HQI MH vs. regular single ended MH

[Justin James]

Originally posted by oct2274
rich will argue any topic on the forums. check out some of his other posts posts, they usually have a confrontational way about them It makes me want to hug him!

I'll second that!!!!

[Justin James]

I used to use 250 watt SE bulbs and have switched to 250 watt DE. I love the DE. They give a much wider spectrum, less heat, less space, and more light for the same price in energy. Can't beat it.

Geissmann megachrome DE bulbs kick butt.

[Peter Eichler]

Originally posted by Justin James
I used to use 250 watt SE bulbs and have switched to 250 watt DE. I love the DE. They give a much wider spectrum, less heat, less space, and more light for the same price in energy. Can't beat it.

Geissmann megachrome DE bulbs kick butt.

They most certainly do, I just don't like paying for them...

[agoutihead]

where is the best place to get a single ended retro kit with the lumenarc reflectors?

Hellolights just has

http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp...PROD&ProdID=64

but it just says Parabolic Reflector.

But they do sell the Iwaski 15k single ended, and reefgeek does not.

reefgeek has the 36" T5 icecap retro kit with bulbs for $150, thats a pretty good price, I'm going to get that from them.

If you guys say I'll get way more spread with single ended iwaski 15k, lumenarc mini reflector, I'm willing to try as I really want the shimer of MH.

What is better, electronic ballast over magnetic right?

[CyclistMT]

www.thereefstop.com has the Coralvue version of the Lumenarc, Icecap electronic ballasts, and the Iwasaki bulb. All you will need is to decide how to wire up the ballast to the socket, i.e. do you want quick disconnect or hard wired.

If you want the real deal, Lumenarc Lighting has the original Lumenarc mini.

According to Sanjay's data, you will get more PAR with and electronic ballast vs. magnetic.

[agoutihead]

How is the coralvue version compared to the Lumenarc? Is it close? Or is it worth going extra for the Lumenarc?

I just checked out that website, I went under MH retro kits, and they don't have anything listed.

And they have the Iwaski bulbs in 14k only (which I thought it was 15k?) and their 90 bucks. Hello lights has them for 80.

[tkeracer619]

http://www.thereefstop.com/index.php...wCat&catId=111

[Randall_James]

Originally posted by agoutihead
Really, so I could really do a single ended MH bulb over a 40 breeder and be fine huh?

What is the difference between lumenarc, and lumenmax?

Who sells these particular reflectors?

How wide are they really? Like I said, I have 18" in width to work with, but i need to put 2 - 36" T5 fixtures for actinics.

skipping past all of hoopla....

I run the Lumen-max 2 reflector with a SE 20K Ushio (400W) and love the thing. It does not "seize" in the holder like many DE bulbs do, it is easy to take in and out, and I also run a tempered glass (just to shield the bulb from water splashes (not needed but I prefer it)

I think a lot of the rest of the debate just splitting hairs and it boils down to what room you have to work with and personal preference to light color..

I got my reflectors from Saltycritter.com (rc sponsor even)

I think the difference between the 2 is that Lumen-max has the housing that accepts a glass and the Lumenarc is only a reflector...(would not promise that however)

[agoutihead]

Ok so I can see why the lumenarcs are so effective, it's the way they are designed to filter and spread the light, not the actual material. (or am I wrong? Just says lightweight specular aluminum ) But I'm sure there is extra money included in buying one of those because of the name, is there a simlar design, but less money?

I checked out thereefstop, but I only found the lumenarc reflectors, not any kind of coralvue retro kit?

What is the difference between the lumenarc II & III?

So I guess the reflector is going to cost around 100 bucks, the light bulb 85, how much should a decent electronic ballast run me?

Going this route is going to put my lighting cost at almost 500

150 - T5's
40 - Moon lights
300 - MH

I really hope this works well and gives me the spread I want, it's more than I wanted to spend, but I do really want that shimmer.

[Randall_James]

might look at a Hamilton for some other prices

http://www.hamiltontechnology.com/

[agoutihead]

Ok, let me know if this is good or not... for a ballast, thereefstop has the following...

http://www.thereefstop.com/index.php...&productId=828

Then I will get lumenarc mini III from them...

http://www.thereefstop.com/index.php...&productId=539

And I guess I might as well get the bulb from them even though its more expensive, they have the 14k Iwasaki (I thought the Iwasaki's were 15k?)

http://www.thereefstop.com/index.php...&productId=191

But in their overall review, they say there isn't much blue to this bulb, and it's pretty crisp white, but the specs that rich posted yesterday, says that the PAR and kelvin rates higher than the rest of the bulbs?

I definitally want it blue. (but want good growth too to grow out frags)

[agoutihead]

But the hamilton's really dont compare to the lumenarcs do they?

I'm really trying to stretch the light spread as much as possible, I really dont want to have any dark spots on my 3' long 40 breeder.

I think maybe it might be worth the few extra bucks to buy the lumenarc.

But is $101 for the mini a good deal?

[agoutihead]

Also, how do you attach the lumenarc reflector to the top of a wooden hood? just drill a couple of screws through the top of the reflector into the wood?

[Randall_James]

I have not used the Lumen-arc reflector but I would guess that there must be some kind of spacer between the reflector and the canopy (heat/wood/fire).

The Lumen-max assy has a pair of 1/4 X20 threaded holes and either eyelets or bolts that you can attach the thing to the canopy or hang from chains. Also the reflector is contained in a housing with integral thermal shielding.

The stuff you listed (Icecap) I am sure is good stuff (my 175 stuff is Blueline) but am sure someone here has the Icecap items.

A few dark spots are not going to hurt you that much anyway, a few mushrooms, zoas or other medium to low light animals will do just fine.

The 400W I have on my Anemone tank overpowers most of these lower light species.

If costs are a real issue, just shop the "used equipment" forum for a ballast, mogul, reflector combo (used bulbs are pretty worthless IMO)

Just an endless supply of options huh?

[agoutihead]

haha yeah this hobby is always on-going!

I don't mind if there is a little bit of dark in the top corners, I just don't want my tank to look like that 20L I posted on the first page. It was BAD!

Cost is always an issue I guess, I already planned on spending 400 with moon lights, so what is another 100 to get what I want I guess?

Even though buying used can save you money, you never know what your going to run into.

Is that a good deal on that ballast, or are there cheaper priced icecap ones out there?

[Randall_James]

you can always find something a few bucks cheaper, but the service after the sale can sure make you sorry if there is a problem.

I would stick with one of the RC sponsors just for the sake of service. (they tend to take good care of the folks here, rarely see bad posts about them)

I might lean more towards a 250W myself

[agoutihead]

Salty critter is only like 40 minutes from me, I'll see what his prices are. If not I'm probably going to buy it all from thereefstop

but on reef exotics, they talk about an "adjustable mogul socket"

Do all lumenarc reflectors come with this kind of socket and cord?

[agoutihead]

Which electronic ballast is supposed to drive the bulbs to be as blue as possible?

Those icecaps I gave a link to?

[agoutihead]

And what is a good height to build my hood to add this reflector? I figure 12"? This way I get as much light spread as possible?

[CyclistMT]

I guess I opened a bigger can of worms then I intended to so hopefully I can close it as well.

ReefStop and ReefExotics both carry the Coralvue version of the Lumenarc. Lumenarc Lighting carries the "offical" version as they own the name. If there a difference? Supposedly not. There was a debate on the Lighting forum a while back that I'm not going to go into here but the gist was that Coralvue was contracted by Lumenarc to build thier reflectors. Drama ensued and Coralvue is now building a version of it which for all intents and purposes is identical and it's cheaper.

All true Lumenarcs come with the adjustable socket and I believe the Coralvue is designed with it as well. I don't have one in my possesion so I can't say for sure. Call your vendor of choice and ask them if thier model has it to be certain. It's a good feature.

According to Sanjay's site, the Iwaski will have the most "blue" look using an M57 magnetic ballast with a CCT of 15215. (CCT=Correlated Color Temperature). However "blue" look is highly subjective since we all perceive it a bit differently. The M57 will only give you a PPFD of 71. The Icecap comes in with a CCT of 14565 and a PPFD of 86 using 24 less watts then the magnetic. To me that seems to be the "sweet spot" for this bulb.

As you've found out this will be a crisp "white" bulb. It will not look like a 20K.

Some vendors list it as a 14K and some as a 15K. It's the same bulb.

You might try a search in the Lighting forum here for additional information about the bulb and the reflector.

Use Google- "Iwasaki site:reefcentral.com" and "Lumenarc site:reefcentral.com". Use those search criteria without the quotes and it will only return results for this web site.

As for the hight of your hood, I would suggest a minimum of 4" between the bulb and water. However, 6"- 8" might be better depending on your set up. Keep that in mind when designing your hood.

Good luck!

[Randall_James]

adjustable mogul socket = slotted holes where mogul mounts to reflector to accommodate different length bulbs

for instance the 400W bulb is the longest of the bunch and the mogul must be slid all the way back in the reflector housing to fit. Really a minor issue but a hassle if you have to re-drill the mount yourself to fit a large bulb

[agoutihead]

hmm. I might just build my hood to be 14". That will give me a good solid 8" between my light reflector and the surface of the water. (the reflector is 6" deep)

If I dont get enough light spread with it that high and using a lumenarc and iwaski bulb, then MH isn't for this setup.

Thanks guys. I'm sure I'll be back with more questions after I do a bit more research.

[agoutihead]

http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp...PROD&ProdID=68

is that the ballast you are talking about?

What makes the magnetic better or worse over an electronic one?

[CyclistMT]

Originally posted by agoutihead
http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp...PROD&ProdID=68

is that the ballast you are talking about?

What makes the magnetic better or worse over an electronic one?

Yes, that is a raw magnetic without an enclosure.

A magnetic produces more heat, is less efficient, and in the case of this bulb, does not drive it as well as an electronic can.

[agoutihead]

I take it magnetics need an enclousure? what do they actually do? Are they expensive?

So overall electronics are superior except for making them bluer huh? Even though it doesn't over drive it, it makes it nice and blue?

I mean how much extra heat is it?