Best electronic ballast for XM 10k mogul?

[DougH]

I'm setting a lighting retro-fit for a 172g Oceanic bowfront tank w/ matching Oceanic plastic canopy. Eventually I will be using a Neptune AC3 controller for lighting control and dimmming.

Tank dimension is 72L x 24w x 29h, MH will be inside the Oceanic plastic canopy w/ removable lids. Canopy has two Euro-braces at the top and about 10" clearance from water surface.

1. At 29" depth would 3 x 250w be ok? I would like clams on the bed and SPS. I will use actinic 03 supplementation.

2. The bulbs I would like are 3ea XM 10k. Should I consider DE HQI or mogul, I like the mogul idea w/ no UV glass.

3. What is the best electronic ballast for XM 10K? (Icecap, ARO,etc.)
Any dual electronic ballast to consider?

4. Will a Neptune AC3 controller be able to gradually control the electronic ballast?

5. Are there better reflectors than the spider type to consider.

Thanks
Doug

 

[Elmo18]

I prefer ARO.

Have been running the same exact bulb as you are going to go with....XM10k 250W SE on a 250W E- ARO ballast for about 2 years. No problems, no flickers, no noise.

3 yr warranty right off the bat.

$99.95 at Hellolights.com right now.

Best,
Ilham

 

[DougH]

Aro

Thanks. That was the one I was thinking about.

Should I consider 400w with a 172g 29" height?

Thanks
Doug

 

[Krish]

I use a PFO ballast. This is my second one. I ran dual 250w 20K XM's on my 75gal and then I bought a single 250w PFO ballast and I'm using a 12K Reeflux in it on my cube. I have a brand new 10K XM which I bought to try out to see what I thought of it but it was too white for me without some sort of "blue" supplemental lighting. In any event, the PFO (mogul based) has never given me any problems at all lighting up any bulb I've tried thus far and seems to be very reliable

As for your tank being 29 deep, I would say it would all depend on how you aquascape, how deep of a sand bed you plan to run (if any) and where you plan to put your most light demanding corals. If you don't want to be limited at all, I'd definately say shoot for the 400w if it is in your budget to be safe. If not, you can still make things work with the 250's with proper placement. Just a thought...HTH and good luck

 

[Maxx]

Lots of differing opinions on this subject.
Here is a link to JBNY's website. On the right, you'll see a link to 250 Metal Halide testing. Click on it and see how various ballasts and bulbs worked out.

http://www.cnidarianreef.com/

Personally, I like the IceCap ballasts, but I really dont think you'll go wrong anyway you go.

The general guidlines for tank depth vs MH wattage is typically:

0-18 inches of depth....175 watt MH's
18-24 inches of depth...250 SE/Mogul based MH's
25-30 inches of depth 250 watt DE's or 400 watt SE's

I have long been an advocate of DE bulbs for deeper tanks as opposed to increased wattage. I can point you towards a couple of tests and a post where Sanjay Joshi states he would have gone 250 watt DE's over his 400 watt SE's if he had to do it over again. I used 250 watt DE's over my 58 gallon tank for awhile.

But as an interesting personal observation, I made a switch to 250 watt SE's because of a bad reflector, and noticed many things in my tank reacting to more intense lighting.

The tank is 21 inches deep and has a starboard bottom. In both cases the ballasts were the same, (IceCap 250 watt E-ballasts), and the reflectors were both from Sunlight Supply. The DE reflectors were Reef Optix III's and the SE reflectors are Reef Optix I's. In both cases bulbs used were brand new AB 10K bulbs. But when I switched to the SE reflectors, I noticed everything reacting as if the light was more intense.

So what I'm getting at is that you most likely wont need 250 watt DE's or 400 watt SE's for your 29 inch deep tank.

I would seriously consider 250 watt SE's for your tank. This also gives you the greatest flexibility of bulb choice.

Nick

 

[DougH]

MH lighting for 180g bowfront

Maxx, thanks for your great reply.

I'm leaning towards 2 x 250w SE XM 10k for the sides and
1 x 400w SE XM 10k for the center (bowfront tank).
I will be using Actinic supplementation and an ozonizer for very clear water.

Since I live in California and energy cost are a little bit up there, It sounds like the IceCap electronic ballast would be the most energy efficient. Probably go with 1 dual 250w electronic and 1 400w.

Are spider reflectors good for SE bulbs? (Hammertone types or others to consider for SE). The 3 reflectors will be mounted perpendicular vs parallel to the front.

I'm going to research a little bit on the ReefOptix 1.

Clams will be on the 1/2" substrate and in the center, probably under the single 400w SE.

Anyone else have strong recomendations for me to consider DE over SE for a 29" depth or the mixing of 2x 250w and 1x 400w SE?

Thanks
Doug

 

[Maxx]

If your going to be using Ozone, I'd really suggest running with 3 250 watt lights. Ozone and carbon use will claer your water of particulate matter and yellowing compounds, allowing more of your lights intensity to penetrate deeper through your tank.

Spiderlight reflectors are good, but If you have the room, I seriously suggest going with the Lumenarc 3 reflectors. Currently, nothing is better on the market, although, Sunlight Supply just released their Lumenmax II reflectors which are supposed to be the equal of the Lumenarcs. Sanjay Joshi has one for testing and should be publishing results sometime in the future.

If they come back as good as the Lumenarc's, I'd seriously consider going that route.

Nick