this light or that

[Texreefer]

ok guys a little advice,,,, should i go with a dual 400w pfo eye ballast specifically made for Iwasakis(6500k). or a dual 400w pfo with 20,000k radiums... either will be suplimented by icecap 660 with three 4' vhos

[TexasState]

IMHO, Don't use 400W P*O ballast w/ Radium Bulbs. P*O over power the Radium, and shorten the life of the Radium Bulb.

IMHO, Don't buy the EYE ballast. You don't want to get stuck w/ a specialty ballast. You might get lucky and be able to burn 10K Ushio w/ an EYE ballast. But it's the luck of the straw.

[Chris]

If you're adding VHO actinics i'd say go with the Iwasaki's too. You'll get better growth rates with them and if you get another clam they'll enjoy it more.

[Texreefer]

what do you guys think about running Iwasakis on regular pfo ballasts

[Tim Marvin]

According to the article Chris sent out a while back Iwasaki are the second best bulb to use for coral growth. They came in narrowly behind the double ended bulb. I use 2 400 watt Iwasaki bulbs and they work great for me. I also use a 150 watt Giesemann on my corner tank and it is cooler as well as very good acropora growth. The Iwasaki's are much cheaper and can last 2 years vs 1 year recommended on the Giesemann. Giesemanns come in a very nice reflector/hood and a remote ballast on long cords. The PFO will hum a little at start-up, but if you are looking for cost savings the Iwasaki is the way to go.
Just my experience.
Tim

[Tim Marvin]

That is a fact Joshua! I use 2 400 watt Bluelines. I did run the blueline bulbs last year and liked them. This year I am running Iwasaki and they fired right up plus they are a little brighter and whitter than the PFO that I had. Energy cost went up substantially when I turned on the PFO. I think the blueline is pretty efficient.

[TexasState]

Tim's tank look good w/ the Blueline. The thing w/ Blueline is that if the ballast break down, it can't easily be repaired. If it's under warranty, and the ballast is in stock, you can get a replacement. If it's out of warranty, might as well toss it out of the window. In the past, Blueline has been known to be out of stock for a long time.

Have you look into Icecap's Electronic Ballast?

As for the HQI, the 10K bulb could last around 16 months or more at 8 hrs. a day. But if you're a hard core SPS reefer, then replaceme every 12 months.

[Texreefer]

looks like i might be going with the Iwasakis........can't afford blueline e-ballast

[Chris]

Actually I remember there was some article a few years ago comparing the cost savings of the blueline vs a PFO ballast. The savings in your electric bill would take 3 or 4 years before the costs would even out due to the higher initial cost of the e-ballast. I don't think you would be saving so much unless you're looking for a really longterm investment. In 4 years though who knows what new product will come out. We might have some better bulbs that put out the same intensity at half the wattage. :?

[Chris]

I'll start searching for it.

[TexasState]

I remember that 3 years recoup too. But ofcourse I didn't listen to it then b/c I already have an electronic MH ballast on hand.


In 4 years though who knows what new product will come out. We might have some better bulbs that put out the same intensity at half the wattage.

I'm getting T5 Florescent in.

From Bluesreef on RC:

T5 Off
http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?s=&postid=648056
T5 On
http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?s=&postid=648060

"In the pix [below] 400 w HQI is on the left side and 320w in T5 light is in the right side."
http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?s=&postid=648066

The tank above was being run by HQI at first. He tested out the T5 on the right side to see if it work. After the test, he switched the whole tank over to T5. He's been running the whole tank w/ T5 for about a year now.

All the picture above are of European tank. I'm going to overdrive my T5 w/ my Icecap 660 Ballast. So, it might get brighter then those European tanks.
You can make a light hood like the above out of Textured ABS. You can buy ABS from acrylic shop. It should make for a good group project!!!!

[TexasState]

I was going to setup a high flow experimental reef tank. But yesterday, my roommate complained that the electricity bill in our apartment is too high ($89 this month, $80 last month.) So, I'm bummed w/ the lack of roommate support right now. He said his house in San Antonio only cost $45 per month in electricity.

I was going to setup my tank like this:

80 Gallon Tank/Stand/Canopy
Light
2X T5 65K
2X T8 Actinic Blue
1x T12 URI Super Actnic
Circulation
Mag 12 return w/ two 3/4 inch Sea Swirls(about 900 GPH)
Reeftec PE1(about 3K to 5K GPH.)
Caulerpa Ecosystem Sump
Precision Marine HOT-1 Skimmer

I can get SPS from several friends.

Since my roommate is complaining about electricity, I might just set it up as a planted tank(free plants from the San Marcos River.)

[TexasState]

Until now, we keep the temp of the apartment at 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

I used to live on the 3rd floor, facing the sun, electricity was around $120 w/ a 29 gallon reef, and 60 gallon fish. Now that I'm on the bottom floor, behind a big tree, electricity has gone down a lot. I try to explain that to my roommate yesterday. The location of our apartment has lowered the electricity bill. When I quit reefing in June, I told him that I was going to get a big screen HDTV. But then, I setup a 120 instead, so I guess he's feeling a little sored b/c the plan for the HDTV had to be cancelled.