Getting a new bulb/ballast, advice needed

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aquarookie

aquarookie

Pure Poison :)
Joined
Nov 3, 2005
Messages
664
Location
seattle
Hi all,
I am going to break down and get a new bulb/ballast for my tank. I was considering an IceCap 250 watt electronic MH ballast with an XM 15,000K mogul base bulb. Has anyone had any bad experience with the above mentioned brands/models? Is there a better option (better quality brand, or...)? I would appreciate advice, as I finally saved up some money and would like to purchase this (or something similar) ASAP.
Thanks in advance :)
 
IceCaps have a great rep. I just ran the regular PFO ballasts on 2 different setups I had and was quite pleased with them, but IceCaps from what I understand are a step above them. I've used XM bulbs before (10K and 20K) and were really nice. Never tried the 15K but judging on the other two, I'd guess that the 15K should give you a nice soft blue tint. Good luck:)
 
I currently have a PFO setup and I love it, except for the humongous size of the ballast, it makes it hard to mount. I want to get the icecap and mount it out of sight, under the tank. The PFO doesn't fit under the tank because my sump takes up most of the space. A silly reason to spend an extra $115, but I figured my current light desperately needs a new bulb, so this is a good time to get a new ballast too :)

I had an XM bulb on my other PFO setup, but I only kept it for a month and then sold it, because it was SOOO yellow (10,000k) and I had no room for actinic supplementation. That is why I am looking at the 15,000K. Would a 20,000K have reduced coral growth as compared to a 15?
 
my 400watt ballest from sungrow sys, probly weigh's 30 lbs..

the 250 ballast's have to be lighter right?
 
Aquarookie, what corals are you keeping?? If you have any sps you might check into the CoralVue Eballast and reeflux bulbs. I had XM's for the last 3 years and had the same problems with getting yellow bulbs. They aren't supposed to have that. After sending them back I did end up with the right bulb which has no yellow to it. After now switching to the reeflux and the e-ballast I love how small the ballasts are and the bulbs are sweet. My sps have never looked so good. Especially the blues. They will pop out at you.
 
Hi there.

I prefer the ARO Hellolights E-ballast with an XM 10k SE bulb. Without actinics, it is already really nice!....but that is just my opinion...

THe ARO 250W E ballast is $99 with a 3 year warranty at the moment. Lots of sales.

If you are looking for XM bulbs, www.diyreef.com, one of the RF sponsors, has them really cheap.

Best,
Ilham
 
Ilham,
Would you mind telling me where they sell the ARO for $99?

The corals I am keeping in this tank are LPS, zoas, rics and one blue carpet anemone. I also have halimeda algae in there, and I love the coralline covering the rocks. I imagine they enjoy the light too :)

The 10k bulb I had made the tank look yellow (almost greenish), but washed the color out of all the corals. Maybe I would have better luck next time, but I still think I will get something other than 10k...

Thanks to all for advice (future advice is still appreciated) :)
 
I've got a 250watt Reeflux 12K bulb running on an Icecap ballast--I've been very pleased with both! (My first NaClH2O tank, had it about 4 months now...)

I also run (2) 48" VHO actinicts but don't really "need" to. The reeflux bulb has a very nice blue-white color, I use the actincts mainly for dawn/dusk effect and to give the corals that little extra neon "pop" when I'm around....

FWIW: I used to run a Hamilton 14K bulb (a slightly shorter bulb), on the same ballast. I ended up liking the Reeflux bulb so much that--even though it was too long--I completely rebuilt my canopy just to make sure I could keep the Reeflux bulb......
 
PS: the entire tank (and lighting system) was used when I got it--so the ballast has at least 2-3 years on it...no maintenance problems for me yet!

The LPS, softies, and coraline are doing fine. (xenia, candy cane, shrooms, LTA, alveopora, galaxea--and a very TINY patch of GSP)


(and you're right the ballast is pretty light--I just mounted mine to the inside of my pine stand with a couple of screws...)
 
Last edited:
I run 400w PFO hqi with the reeflux 10k, very sweet. The colors just pop. The xm 15k bulb has a very low par rating to by the way. My 02 would be if you are running double ended bulbs and you want more of a blue look go with the phoenix 14k, if running single ended bulb go with either Reeflux 10k or
12k. The 10k has a nice white with a hint of blue the 12k is bluer and has less par.
 
the 12k is bluer and has less par.
Click to expand...
also, i think i remember reading that the Reeflux 12k's lose par rather quickly and have to be replaced more often
 
I run all icecaps (MH and 660) and I have always wondered about the color if I went to a magnetic ballast.
My Hamilton 14Ks seem white to me and I dont know if its the ballst or their bulbs.
I did switch one to a reeflux 13K and it is the same color as the hamilton lamp.
I would like to see more blue. Even with my 3 actinic VHO's
 
Oh heck. How much does LED equivalent of a 250 MH cost? And where would I find it? Just a thought... :D
 
aquarookie said:
Ilham,
Would you mind telling me where they sell the ARO for $99?

The corals I am keeping in this tank are LPS, zoas, rics and one blue carpet anemone. I also have halimeda algae in there, and I love the coralline covering the rocks. I imagine they enjoy the light too :)

The 10k bulb I had made the tank look yellow (almost greenish), but washed the color out of all the corals. Maybe I would have better luck next time, but I still think I will get something other than 10k...

Thanks to all for advice (future advice is still appreciated) :)
Click to expand...

Here it is Julia.

http://www.hellolights.com

It's on the first page, or you can navigate to find it.

250W E-ballast ARO $99. You can then get the Reflector+mogul socket+power cord for $29 from there.

I'd get the bulb elsewhere if you want to order more, otherwise, they are good, too.

Better yet, here are the links:

http://www.hellolights.com/25methalbalk.html (ballast and reflector, mogul, etc, just missing bulb)

or

http://www.hellolights.com/aroelba.html (ballast only)

Best,
Ilham
 
IceCaps are considered one of the best. I am running two 250W MH ballasts and the 660 for my VHO actinics. I can tell you that they are absolutely silent, which is a big issue for me.
 
Well, thank you all for your input and advice. I ended up ordering an XM 15,000K bulb for this tank since I can't put actinics on it (not enough room). I ordered a pair of 10,000K Ushios for the other tank. I figured that I have room for actinics on that one, so if the 10K is too white, I will put a VHO actinic on either side of it :D
 
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