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Viewed: 285 -- Replies: 37 | ||||||||
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| Posted | To all marine keepers with metal halide |
| 06-03-2007 22:03 by tomdoc |
hi there .. im just seeing if anyone on this forum is using or has used a floodlight as a MH unit .. i understand you have to have a thermal cut out and uv .. but can anyone reocmend a Floodunit or somthing simular that they have used or no of people who have used them ? |
| 06-03-2007 22:58 by Tangmad |
You can buy a hilclare product from an electrical wholesaler and then buy the bulb from the lfs or just go to e bay and search for hallide lamps i have seen some real bargains trouble with home build which i have used with success they dont look pretty.
I got mine off ebay aquamedic for 200.00 delivered. home build around 150.00 inclusive of bulb hope this helps |
| 06-03-2007 23:56 by tomdoc |
is there anything rong with just using a normal b&q Baisc floodlight and put a bulb in ? |
| 06-03-2007 23:59 by tomdoc |
also are hilclare uv protected and thermal cutout ? |
| 07-03-2007 08:15 by jenny |
i was wondering the same thing |
| 07-03-2007 09:35 by tony |
how deep is the tank . you might get away with T5 lights |
| 07-03-2007 09:40 by tomdoc |
its a trigon 350 .. and i would rly prefer metal halide |
| 07-03-2007 15:31 by Lee Smith |
you must have a proper metal halide light unit to use metal halide bulb, bulb wattage must match the unit but colour temperature is immaterial.
i bought a MH unit off ebay inc 20K bulb brand new for 75 quid works great, and don't look too bad to be honest. |
| 07-03-2007 18:38 by tomdoc |
ye i understand that but if i were to get a metal halide unit of 150w and brought a arcadia 150 20.000k bulb in would it be ok ? |
| 08-03-2007 08:57 by Lee Smith |
yes it will no problem tomdoc, the K rating of the bulb makes no difference. |
| 08-03-2007 10:10 by tomdoc |
ok so ill just by a hetal halide floodlight and put in a arcadia bulb
cheers for all your help |
| 08-03-2007 11:10 by Alan |
You need the thermal cut out and a high pressure sodium ballast not the mercury ballast get the wrong ballast and you will get UV out put from the lights killing all your corals. |
| 08-03-2007 11:21 by Lee Smith |
alan thats rubbish, you cannot alter the light output of the bulb by fitting the wrong ballast.
it just makes the bulb flicker and shortens its life dramatically. make sure the unit has a safety glass screen to protect the bulb from any damage. if its sold as a metal halide unit you will have no problems. |
| 08-03-2007 13:25 by Alan |
Go ahead then lee and cause havoc this is not based on my experience but on research and effects noted.
Contact www.marine-lighting.co.uk if you want to discuss it they sell aquabays and the originals they sold were with mercury ballasts they had to change all of the ballasts because the frequency of the ballasts was causing the halides to emit UV bleaching corals and killing algae. But belive what you like Lee, one thing of note the ballasts control a chain reaction within the bulb with pulses and it is the corelation between the pulse rate and the bulbs which will influence to a certain extent the output get the pulses wrong and the out put will be wrong. |
| 08-03-2007 13:32 by BradsDad |
I have spend a lot of dosh on my tank and its contents, I wouldn't risk it just to save a few hundred on proper lights. I use T5's, but if i were upgrading to halides, I would use the aquabays. |
| 08-03-2007 14:10 by Lee Smith |
i would be very interested to read the research alan if you can let me know where i can find it please?
i have emailed marine lighting in the past about this, and they assured me unless the bulb outer glass was comprimised there is no chance of immiting stray uv light, as this too caused me great concern. the glass outershield is also designed to stop ALL harmfull UV light i also enquired a friend of mine who is a rep for Track lighting (a specialist theater and stage lighting company) who also said pretty much the same thing. He also directed me to read this http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/radhealth/products/urburns.html my ignitor failed in my unit about a year ago and bought one locally from a company called BEE JAY lighting supplies, they also told me the same thing on asking their technical personnel. if it was so easy to alter a bulbs characteristics by simply altering the pulse frequency why make so many different bulb types? bradsdad, aquabays are THE cheapy versions. |
| 08-03-2007 16:01 by tomdoc |
so lee .. what do you have at the mom // have you done it this way with a floodlight ? because im very confused now .. do i need a floodlight with a sodim ballast ? i no the one i have at the mom has a thermal cut out ? |
| 08-03-2007 16:19 by Lee Smith |
right mate this is the unit i bought, but it is heavy and large!
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/400W-METAL-HALIDE-FLOODLIGHT-WITH-LAMP-BULB_W0QQitemZ220087242489QQihZ012QQcategoryZ94941QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem if you want i will post a photo of it setup over my tank if it helps sodium ballasts and MH ballasts are the same thing mercury vapour ballasts are not suitable. if the floodlight is sold as a MH floodlight it will be ok, ensure it has a coverglass built in. Hope this helps. |
| 08-03-2007 19:49 by tomdoc |
ye if you could post a pic i would be gratefull .. please dont think i do no belive you but would be nice to see how i can fix it ect
cheers |
| 09-03-2007 00:39 by tomdoc |
lee just lookin on ebay will this one be ok ?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/150-Watt-Metal-Halide-Spot-Light-Lamp-Brand-New-Boxed_W0QQitemZ200086952243QQihZ010QQcategoryZ46314QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem |
| 09-03-2007 02:47 by Lee Smith |
yes i think they are good units, good price too. will post photo later as just got in from work (3 am) so be about dinner time
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| 09-03-2007 09:49 by Alan |
I'm not going to argue with you lee I can't be bothered but I know I'm right! |
| 09-03-2007 10:49 by Lee Smith |
so where is the research and effects noted?
yes i get that impression |
| 09-03-2007 11:41 by Lee Smith |
some photos tomdoc
 |
| 09-03-2007 11:44 by Lee Smith |
and another
 |
| 09-03-2007 11:46 by Lee Smith |
last one
 |
| 09-03-2007 11:48 by tomdoc |
looks great !! what kelvin bulb do you have ? |
| 09-03-2007 11:53 by Lee Smith |
everything grows at a nice steady rate, some of the soft corals are my own cuttings that have grown on. i now have twice as many turbo snails that i bought!
i don,t add any real suppliments as such just normal water changes and frozen food really. as yet not had any problems, except for a very clever mantis shrimp that i can not catch. one last bit of info: as far as i know nobody manufactures mercury vapour bulbs that are double ended, so the unit that you are looking at tomdoc must be solely for MH. |
| 09-03-2007 12:14 by Alan |
Lee trawl through previous threads on this subject I posted reams of links and supporting evidence I'm not doing it again because I spent hours doing it before and I can't be bothered! |
| 09-03-2007 13:29 by Lee Smith |
from memory there was one incident from a hobbyist, on a forum site called reef eden? not sure if this is correct site!
i have looked extensively to try and find a connection between light output charecteristics and ballasts used, and can find not one instance of a metal malide bulb that is intact and fitted with its safety glass immiting harmful UV. also seem to remember the chap new something was wrong because his light was excesively bright, HUGE problem there because UV light is not visible to humans! would seem more likely his bulb was broken, which is the only information that exists concerning safety information on UV been radiated by MH lamps, this is from the FDA governing body among other sources. |
| 09-03-2007 15:11 by Alan |
Its funny how you seem to pick the parts that suit you and forget the rest.
As I have said I have said my piece on this matter I am satisfied with my research and with that my contribution to the topic is over! |
| 09-03-2007 15:28 by Lee Smith |
good because i have not seen one piece of hard evidence to support what your point is?
my advice is based on talking at length to people directly involved in this field who have a great deal of knowledge and experience. forget what, i can not find anything to support any other view!!!! at the end of all this, advice is the only thing that is offered, i would never be so pompous as to actually tell people what to do. |
| 09-03-2007 15:30 by Lee Smith |
its a 20 000 k bulb, when it needs replacing will probably go for a 14 000 k instead, looks better for colour rendition i think. |
| 09-03-2007 15:39 by tomdoc |
ye seems very blue but nice |
| 09-03-2007 15:50 by Lee Smith |
its not actually as blue in real life, digital camera whight balance has made it look bluer!
mines a 400w version bulb is manufactured by radium. when you get lights sorted, just keep an eye on water temp, mine climbs slowly if i keep the feeding hatch shut, but open its fine. |
| 09-03-2007 16:06 by Alan |
Shut up lee everything I advise is based on my own research and extensive personal experience I don't come on here for abuse so take your middle finger and stick so far up your back side it starts poking out just behind you tongue.
I have had a hell of a day and you are the icing on the cake I spent a considerable amount of time researching this for my own purposes I made the info available on this website and I am not digging it all out again as stated above do a search of this site and dig it out yourself. As also stated above I can't be bothered. |
| 09-03-2007 16:24 by Lee Smith |
for some one who can't be bothered your paying it a great deal of attention!
yes i have read it this afternoon, some of it is not available any more eden reef thing seems to be unavalable? still absolutely no evidence regarding change in light output, strange if its so easy to mix up ballasts not more people have sun tans in workshops, gyms etc worldwide is it not. glad to see my tax isn't wasted employing you to spend so much time throughout your working day on this forum. perhaps been abusive is your style when you can't get your own way, i have a four year old so i understand. regardless of what mood or stress endured at work, i can still be civil to people. no doubt more abuse will follow. |
| 09-03-2007 18:00 by tomdoc |
lee .. by doing it your way there will be no uv escaping .. correct i dnt wna be uv-erlised ! lolol |
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