Good e-ballasts besides Icecap?

hahnmeister · 02/09/2006, 04:00 PM

ARO, Blueline, CoralVue, Reef Fanatic...all seem to underperform when compared to Icecap. But didnt I see something about a HQI electronic that outperformed the IC? A new line of Bluelines or somehting?

E-A-G-L-E-S · 02/09/2006, 04:02 PM

it really depends on lamps.....icecap doesn't outperform all e-ballasts on all lamps.
Sorry, i don't know about E-HQI, just PFO Mag HQI's.

AQUAN8TOR · 02/09/2006, 04:34 PM

ARO electronics perform well, but as eagles already said, it really depends on the lamp. try www.reeflighting.arvixe.com to see if the ballasts you're looking for are listed.

hahnmeister · 02/09/2006, 11:53 PM

Wasnt there some new HQI e-ballast or something??? Like a new blueline or something?

Entropy · 02/10/2006, 12:01 AM

What are you trying to accomplish and with what bulb? I think you are looking for the holy grail here. There is no one magic ballast out there that will do it all and do it better IMO. I don't think you will go wrong if you choose IceCaps.

JR719 · 02/10/2006, 12:10 AM

I have to agree with the Icecaps. You won't go wrong. If it costs a little more it is well worth it. The customer service is second to none. If will fire about anything. I have 2 250 MH and a 660. I am about to buy more for my 300 gallon. IC all the way for my tanks.

JR

whosjohnny · 02/10/2006, 01:35 AM

Icecap all the way. I bought 3 Icecaps, worked great after 12months, running great on my AB Aqualine bulbs. My setup is 150/175 HQI DE Aqualine AB bulbs, with New PFO Mini Reflectors.

whosjohnny · 02/10/2006, 01:36 AM

One more thing why Icecap is good is because the ballast fires at high frequency, causing the filament of your metal halide lamps, to be softer during powerups... thus... prolonging lifespan of your bulbs. =) SAVES MONEY long term.

hahnmeister · 02/10/2006, 02:09 AM

Yeah, yeah, I run Icecaps right now. Its not that Im wondering about them, but I am 'shopping around' to see if there arent any good competing brands.

orlenz · 02/10/2006, 06:41 AM

there are quite a few alternative ballasts, the problem is that on the comparisons I've seen people only compare ballasts that are targeted to our hobby, I would like to see the numbers comparing the ic to the VB1000 vari ballast, e-vision, or some of the other comercial ballasts.

hahnmeister · 02/16/2006, 01:22 PM

Ahhhh, I found it finally on my own.

The EVC electronic ballast seems to run more bulbs with even higher outputs than the icecaps.

EVC.

orlenz · 02/16/2006, 01:54 PM

yep,
and their about half the cost.

hahnmeister · 02/16/2006, 02:16 PM

Thats the one I was asking for...a true HQI spec e-ballast.

It outperforms the IC on the pheonix, the XDE 15,000Ks, and most other bulbs that is has been compared with. The only problem is that it just hasnt been tested with other, older bulbs so thats why few know about it who happen to look up newer bulbs.

On some bluer bulbs it even outperforms the M80/HQI. It runs the XM 15,000K bulbs 20% higher than a HQI ballast.

It outperforms the IC on IC's own 20,000K bulbs by 10%! And the IC by almost 10% on IC's own 10,000K bulb. On the Happy Reefing bulbs, the EVC outperforms the IC by about 40% with a significantly larger actinic spike on the 10,000K!!! Whoah, on every bulb that the EVC is tested, it is second only to the M80, and sometimes it even kills that!

Hope this helps some other people as well. Im gonna go order an EVC right now and see how it is.

orlenz · 02/16/2006, 05:01 PM

does IC make bulbs? or are they just relabled like the fans and other items?

GSerg2 · 02/16/2006, 05:23 PM

EVC is what I use.

Psyire · 02/16/2006, 05:25 PM

EVC's are great. I'm running 3 of them with no issues.

Speckled Grouper · 02/16/2006, 06:23 PM

I am about to buy 2 of the EVC 250W myself. I was going to try their 14k bulbs too. Anybody has them?

want2reef · 02/16/2006, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by hahnmeister
Ahhhh, I found it finally on my own.

The EVC electronic ballast seems to run more bulbs with even higher outputs than the icecaps.

EVC.

That is one of the reasons I have two EVC's.

hahnmeister · 02/16/2006, 11:44 PM

So do you guys know where the best deal is?

want2reef · 02/17/2006, 07:58 AM

www.oceanencounter.com

GSerg2 · 02/17/2006, 08:13 AM

That is where I got mine as well.

blgreef · 02/17/2006, 09:12 AM

i think you should also look at the power needed to generate a given light output. It's great getting another 10 to 20% of output but this needs to be ballanced against power input. Chances are that a greater load wil shorten bulb life also you may find that at a slightly lower PPFD, less power is used so the lights can be run longer for the same lecy cost, and a possibly longer lamp life.

And also it may be better for the corals to have slightly less light for longer then trying to get as much light into the tank as soon as possible as there must be a point where a coral will shut down and make little use of any additional light energy.

I still think there are to many variables on lighting a tank, to say an extra 10% is a major benefit. There are multiple threads on this board of tanks being lit for 4 hours or less with better colour and still good growth on the corals.

looking at aquaconnect bulbs, for a 250w DE 14k the icecap pulls 196 watts for a PPFD of 84

the EVC pulls 271 watts for a PFD of 93 ( both unsheiled so not real world)

Run the EVC for 12 hours = 3.252 Kwh

for the same power the Icecap combo runs for 16.5 hours

hahnmeister · 02/17/2006, 02:15 PM

Well, thats the main argument behind using e-ballasts instead of HQI..yes. But shouldnt an e-ballast be tuned to prolong the life of the bulb anyways?

Reefflections · 02/18/2006, 10:30 AM

I have and Icecap ballast also 400 220 volts.It ran my Aqua Connects bulbs for a year.Went to replace them,and the new bulb won't fire.The LPS store told me,this does happened sometimes.I just sent Icecap an email,why this happens.What is so different about the Aqua Connects in an Icecap Ballast?Especially the price they get for these bulbs.

richie a rich · 02/18/2006, 11:41 AM

These are the best ballast and highest output and least expensive to run per year. And yes, you do get sunburn if you stand in front of them for too long.
http://www.hellolights.com/3laaromo4lvb.html

02/09/2006, 04:00 PM	#1
hahnmeister Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Brew City, WI Posts: 10,156	Good e-ballasts besides Icecap? ARO, Blueline, CoralVue, Reef Fanatic...all seem to underperform when compared to Icecap. But didnt I see something about a HQI electronic that outperformed the IC? A new line of Bluelines or somehting?

02/09/2006, 04:02 PM	#2
E-A-G-L-E-S Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lehigh Valley, PA Posts: 7,038	it really depends on lamps.....icecap doesn't outperform all e-ballasts on all lamps. Sorry, i don't know about E-HQI, just PFO Mag HQI's. __________________ Smug Egotistical Contemptuous It's difficult to get a man to understand something that his salary requires him not to.

02/09/2006, 04:34 PM	#3
AQUAN8TOR Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Charlottesville VA Posts: 2,050	ARO electronics perform well, but as eagles already said, it really depends on the lamp. try www.reeflighting.arvixe.com to see if the ballasts you're looking for are listed. __________________ If you don't get a sunburn while working on your tank, you don't have enough light. Nate Current Tank Info: currently dismantling tanks

02/10/2006, 12:01 AM	#5
Entropy Texas Reefer Join Date: May 2003 Location: Round Rock, TX Posts: 13,656	What are you trying to accomplish and with what bulb? I think you are looking for the holy grail here. There is no one magic ballast out there that will do it all and do it better IMO. I don't think you will go wrong if you choose IceCaps. __________________ Rich Overton 150G cube FOWLR, 30g sump, ReefKeeperII, 3x Koralia 1400's, QuiteOne 3000, Reef Octopus DNWB150, 4x 30w Par38 LED. Current Tank Info: 36x36x27 150g

02/10/2006, 12:10 AM	#6
JR719 Tang Cop Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: OK Posts: 2,240	I have to agree with the Icecaps. You won't go wrong. If it costs a little more it is well worth it. The customer service is second to none. If will fire about anything. I have 2 250 MH and a 660. I am about to buy more for my 300 gallon. IC all the way for my tanks. JR __________________ Can't sleep, clowns will eat me. America is the most grandiose experiment the world has seen, but, I am afraid, it is not going to be a success. Sigmund Freud Current Tank Info: 300 reef, Aqua controller, Deltec calcium reactor, Reeflo 250 skimmer, Icecap bla bla bla

02/09/2006, 11:53 PM	#4
hahnmeister Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Brew City, WI Posts: 10,156	Wasnt there some new HQI e-ballast or something??? Like a new blueline or something?

02/10/2006, 01:35 AM	#7
whosjohnny Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Anaheim, CA Posts: 599	Icecap all the way. I bought 3 Icecaps, worked great after 12months, running great on my AB Aqualine bulbs. My setup is 150/175 HQI DE Aqualine AB bulbs, with New PFO Mini Reflectors. __________________ I wish I could live 1,000 years and get 1,000 PhDs. I have an infinite appetite to understand life. Current Tank Info: 300G glass 10 foot x 2' x2', 9 foot sump w/ 3' fug 4' frag, EuroReef CS12-2, Geo Reactor 624 30", 2x 250W DE MH, 3x 150W DE MH, RKE, 135G FOWLR w/ 50G sump ASM-G3, 50G QT w/15G sump, 12G Nano, 60G turtles.

02/10/2006, 01:36 AM	#8
whosjohnny Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Anaheim, CA Posts: 599	One more thing why Icecap is good is because the ballast fires at high frequency, causing the filament of your metal halide lamps, to be softer during powerups... thus... prolonging lifespan of your bulbs. =) SAVES MONEY long term. __________________ I wish I could live 1,000 years and get 1,000 PhDs. I have an infinite appetite to understand life. Current Tank Info: 300G glass 10 foot x 2' x2', 9 foot sump w/ 3' fug 4' frag, EuroReef CS12-2, Geo Reactor 624 30", 2x 250W DE MH, 3x 150W DE MH, RKE, 135G FOWLR w/ 50G sump ASM-G3, 50G QT w/15G sump, 12G Nano, 60G turtles.

02/10/2006, 02:09 AM	#9
hahnmeister Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Brew City, WI Posts: 10,156	Yeah, yeah, I run Icecaps right now. Its not that Im wondering about them, but I am 'shopping around' to see if there arent any good competing brands.

02/10/2006, 06:41 AM	#10
orlenz Awaiting Email Confirmation Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: California Posts: 1,648	there are quite a few alternative ballasts, the problem is that on the comparisons I've seen people only compare ballasts that are targeted to our hobby, I would like to see the numbers comparing the ic to the VB1000 vari ballast, e-vision, or some of the other comercial ballasts.

02/16/2006, 01:22 PM	#11
hahnmeister Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Brew City, WI Posts: 10,156	Ahhhh, I found it finally on my own. The EVC electronic ballast seems to run more bulbs with even higher outputs than the icecaps. EVC.

02/16/2006, 01:54 PM	#12
orlenz Awaiting Email Confirmation Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: California Posts: 1,648	yep, and their about half the cost.

02/16/2006, 02:16 PM	#13
hahnmeister Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Brew City, WI Posts: 10,156	Thats the one I was asking for...a true HQI spec e-ballast. It outperforms the IC on the pheonix, the XDE 15,000Ks, and most other bulbs that is has been compared with. The only problem is that it just hasnt been tested with other, older bulbs so thats why few know about it who happen to look up newer bulbs. On some bluer bulbs it even outperforms the M80/HQI. It runs the XM 15,000K bulbs 20% higher than a HQI ballast. It outperforms the IC on IC's own 20,000K bulbs by 10%! And the IC by almost 10% on IC's own 10,000K bulb. On the Happy Reefing bulbs, the EVC outperforms the IC by about 40% with a significantly larger actinic spike on the 10,000K!!! Whoah, on every bulb that the EVC is tested, it is second only to the M80, and sometimes it even kills that! Hope this helps some other people as well. Im gonna go order an EVC right now and see how it is.

02/16/2006, 05:01 PM	#14
orlenz Awaiting Email Confirmation Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: California Posts: 1,648	does IC make bulbs? or are they just relabled like the fans and other items?

02/16/2006, 05:23 PM	#15
GSerg2 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Owasso, Oklahoma Posts: 1,037	EVC is what I use. __________________ - Greg Current Tank Info: 215g RR, 30g sump, 10g refugium, 750w 14K Hamilton MH + 500w URI VHO

02/16/2006, 05:25 PM	#16
Psyire Premium Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 1,870	EVC's are great. I'm running 3 of them with no issues.

02/16/2006, 06:23 PM	#17
Speckled Grouper Sticks Suck! Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Davie & Big Pine Key, FL Posts: 2,655	I am about to buy 2 of the EVC 250W myself. I was going to try their 14k bulbs too. Anybody has them? __________________ The cure for anything is salt water.....sweat, tears, or the sea. Isak Dinesen Current Tank Info: 265g

02/16/2006, 11:44 PM	#19
hahnmeister Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Brew City, WI Posts: 10,156	So do you guys know where the best deal is?

02/17/2006, 07:58 AM	#20
want2reef Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Tracy CA. Posts: 1,353	www.oceanencounter.com __________________ Kevin The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese. Current Tank Info: CADlights Artison II 165g, 50g sump,Aquamaxx Q-3 Skimmer, AI Hydra 26 HD.

02/17/2006, 08:13 AM	#21
GSerg2 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Owasso, Oklahoma Posts: 1,037	That is where I got mine as well. __________________ - Greg Current Tank Info: 215g RR, 30g sump, 10g refugium, 750w 14K Hamilton MH + 500w URI VHO

02/17/2006, 09:12 AM	#22
blgreef Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Belgium Europe Posts: 526	i think you should also look at the power needed to generate a given light output. It's great getting another 10 to 20% of output but this needs to be ballanced against power input. Chances are that a greater load wil shorten bulb life also you may find that at a slightly lower PPFD, less power is used so the lights can be run longer for the same lecy cost, and a possibly longer lamp life. And also it may be better for the corals to have slightly less light for longer then trying to get as much light into the tank as soon as possible as there must be a point where a coral will shut down and make little use of any additional light energy. I still think there are to many variables on lighting a tank, to say an extra 10% is a major benefit. There are multiple threads on this board of tanks being lit for 4 hours or less with better colour and still good growth on the corals. looking at aquaconnect bulbs, for a 250w DE 14k the icecap pulls 196 watts for a PPFD of 84 the EVC pulls 271 watts for a PFD of 93 ( both unsheiled so not real world) Run the EVC for 12 hours = 3.252 Kwh for the same power the Icecap combo runs for 16.5 hours

02/17/2006, 02:15 PM	#23
hahnmeister Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Brew City, WI Posts: 10,156	Well, thats the main argument behind using e-ballasts instead of HQI..yes. But shouldnt an e-ballast be tuned to prolong the life of the bulb anyways?

02/18/2006, 10:30 AM	#24
Reefflections Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 861	I have and Icecap ballast also 400 220 volts.It ran my Aqua Connects bulbs for a year.Went to replace them,and the new bulb won't fire.The LPS store told me,this does happened sometimes.I just sent Icecap an email,why this happens.What is so different about the Aqua Connects in an Icecap Ballast?Especially the price they get for these bulbs.

02/18/2006, 11:41 AM	#25
richie a rich Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: So. Florida Posts: 15	These are the best ballast and highest output and least expensive to run per year. And yes, you do get sunburn if you stand in front of them for too long. http://www.hellolights.com/3laaromo4lvb.html