lighting scheme

[dadonoflaw]

i was thinking of doing 2x 400 watt 20k's and a 250 watt 10 k. to supplement i was thinking 2x 80 watt t5's and 2 vho's. what do you guys think

 

[dadonoflaw]

perhaps this is a simpler question. i am looking at icecap and pfo hqi ballast on radiums, xm20k's or helios20k's or maybe reeflux 12k's. what are some experiences both positive and negative with this hardware

 

[meitzler]

My experience with 400W HQI is disappointing. I am running three 400W PFO pendants at this time and have had higher than expected failure rates with arching at the connect which wipes out the bulb. After the first bulb, installing new bulbs are most difficult. I have not had this problem with 250W HQI for which I run 4 Sunlight supply pendants. Bulbs selection is also very limited for the 400W HQI, with little competition, thus the prices are higher than moguls.

As for the xm 20Ks in 250W, they are not very bright, so I am going away from them. They do last long, but reeflux and others are much brighter in my experience.

 

[danno14]

I am running Helios 20k on PFO hqi's (3 weeks). Prior to that I was using the same bulb on standard magnetic ballasts. Noticably brighter and less "deep" blue with the HQI's. Also hotter, so beware.

 

[Scooterman]

Why not run some XM's 10k's 250's & supplement with the 20k's, place them as low as you can safely.
How deep is your tank?