what MH ballast are the best

[hernluis]

im thinking on switching to metal halide, but which ballasts are good and economical. i read a lot about PFO on this forum? what would you guys recommend?

 

[ronj]

i am in the process of switching over to MH as well...i know most consider Icecap to be the best...there is also PFO and Coralvue.. i am going to try out the Coralvue 250w dual from Aquarium Extreme.com!!!!

 

[NC2WA]

hernluis,

on my 125g, I used 250W XM bulbs on an ARO ballast from hellolights.com
ARO is supposed to be similar to Ice Caps.

I was pleased with the white color that the XM bulb gave me, but it is alllllll about what you like. (in the eye of the beholder)

to give you an idea of what the lighting looked like, take a gander:

http://home.carolina.rr.com/kstark/125_gallon_pics.htm

kirk

 

[hernluis]

is one 250 mh bulb plus 2 55watt pc actinics enough for a 55 gal? i want that blue color, what temp should the bulb be. is the ARO electronic? i heard they were better than magnetic?

 

[NC2WA]

this depends. what type of corals do you plan on keeping?

aro electronic ballasts do not get as hot as the magnetic ballasts.

 

[MarineTeng]

here's a good article,
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/1/feature/view?searchterm=ballast tests

 

[Reefdaddy1]

Actually here is test showing amp and Par for 250 watt

http://www.cnidarianreef.com/lamps.cfm

 

[class clown]

I have PFO and would definately do PFO again. I have 2 250w bulbs hooked up to it. The ballast have been very reliable for ~4 yrs now with now problems. Plus, I like the look.

 

[Maxx]

Here is the best description of MH ballasts I've ever seen...Link first, then copy/paste.

Metal Halide Ballasts, which one is which? Answers here:

I have seen countless lighting threads asking what each MH ballast is or what bulbs work on it. I orginally posted this in another forum to answer another member's question. I thought it was best posted here. If there's anything I missed, or have incorrect, please let me know.

250w example:

Probe start: ANSI: M58, core, capacitor
Pulse start: ANSI: M138, core, capacitor, ignitor
HQI: ANSI: M80, core, capacitor, ignitor
EYE: ANSI: H37, core, capacitor, actually a mercury vapor ballast
Electronic: ANSI: none, metal box with wires

probe start will run american bulbs with ignitors built into the bulbs like coralife and venture bulbs. some german and euro bulbs will run fine on these, but without an ignitor, the bulb struggles to light and bulb life may be decreased. also reliabilty goes down.

pulse start will run the german/euro bulbs (ushio, AB, radium, etc.) these bulbs don't have built in ignitors, so the ballast has the ignitor wired into the circuit. the ignitor provides the high voltages needed to fire the bulb. you can run probe start bulbs on these ballasts, but the two ignitors may try to fight each other and possibly cause a fire.

HQI ballasts are similar to pulse starts in their wiring and ability to run bulbs. the output is a little higher which is meant to run the double-ended bulbs (commonly called HQI bulbs). people run mogul bulbs on these and they run a little hotter and brighter because they are being overdriven. this in turn shortens the life of the bulbs.

EYE ballasts are mercury vapor ballasts. they are similar to a probe start ballast, but the only bulb you can run on these are Iwasaki 6500K bulbs (because these are actually MV bulbs, not MH bulbs like most think). the ballast will damage MH bulbs if you try to run one on it.

Electronic. ahhh, the great electronics. these will run any bulb at the rated wattage: probe start, pulse start, iwasakis, DE (double ended-HQI). if you think you might change your mind in the future, get an electronic. you can change bulbs to whatever you want and not have to worry about the ballast being the wrong type. electronics run cooler (a magnetic MH ballast will burn your hand if you touch the coil after it's been running for awhile). they also use less energy.

Additional info:

175watt:
Probe start: ANSI: M57, core, capacitor
Pulse start: ANSI: M137, core, capacitor, ignitor
Electronic: ANSI: none, metal box with wires

400watt:
Probe start: ANSI: M59, core, capacitor
Pulse start: ANSI: M135, core, capacitor, ignitor
HQI: ANSI: SON AGRO, core, capacitor, ignitor (this is actually a 430w HPS ballast used primarily in hydroponics)
EYE: ANSI: H33, core, capacitor, actually a mercury vapor ballast
Electronic: ANSI: none, metal box with wires

HTH,

Nick