones promoting and advertising your own products on this website". If you feel that we have done so in an inappropriate manner then I reiterate my suggestion that one of the administrators comment on this.
[ February 13, 2002: Message edited by: MattM ]</p>
Let me jump in with the "official position" on this guys.
Matt and Tom have been posting on this board for YEARS. They have only come onboard as sponsors since we needed help to launch our online magazine Advanced Aquarist (www.advancedaquarist.com).
I think that both of them excercise EXCELLENT judgement when it comes to "mixing business and pleasure." For example, would you prefer that they didn't post here anymore? We would miss out on their valuable input...didn't you see their photomicrographs of various phytoplankton products? What about their independent lab chemical analysis of Miracle Mud(tm)???? Here's one of the pix from their digital microscope:
Putting a link to a store in your sig line is perfectly acceptable. Our policy has always been and always will be that this is a non-commercial board. We have chosen our sponsors carefully because we can trust them not to use this board as an advertising tool, but rather as an information sharing medium.
I hope that clears this up for you all. If you guys have further questions about this, please post them in our feedback forum.
Cheers
James Wiseman
Matt and Tom have been posting on this board for YEARS. They have only come onboard as sponsors since we needed help to launch our online magazine Advanced Aquarist (www.advancedaquarist.com).
I think that both of them excercise EXCELLENT judgement when it comes to "mixing business and pleasure." For example, would you prefer that they didn't post here anymore? We would miss out on their valuable input...didn't you see their photomicrographs of various phytoplankton products? What about their independent lab chemical analysis of Miracle Mud(tm)???? Here's one of the pix from their digital microscope:
Putting a link to a store in your sig line is perfectly acceptable. Our policy has always been and always will be that this is a non-commercial board. We have chosen our sponsors carefully because we can trust them not to use this board as an advertising tool, but rather as an information sharing medium.
I hope that clears this up for you all. If you guys have further questions about this, please post them in our feedback forum.
Cheers
James Wiseman
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