MH Bulb question..

[coralcrazy]

thnxs for the advice tony and Noodle.. ...
Mods please help..
the bulb fires when it is cool...but after 2 mins it shuts off..it is a Radium 20K bulb..when it is hot i unplug the unit..and try to re plug it...it does a little fire but then gives up..

 

[jackson6745]

Sounds like a bad bulb if the 10k is woking with no problem

 

[nanoreefer22]

Could be a bad bulb or just old. When I first got into the MH scene, I borrowed an old bulb that would do the same thing. The trick to getting it stay on was leave it to go on and off and say in 15 mins or so it would stay on permanently. It's most likely just old age on the bulb(the 20k).

 

[coralcrazy]

yea i heard they last for 6 months...

 

[DevIouS]

Radiums fire with electronic, magnetic pulse-start or HQI ballast.

What kind of ballast is the one from Aquamedic?

 

[IconicAquariums]

How long are you waiting to refire the bulb? You should be waiting at least 5 minutes between tries. This could be an issue.

joe

 

[nanoreefkeeper]

One my 70watt DE, if the nub on the center of the bulb is not pointing down, it'll do the same thing. Comes on for half a minute then buzzes and turns off.

 

[cali_reef]

You can't screw up the orientation of the nipple on a 150W DE bulb, they only fit one way.

Not all ballast will fire 20K radiums.. You should call or write Aquamedics, or someone who actually used one before. I would not think gutting out a nice Aquamedic fixture and change it to a 70W unit is a good idea or safe thing to do.