Something to share

[mv3i]

Barracuda and rrrobt got the 150w 20000k saki, the rest dunno how to tell ...

hi barracuda and rrrobt ,

can show pics of your 150w 20k sakis ????

also are they SE or DE ?? or do yhey have both ??

[Phang]

Frustration.... different comments everywhere....

worse scenario..... go sakis all the way and get a yellow reef..... hehehehhhh....

[pet]

I would like to add my experience with the 6500K, 20KK and 50KK Iwasaki, I believe all these are petty good products and you wil go wrong with it for your reef health. My experience is limited to Iwasaki, so I wouldn't comment on other brand. For the yellowish spectrum thru the 6500K, you can replce the filter glass on your pendant, by buying a replacement bluish tinted glass cut to your dimension. You can try Sun SUn glass at Tagore Lane, but make sure you check the % of tint and UV cut from the glass. A thineer glass will have less dispersion, allowing a more focus intensity that's what MH is for.

The 20KK is a very good product. It's bluish in color -looking direct, but thru the glass+water it appear white, a lower PAR, but I believe still better than the competition. BTW I've tested on my 1.5 inch to 6.6 inch clam for over 1 mths period and have notice significant outer shell growth.

I wrote to a fellow reefer in US and he's been trying out a standalone 50KK - 150W X4 over his 4ft X 4ft X 2.5 ft tank(8inch Plenum{sand + egg crate}) - SPS + Clam and he has reported NO difference in growtrh rate of both Invertbrates and SPS over the pass 9 mths. Review has been positive, he using Ushio X3 + Iwasaki 6500K X2 in the pass.

Just a FYI, Any reefers out there using 50KK? I

[pospeh]

Oops.......

Anyone wants to comment on this????

Pospeh?

BTW, Spiff, what ballast are u using on your ABs????

Phang, maybe the problems are related to the ballasts that were used.

The ABs, irrespective of whether SE or DE, or designed for use with pulse start magnetic ballasts.

I heard that electronic ballasts will work, but the regular probe start ballasts just won't do the job.

[Achilles Tang]

My opinion,

The Iwasaki 20ks do not have any spectral charts and info available and no one knows the PAR and PUR values of this bulb yet. It's good to know all this coz we want to know if our corals can thrive under these lights... not just because we like how it looks.

Hopefully that will change the week after next when Bernard from Eye returns from Japan with this info.

The bulb still looks very blue to me compared to 10ks.

There is info on the 50k bulbs and they have nice spikes in the right spectrum. They do look very purple though.

I was thinking they could be an alternative to radiums but they need other bulbs to balance out the colour.

[victorp]

Another something to share with everyone here - I just bought a Lanzini Olympia 3 (Made in Italy) 150W Metal Halide Lamp & Fitting. For SGD145.00 + GST, you get a professionally done fitting with mounting bracket, magnetic ballast, igniter, capacitor, and a normal Phillips 150W MH bulb. This was purchased from Kum Eng Huat Electric Co Pte Ltd at Block 633 Veerasamy Road #01-134, Rowell Court, Singapore 200633, Telephone No. 6298-6688. I have not purchased their bulb for marine aquarium as I am not sure which brand to purchase. Theirs is Sylvania 10,000K for SGD120.00 + GST or KEH 17,000K for SGD135.00 + GST. Please request for a change of reflector to a mirrored one.

Here is a picture of the packaging box (please pardon the images from a web-cam):

[victorp]

Here is the Lanzini Olympia 3 with the normal Phillips 150W MH bulb; I have no idea what are the caps for (the red thingy):

[victorp]

Oops! Here is *the* Lanzini Olympia 3:

[victorp]

The Lanzini Olympia 3 with the tempered glass flipped open:

[Phang]

Phang, maybe the problems are related to the ballasts that were used.

The ABs, irrespective of whether SE or DE, or designed for use with pulse start magnetic ballasts.

I heard that electronic ballasts will work, but the regular probe start ballasts just won't do the job.

Hmmmm, the Ushio also requires a pulse start ballast from the infor that you Pm me with....

So now what......????

Cos I was thinking of a Ushio as an alternative to the AB.....

[victorp]

Close-up View One of the innards:

[victorp]

Close-up View Two of the innards:

[victorp]

Now, the only problem is how I should mount the lamp...should I drill hole on the wall and mount it, or drill hole in the ceiling and use chains to mount it like a pendant?

[BarraCudaTM]

this kind of reflector will beam everything down, the area covered may be too small .. you may want to raise the light higher to cover more area

[mv3i]

bro , y not get the pendent type ???

[Phang]

Need some information on this....

1) difference between pulse and probe start ballast...

2) are the pulse start available locally..??

3) Can Ushios run on Standard ballast without problems???

Oh Boy, this probing into MH technical stuff's driving me up the wall......

always thought they were plug and play.....

Now its more than jus plugging....... <_<

I'm thinking of changing my current 400Ws Bluelines/ intended Radiums into 250Ws Ushios........

going for a setup of Ushios/Sakis/Ushios.....

Anyone wants 400W ballast???

[robe]

Almost all MH ballast sold in Singapore are of the German pulse start ballast which is the same as a HPS ballast. The ballast used n the US are seldom brought in unless somebody bought lighting fixtures from the US. In terms of lighting technology Europeans are more advance.

As long as your MH lamps are German made you can't go wrong with HPS/MH ballast & igniter combination. Vossloh Schwabe, Osram and Magnetek ballast are reliable.

[pospeh]

Need some information on this....

1) difference between pulse and probe start ballast...

2) are the pulse start available locally..??

3) Can Ushios run on Standard ballast without problems???

Oh Boy, this probing into MH technical stuff's driving me up the wall......

always thought they were plug and play.....

Now its more than jus plugging.......

I'm thinking of changing my current 400Ws Bluelines/ intended Radiums into 250Ws Ushios........

going for a setup of Ushios/Sakis/Ushios.....

Anyone wants 400W ballast???

1) the main difference is an igniter. There are also some minor differances in the capacitor. In other words, you cant get a cheap probe start and buy an igniter and expect it to turn into a pulse start ballast.

2) Pulse start will work, but they don't quite match the voltage required by Eurpoean bulbs. But optimally, you should be looking for M-80 ballasts (sometimes called HQI ballasts) for your single end 250 watt bulbs. The M-80 ballasts have igniters, but they are ot exactly the same as a run of the mill igniter ballast. All brand-name MH hoods from Europe are running on the ANSI coded ballasts, so I would think you can find them locally. Otherwise, you can also go for electronic ballasts. Those work too.

3) Ushios will work on standard ballasts. The Ushios (the U.S. version of BLV) have been modified so that they run on standard magnetic ballasts (the M-58s). The difference is (supposedly) that an extra electrode has been added to the stock version European BLV bulb (which has only two electrodes so it needs an igniter), so no need for igniter.

The ABs, on the other hand, have not been modified, so they will require the M-80 ballasts.

[Phang]

Robe,

I'm using a 400w ballast... called ATCO and made in Australia.... stated also as a HPS Ballast...

Is that alright???

Capacitors and Ignitors are from Germany....

And I would assume Osram, Radiums, Ushio/BLVs and AB Aqualines are germany made bulbs therfore rendering them available to be used on the ballast available????

[Phang]

3) Ushios will work on standard ballasts. The Ushios (the U.S. version of BLV) have been modified so that they run on standard magnetic ballasts (the M-58s). The difference is (supposedly) that an extra electrode has been added to the stock version European BLV bulb (which has only two electrodes so it needs an igniter), so no need for igniter.

I don't need a igniter for this?????

[robe]

Phang,

All German MH lamps require igniter to work. 4.2 KV is usually for 150w and probably 250w, 400w will probably require 6 KV igniter. Ask the electrical shop for the matching igniter for the respective ballast size.

HPS and HQI ballast are the same unless bulb manufacturer tells you to use another type.

[Phang]

Phang,

All German MH lamps require igniter to work. 4.2 KV is usually for 150w and probably 250w, 400w will probably require 6 KV igniter. Ask the electrical shop for the matching igniter for the respective ballast size.

HPS and HQI ballast are the same unless bulb manufacturer tells you to use another type.

Robe, tot the 4.5kV ignitors are for 250s and 400s......

Have not come across a 6kV ignitor yet.....

[pospeh]

I dont know what kind of naming games the manufacturers do with the products, but it seems to me that HPS are HQI are not the same thing, at least definitionally.

HPS = High Pressure Sodium (i.e., ballast for sodium lamps that produces very yellow light)

HQI = Trademark of Osram for High Quartz Iodine (i.e, ballasts for eurpoean made MH bulbs requiring igniter)

[Tanzy]

It's the Americans who confused it all up! They call all ballasts that can fire up an Euro spec bulb HQI ballasts.

[piero]

Anyone knows where I can get custom made UV glass for my DE blubs??