Suggestions on Ballasts to possibly use here

[OldManOfTheSea]

I had emailed Jeff of fish world and today on the idea that Jeff would get in soon the fixtures for both tanks on the MH. it was suggested at first to me that Jeff get the things needed to do the changing from 175 to 250 watts MH and I would have the new place change it for me and return to Jeff the other ballasts and so on. I for one thing feel nothing great about waiting for Jeff to do this for those who readied it that contact with Jeff was established and I asked for him to complete these tanks before the end of august. I see for the most part on this that it will not be done even by that time.

I am not thinking that im screwed as far as Jeff goes and rather then to quit and loose everything I put into this, I will simply go elsewhere. I mean, I giving Jeff (fish world) more then enough rope to hang themselves with not finishing what they took on.

Now the ballasts that Aquatic Concepts are pushing, they not been selling them for long and I had gotten no answers to their years in service, as is, I not feel good about something as that when their only looking to push one thing your way for your tanks.

http://sunlightsupply.com/product.c...951CCE0815D553447F1910B7084EA&c=53&kys=&pgi=1




http://sunlightsupply.com/product.c...951CCE0815D553447F1910B7084EA&c=57&kys=&pgi=1

Now the tanks are a 180 and 240 gal tanks, their will be three 250 MH on the 180 and four 250 watts MH on the 240 making it seven MH lights in all so do take that into account.

Now I need highly recommended ballasts for these tanks, and money for these are not an issue>

Please if links could be provided for any suggestions, it would be very helpful>

I will speak to tong the owner soon on both things, the lighting and sump. I'm also looking at the idea that the new sump with these people will be longer, 5' and that the chiller will be on the outside of the stand right beside the tank stand and I a thought to ask Tong if he could make a box from the same type of wood of the stand to cover the chiller from view>

Please, if something isn't well enough understood, please place in quote and ask for further explanations on it.

The idea that AC giving me was that Fish World would get in the parts to put in the 250 watts MH and I have AC put them in and I return the other 175 watts MH and ballasts to fish world. I made it known that if I have to dish the cash for this after paying for it that I will look to get this cash back through the courts.

The idea was that these tanks be completed soon, I see no end in sight with the waiting part>

Thanks

 

[trido]

Hello, OldManOfTheSea.

Im glad to see things are getting further along for you.

The second ballast you posted looks to be competetive in pricing and has a great warantee. However, I do not know about that companies customer service.

Icecap has a great reputaion across all of the boards for great customer service and reputation. Take a look at this ballast. I just ordered my fourth one yesterday.

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idProduct~IC3161.html

 

[james734]

I agree with Trido. IceCap is great and I have IceCap driving some VHO's in my tank. I would also recommend PFO Ballast. I've ran 2-175w and 2-250 watt ballast from them and have had no problems.

 

[OldManOfTheSea]

Thanks for your consideration on the long nightmare, not so much of a nightmare itself, but waiting for four years before being able to start these tanks was no joy whatsoever. I still will have a bit of a delay, but nothing as what the wait has been before this point.

I just completed some medical services and the cost for that was more then $6,000. Now the only things I coming up is at the end of the year, my property tax for $1350 and get some propane in my tank prior before the winter starts. Also I one other thing I still must get, and this I can do while the tanks are aging with fish, zoas and ric corals for seven months. I need to get this generator that gives 15,000 watts of power and cost $1,500. It wont run the MH, but it will be idea to support these reef tanks life supports if any power outages.

http://sunlightsupply.com/product.cf...s=&pgi=1

So I will be getting three duels and a single and I told the AC lfs I will go with double sided MH bulbs and change as well the reflectors. I only know right now that if I was to get four duels blue waves, the cost would be $1600, so now I wait for a quote from this store and decide which I would do first, the lighting or the sump.

My mind was made up in this on this product due to one other who PM his thread link as well from two others who had great success with this product. I do know that certain things can happen and one could experience some rather bad luck. I spoken to the company of that ballast and later I will order from them one single and duel to hold in storage for when if it be needed.

Another upgrade im to do prior to these reef tanks starting is to upgrade my RO/DI unit, again. For after I moved to this house almost four years ago, I had to add a second Hi-S DI cartridge and later I will add a duel set to run two Hi-S DI cartridges and two carbons and also add a booster pump.

I not know how this will fan out, I do however believe that this might go into early next year, for right now, it will depend on what the full cost for both jobs be for if it be only $3000, I would do all I can to get this money together in just three months, if higher then that, I not know for I need time before the end of the year to get the property tax together.

Also, im to get new skimmer for both tanks, The new lfs is thinking about the ASM smimmers>

 

[OldManOfTheSea]

trido, I do however or would like to find other skimmers that could handle the system as well and not cost as much, like maybe just around $1,000 for the skimmer on buying it will run me near to $2,000 I think with tax and delivery> I post this here for I heard nothing in the skimmer thread question.

Im trying to look now in the:
ETSS
HSA skimmer
AquaC Protein Skimmer
beckett skimmer?
Precision Marine Bullet skimmer

IM sure that there be some other models I might look over, I not know them all so lets see if anybody could name a few>

I called Champion lighting and ask them of which skimmers they are carrying that are 24" or less in height for a water volume of 400+ gals and the person I spoken to tells me only the Tunze DOC Skimmer and the largest of them they carry is the Tunze DOC Skimmer 9020

http://www.championlighting.com/product.php?productid=19184&cat=613&page=1


Now I told him that I am very concern on its functions for the long term for the tank that in the short term of the 240, it will only be dealing with a very low bio load of some fish and polyps, zoas and ric corals until the tank ages seven months. Even still, I am still seeing myself in need to get the near $2,000 skimmer for I want the best I can get for this tank for those skimmer cups on the Tunze DOC Skimmer looks as they are not more then 4" in width, and that is what makes me more concern of the success I might have with it.

Now this skimmer has been around for about 1 to 1.5 years I was told and I not see with that in how I can take the risk of trying this product.

I was last night looking around, typing in search all kinds of skimmers and not came up with anything better then the skimmer link I posted in this thread.

Now I do have time here, I will do the lights first giving me the extra time to find some other skimmer that I might choose from for if im to get the $2,000 skimmer, it would take me 2 to 2.5 months to get the money together just for this one item making it take just a bit longer to get the tanks ready.

But in the long term of this if I kept waiting for some person to do this, I not know if I would be enjoying these tanks before the 5th anniversary of waiting, LMBO of waiting for Jeff to do this.

But at least I would know that the tanks will begin at a certain time period, once I know what my new full cost will be.

 

[Skimmy]

so did you get your ballasts figured out???
there's another place that makes good but cheap ballasts, i've been using these for years without failure:
http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=653

and yep, im still thinking that the ATI skimmers are going to be the best bang for your buck as well, just awesome skimmers...

 

[OldManOfTheSea]

skimerwhisperer, I am going with the blue wave ballast and the ATI Bubble master and if the ATI runs short on me that later on when the tank is more stock, I would then have to go and spend another near $2,000 for that other skimmer that I would have to cut above the panel so that skimmer would fit.

But as for cheap ballast, I always said that we get what we paid for. In which I not mind to spend any extra dollars in order to have something better and yes, at the cost of those ballast in the link you provided, I would be able to have those in a few weeks. But I will have to stick with the four ballast for around $1,500 for I not wish to begin being cheap about what I been planning just because of one person never finished the job.

I still need to maintain myself and stay with the plan to have the best I can do for these tanks and being that as it may that I already paid Jeff top dollar and he even said in an email that I will print to save to see about taking this to court after I pictures of what the tanks look like now and after I do over some the work he done in which I told the store manager that it looks half @ and Jeff should feel embarrassed in what nhe did here.

For in his email he says that he was getting the stuff for free or cheap to save money, but I reminded him that I paid the full cost of what I wanted there that he be only saving himself money since I already paid for the stuff. His last big promise was after he moved his store to a new location that he was all mind and that never happen and that's some two years ago.

For he also says I changed my mind for yes, after the two years of waiting, I was a few time so close to quitting this hobby only because of him (Jeff) who a number of times came out and touch something as if he done something and he leaves without finishing and says he be back in two weeks and many more months go by before he repeats the same thing.
He says in his email that he knows that I complained about him in which I thought to myself that I knew that already that one of his main store people named Nelson has told him of that and I laugh to that only for I figured that a long time ago.

He says that he is of no fault in finishing my tanks that im only in fault to that, and I laugh there as well for just how long am I supposed to wait being that he knows I cannot do these tanks myself he takes his sweet time and never giving me any answers to why I waited as long as I done or when he would finally complete what he was paid to do.

One thing I always told him to just give me a date and year when he would do this and I would wait depending on how long a wait that be, he never said anything to when he would. I know that I was stupid to had trusted the wrong person for he lied from day one for because he took three years to put in two tanks at the apartment I had before moving into a house, I asked him before i began to paid for the 240 reef tank in which I then put down $3,000 and so that it be easy to count what I paid him, I paid $1,000 at any one time and till this time, that amount I paid is $24,000.
OH Yeah! Another thing. After he said that he were getting the stuff for free or cheap that I asked in my next email or was it in a phone message that is that why I a stand for the 240 that isn't ideal for the system due to the fact its only 24" high under the tank.

But he also said that he would get on the tanks after Labor Day, that not telling me that the tanks would be completed that all it means is he will act as if his doing me a favor and most likely do things as he dome before and I could in that way be waiting until the 5th of waiting for him to finish these tanks.

I was stupid however in trying to treat him good with this that in a methods of good business, one company that needs the other for most its products take care of the other companies at Xmas time for about five years ago i sent to fish world a huge treat of cold cuts and breads and crackers and cheeses with a case of wine that cost me then over $650 and after that I figured that I need to do something that cost me less then that and the next two years I got him a $500 bottle of cognac and after the last few years I only got him a $300 bottle of cognac because I told him many times that i wasn't feeling good about him as I once did and even the last Xmas when i gotten him the $300 cognac, i told him that I was very reluctant to get it at all.

So it not pay for some people to treat them as well as that and all they do afterwards is walk all over you as if your nothing. For i told him in an email that if he done these tanks right as he should have from the start, i wouldn't have to do what I have to now to correct the unprofessional work he done. For it was his idea to put in the 175 MH and not what I asked for in which were 250 MH.

His idea there was this, that I told him I would have to install an outlet to handle the reef tanks for his thinking there would be wrong as well for this is how I know. At the apartment I had with three remaining tanks with no MH. I had three chillers running and just what I had then had caused the breaker to trip each time the chillers click on and then I had to run a cord from another out for one of the chillers. And here I am to now have MH lighting and this on two 15 amp lines will cause the fuse box to trip all the time. I hope you see this Jeff for this is something I not told you cause you would had only thought up a lie to defend yourself as you done much the time with me. For I know if and when I might take this to court, even that his store people agreed that you were so wrong in having me wait all this time, they cannot say anything other then sorry for I only blame you to be at fault here, not any others.

I did however told Jeff that I will not cancel what im now doing for I not know if and when he would finish these tanks and I know that his words to me means nothing other then delays in if he would completed this project or not. Jeff my friend, I never in all my years seen anything as what you done with me for it not takes years to do what your doing for at most it might take is 6-8 weeks and not 6-8 years for I wouldn't put that past you for all I know Mr is that your hoping I die before you do anything else here.

So those are my plans, the blue wave and ATI, I just couldn't agree to go as cheap in cost as in that Link, sorry for the long story Thanks for listening