Metal Halide Questions

musicman980 · 04/29/2011, 11:42 AM

http://allentown.craigslist.org/bfs/2338515593.html

Can this fixture use any type of metal halide bulb? What does HQI stand for?
Is it dangerous/bad idea to put a lower wattage bulb (150W or 250W) in the 400W fixture? Does voltage matter, why? Does that fixture in the link seem like a decent light?

Thanks

alton · 04/29/2011, 11:47 AM

This is a commercial light fixture. The 200 to 277v means you can either feed it wth 208/240v 1 phase or 277v. You can not use this fixture with 120v. As far as your other questions you must match ballast to lamp or risk harm to the user and or shorter lamp life.

Chris27 · 04/29/2011, 12:41 PM

That looks to be a high bay fixture, which for comparison purposes is the size of a very large watermelon.....dangling that thing over a tank would look quite silly.

You could most likely use the ballast in a DIY fixture, ditching the reflector that comes with it, but if you don't have the electrical experience I would stay away from anything that requires 220V.

As for bulbs, it would run a reef temperature (10000K-20000K) bulb, but it would have to be a 400W, anything smaller would cause problems. 400W is fine for large applications on deep tanks with a bit of volume, but on anything shallower then about 2 feet and 200 gallons you will have heat problems to contend with.

Chris27 · 04/29/2011, 12:44 PM

Oh yea, HID stands for High Intensity Discharge, or in layman's terms means a bright "hind parts" light....

musicman980 · 04/29/2011, 01:27 PM

Ok, thanks people. Im pretty sure this use 120V http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...cStoreNum=4143

Is this decent for a 33 long with softies and some LPS? The "silly looking" factor doesn't matter too much for me lol. I can't find 100W 10,000k bulbs though. I just want a small metal halide fixture for like 80 bucks and throw in a 40 dollar bulb.

Chris27 · 04/30/2011, 06:43 AM

You won't find aquarium color temp lights that run at 100W, look for another option that uses 175 or 250W.

Soulsanctu · 04/30/2011, 09:27 AM

HQI stands for Hydrargyrum quartz iodide. Don't try and go cheap by buying a light that is not meant for your tank. You will end up spending more to replace it later. Save your money and do it right the first time.

04/29/2011, 11:42 AM	#1
musicman980 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 130	Metal Halide Questions http://allentown.craigslist.org/bfs/2338515593.html Can this fixture use any type of metal halide bulb? What does HQI stand for? Is it dangerous/bad idea to put a lower wattage bulb (150W or 250W) in the 400W fixture? Does voltage matter, why? Does that fixture in the link seem like a decent light? Thanks

04/29/2011, 12:41 PM	#3
Chris27 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 4,452	That looks to be a high bay fixture, which for comparison purposes is the size of a very large watermelon.....dangling that thing over a tank would look quite silly. You could most likely use the ballast in a DIY fixture, ditching the reflector that comes with it, but if you don't have the electrical experience I would stay away from anything that requires 220V. As for bulbs, it would run a reef temperature (10000K-20000K) bulb, but it would have to be a 400W, anything smaller would cause problems. 400W is fine for large applications on deep tanks with a bit of volume, but on anything shallower then about 2 feet and 200 gallons you will have heat problems to contend with. __________________ Fill your tank with $5 bills, add gasoline and light it on fire.....only then will you know the real cost of reefing. Current Tank Info: 180 Mixed Reef

04/29/2011, 12:44 PM	#4
Chris27 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 4,452	Oh yea, HID stands for High Intensity Discharge, or in layman's terms means a bright "hind parts" light.... __________________ Fill your tank with $5 bills, add gasoline and light it on fire.....only then will you know the real cost of reefing. Current Tank Info: 180 Mixed Reef

04/30/2011, 06:43 AM	#6
Chris27 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 4,452	You won't find aquarium color temp lights that run at 100W, look for another option that uses 175 or 250W. __________________ Fill your tank with $5 bills, add gasoline and light it on fire.....only then will you know the real cost of reefing. Current Tank Info: 180 Mixed Reef

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04/29/2011, 11:47 AM	#2
alton Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Zuehl, Texas Posts: 4,460	This is a commercial light fixture. The 200 to 277v means you can either feed it wth 208/240v 1 phase or 277v. You can not use this fixture with 120v. As far as your other questions you must match ballast to lamp or risk harm to the user and or shorter lamp life.

04/29/2011, 01:27 PM	#5
musicman980 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 130	Ok, thanks people. Im pretty sure this use 120V http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...cStoreNum=4143 Is this decent for a 33 long with softies and some LPS? The "silly looking" factor doesn't matter too much for me lol. I can't find 100W 10,000k bulbs though. I just want a small metal halide fixture for like 80 bucks and throw in a 40 dollar bulb.

04/30/2011, 09:27 AM	#7
Soulsanctu Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 52	HQI stands for Hydrargyrum quartz iodide. Don't try and go cheap by buying a light that is not meant for your tank. You will end up spending more to replace it later. Save your money and do it right the first time.