Dual Lights

[Nano_Steve]

alright folks,

im finally financially sound enough to be in the market for an mh setup but i want to buy it piece by piece so i know im buying the right stuff.

first on the list would be a ballast:

im lookin for a good dual ballast upwards of the 250 watt range. each lamp will be over its own 15 gallon tank so i dont wanna go too high(i.e. 400 watt)

ive been looking at hellolights.com for a bit and they have some alright ballasts but i dont see any dual ballasts, i might be looking in the wrong section???

any help or suggestions would be fantastic! id really appreciate it too.

thanks all, steve

ps i guess the main purpose of this post is for feedback if anyone in the group has a dual ballast and how they have their's setup/does it works as well as hoped? but also with a question of where to find the best deal as well. :-D had to clarify so super moderator doesnt boot me to the wtb section

[alexwolf]

I have one!!! PFO, just like I posted somewhere else........
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=PA&Product_Code =PFO250D&Category_Code=PFOballast
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=PA&Product_Code =PFO-RSAMED&Category_Code=Sockets

[Nano_Steve]

alex,

that ballast is awesome! im wondering, is there a way to hook pendants up to that ballast or does it matter at all? the way i want to set up my tanks is a back to back dual 15 gallon which will be plumbed together, one housing my existing reef tank inhabitants and the other housing my second try at keeping lionfish with a bunch of macroalgaes.

[Tim Marvin]

Step it up a notch and run the DE halides. This will keep down the heating issues with the moguls. Here is the top of the line PFO/HQI pulse start ballast assemble for most DE halides. A little more pricey, but worth every penny.

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=PA&Product_Code =PFO250DHQI&Category_Code=PFOballast

[alexwolf]

You know, I have never tried DE bulbs. CAn those be integrated into a canopy without a pendant?

[Nano_Steve]

tim,

thats exactly what i think im looking for. we had chatted awhile back about mh setups and i had said i was looking for pendant options, i remember u saying something about these de bulbs. what sort of pendant can i use with this ballast? is there a place that sells each part separately?

thanks a heap buddy, steve

[brewercm]

Yes, you can place them directly into a canopy but you need to include some sort of UV shield for DE bulbs. This might mean having to place a sheet of UV glass over the tank or some way of getting the shielding.

[Nano_Steve]

well i plan to have a completely closed in system, so i was gonna put glass tops on each tank but i want to have pendants hanging from the ceiling rather than a canopy so i can regulate cooling easier. ive seen some really nice pfo pendants but they are sold with the ballast and everything and id rather have 2 pendants running off one ballast, do yall know of a place that sells just the pendants?

thanks again all, steve