Please, I NEED your advice on this MH pendant!!!!

[OCDP]

Okay, well after a little thinking and listening to my parents lecture me on all these things I keep changing on my tank... I need to reconsider a new light... a light I very much so want. I thank you all very much in advance for your help..

It's coming from Beermaster, and I just want input and advice from all you reefers, becauseyou may have more experience with lighting and maybe more experience in the buying/trading/selling hardware online, etc.. I am new to it all..

So I will be trading a brand new 2x65w PC fixture with 2 moon lights, and a couple little BTA clones, and in return I recieve a 175w MH pendant with either 11000 or 14000k bulb (possibly a brand new bulb as well) .. I was given some photos, and I'd like you all to take a look and give me your thoughts, my parents first reaction was "ew thats not nearly as nice as your aqualights upstairs" :razz: hahaha , it's not about looks... either way, they were concerned about small things, like rust on the ballast, (small amounts....) do you notice anything wrong with this? do you think this is a good idea? I can't go and see it personally because he's up by edmonton sooo..... it's up to YOU guys to help me decide... otherwise I am going for it.

on with the pics>
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v213/OCDP2005/MH_pendant_006.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v213/OCDP2005/MH_pendant_002.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v213/OCDP2005/MH_pendant_004.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v213/OCDP2005/MH_pendant_003.jpg


REALLY appreciate your guys's help...

[danny zubot]

Your are right, its really about looks. Better educate your parents on proper reef keeping. IMO, have him throw in a new bulb. :biggrin:

[OCDP]

hehe... it bugs me so much that my parents even have to have a say in this... but i guess if a hole is going in their cieling.. then they can have some say. heh.

if a new bulb is put in you think i should go for it?
how abotu that rust on the ballast? bad sign? i relaly wouldn't know, as i know nothing about ballasts really...

[danny zubot]

Purely ethstetic, nothing a little sand paper and paint can't fix. I'm not a lighting guru though, maybe wait for a second opinion.

[OCDP]

Yeah, that's what my first thought was.... I mean, in reality this is an insane deal, correct? I would almost be stupid to pass this up, and I just happen to be looking for exactly this. I would definitely get rid of the rust and such... who likes rust.

[bluetang]

I personally am not a fan of the Bell Pendent. IF feel the light is to concentrated on one area and doesnt probertly flood the tank with light like the new ones.

[OCDP]

the tank size is 20g, would this be less of a problem because of that? I know not many people are fans of this type of pendant, but isn't it possible to always change that in the future to a newer, horizontal pendant?

I figure this pendant over a shallow 20g should be not too bad in dispersing the light.

:question: :question:

[bluetang]

20g..... You should be good :biggrin:

[Bob I]

Having owned Bell Pendants, I would strongly advise getting one. There are a couple of reasons.
#1 - The bulb is mounted vertically in a white reflector, which I found gives very poor light dispersion.
#2 - The above mentioned white reflector is a poor reflector.
#3 - you won't get the shimmering effect we all like so much.

All in all I did not in any way like bell pendants. I myself use horizontal pendants made by PFO. I like them a whole lot better. I got them from Premium Aquatics. The price was $129.00 US + $25.00 for shipping + $5.00 handling + $11.00 GST if I remember correctly. :biggrin:

[OCDP]

hm, so it's sounding like not a good choice? it's either 175w of MH bell pendant lighting, or 2x65w PC's .... and i am not getting enough "bang" from the PC's anymore. They dont do it for me.

[OCDP]

The price was $129.00 US + $25.00 for shipping + $5.00 handling + $11.00 GST if I remember correctly. :biggrin:

So that would be about 300, 350 for the pendant. Same prices almost everywhere :eek: I was going to be doing a trade, thats why it wasnt an issue, I can't afford that haha.

[Willow]

Having owned Bell Pendants, I would strongly advise getting one. There are a couple of reasons.


so you mean not get one then?

[OCDP]

haha I would assume so.. he's quite AGAINST them. :smile:

Hey bob, you should just trade me yours? :razz: ahhhh I was looking forward to those lights.. but if bell pendants are not that good, then I will stick with my PC's ... damn, almost had the halides!

[Beermaster]

Well you could also see if yould find a reflector and mount this horizontally over the tank instead if that is an option?


talk to dez, he is into making reflectors :D

It dont matter to me, i just want your BTA's :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

[OCDP]

Yeah, that is an option.. but how? haha I am so not DIY .. and nto that smart when it comes to those types of things. Maybe I will PM Dez then.

No one seen.. but if this is going over a 20g tank... the bell pendant must be ok?

[AJ_77]

What is the exact ballast inside that case? And which brand bulbs do you want to run (are they made to burn vertically as well as horizontally)? Some won't burn very well, if at all, in that position.

And Bob has a point about the reflector. Sounds like you might need to think this through a little better. We've all jumped at what we thought was the next best thing for our tanks, only to find that we were no further ahead.

A small MH would be great, providing you're able to deal with the stability issues (increased evaporation, salinity swings, water quality). Then again, 2 PC tubes in 55 or 65W should be OK. If your bulbs are pooched get some new ones...

[OCDP]

haha so much more to consider than i would have ever thought... for a 20g tank though guys .... is a bell pendant going to be THAT bad?? i could see if someone had a 40 or so and was wanting a bell pendant, then they would not be as efficient. But I only have a 20g tank, would a bell pendant not suffice?

My next only option is to build a horizontal pendant.

I do not know any of the above asked questions either.

[OCDP]

which brand bulbs do you want to run (are they made to burn vertically as well as horizontally)? Some won't burn very well, if at all, in that position.

We've all jumped at what we thought was the next best thing for our tanks, only to find that we were no further ahead.

A small MH would be great, providing you're able to deal with the stability issues (increased evaporation, salinity swings, water quality). Then again, 2 PC tubes in 55 or 65W should be OK. If your bulbs are pooched get some new ones...

Ok now that I am home I can respond a little better here , I don't have a specific brand name bulb in my head that I want to run, as I have no experience with any... something decent, wont break the bank, but fairly decent quality wise... I never knew that some bulbs wont burn horizontaly or vertically (i have also never heard of anyone saying this , nor have I read anything about this yet) So that's new to me.

The whole point of me putting up this thread was to get exactly this type of input, so I don't jump at what I think is the next best thing... why do you think I have the thread up? :mrgreen: (you guys are just so smart....heh) But as far as I can see, the biggest issue as of right now , is that it's a bell pendant, big whoop.... can't I find a reflector down here, and wire it up (may have bulb problems?) orrr..... like I have tried to find an answer to for some time, a 175w bell pendant over a, let's SAY 50, or 40 gallon tank, might not be as nice as it would be over a shallow 20g tank.... correct? Do you think that this would change things at all? I mean exactly HOW bad does it look? haha


Lastly, I am aware of the stability issues, the temperature swings (will have to buy clip-on fans) .. The evaporation, I will just have to be more prepared, having a full bucket of top-off water ready to go, changing it daily. The salinity swings are not an issue if I am topping off daily. What exactly do you mean by "water quality" ? As in, nuisance algae growth from the switch? I am unclear. My bulbs are brand new... my fixture is brand new, the thing is, I had planned on upgrading before my little accident with my old fixture, I was just in such a panic and rush to get some lights over my tank that it didn't cross my mind to upgrade, so I just went and got the same thing again (DOH!) ... anyhow, it's not that the bulbs are pooched.. it's that tube lighting aint cuttin it for me anymore, I want the look of halides, no other lights will do that for me, and I just happen to find exactly what I was looking for... that's why I am making a big fuss out of this.

hahah hows that for a post

[AJ_77]

here:

get the pendant, hang it nice and high. (you know you want it)

no heat issues.

[OCDP]

hah... just that simple hey?

[megatron_55]

Your tank is pretty small so the pendant would do okay . . . its about personal preference in your case tho . . . (do you want one hanging from the ceiling that can pretty much keep any coral u desire or just a nice light setup that looks good and keep softies/ some lps??) If you want sps and more light demanding corals/inverts then yah go for it otherwise ur current light setup is good enuff . . In my experience . . . I got one of those hamilton pendants . . . didn't really look good hanging . . . I hated it at first .. . *cords everywhere* but after I made a custom canopy for it looked tight . . . (costed me about $7 for the wood that i used. . . and some hard work . . . not alot tho' :biggrin: ) the custom canopy that I made also allowed me to put 2 T5 bulbs so that I can have a dawn to dusk effect . . . anyhow nuff said

here's a before and after shot of my lighting system

Before is a 2x92 watt PC (1 bulb actinic 1 bulb 10,00k) from CORALIFE . . . like yours

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/505/1449canreef_update_2.JPG

Now (really bad picture sorry) . . . a hamilton hanging fixture enclosed in a custom canopy that I made . . . it consists of 1x250 watt DE MH 10,000k supplemented by 2xT5 HO for actinics . . . Now my tank actually looks like the one's in the store . . . so clear!! (but again, the picture isn't that clear so hard to tell)

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/1449canreef_full2.JPG

since I upgraded in lights I also I upgraded in my corals and now I can keep alot of colorful acro's and some maxima clams that I couldn't keep before . . .

Here's a closer pic

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/1449canreef_update_front.JPG

HoPe that helps with your decision!! :mrgreen:

[OCDP]

Thanks for your input! I thought I had made a decision.. but now I am still deciding... I will keep you guys updated.