who is running 250 watt, Iwasaki 6500K bulbs

[StirCrazy]

ok I am looking at buying two 250 watt, Iwasaki 6500K bulbs, now from what I have been reading the MT250DL/BH-E39/41 runs best on a MV ballast and the MT250DL/BH-E39/41"R" runs best on the MH ballast. now I can get the non "R" for about 80 to 90 bucks a bulb so I am thinking of going with this one but I need to know which MV ballast to use and do I need to do anything else to it?

please corect me if my assumptions on the bulbs are wrong as all the info I have been finding is vauge and you kinda have to read between the lines.. the best thing would be to hear from some one running the non "R" bulbs on a MV ballast.

Steve

[Aquattro]

"No way", says Steve...."I don't need no stinkin' metal halides", says Steve!!

Change your mind??? images/smiles/icon_razz.gif

[StirCrazy]

um.. er.. a friend wants to know.. ya thats it images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif

Steve

[StirCrazy]

Standard Products Inc.
103A-81 Golden Drive
Coquitlam, BC V3K 6R2
CANADA
Phone: 604-945-4550
Fax: 604-945-9019

They are a authorized EYE distributer and would probably be able to give a way better price on the MH bulbs than anyone else. Maby some one close could check it out?

Steve

[ 20 February 2002: Message edited by: StirCrazy ]</p>

[Silverfish]

Hey Steve, I am running a 250 Iwasaki on a PFO eye ballast. Got all of it from J&L, and it works great.

[StirCrazy]

Bruce, which bulbs the "r" or the non "r", and is that a MV or a MH ballast? oh check you e-mail also hehe

Steve

[Silverfish]

It is the R bulb, I don't know for sure, but I think that the non-R is not as white in color. It may have some other arguments against it as well.
The ballast is model AQI-250, I think it may be MH.

[christyf5]

Hey whats with this R thing? I just got a new set of bulbs from J&L and they both have the R on the box. I don't like them as much as the old bulbs. They look strange to me. They make my tank look too sterile (even with all the algae images/smiles/icon_razz.gif ). I guess its just too much white. Is this something new?


Christy images/smiles/icon_smile.gif

BTW, Steve, where are you finding these non-R bulbs for 80-90 bucks each?

[ 22 February 2002: Message edited by: christyf5 ]</p>

[StirCrazy]

they were at albrite.. all gone now thought.. I am checking into getting more. It would seam some one went in and bought them all hehe...

Steve

[reefburnaby]

Iwaski is a big lighting company (sort of like GE lighting of the Orient). So, you may want to phone other lighting shops and see if you can get them there.

- Victor.

[DJ88]

The R designation is for the newest version of the 6500K iwasaki. It allows the bulb to burn at a higher Kelvin. Or to appear more white. R stands for resistor.

[Reefmaster]

darren
i'm not sure i understand -- the 6500K refers to the theoretical temp that we all know about. if the R does refer to resistor and allows the lamps to run at higher temp, then i wonder if would it then be called an 8000k or a 10,000k? also, higher than 6500k in my eye becomes more blue, at least with the 400W we run.
as i posted yesterday and i expect you know, but for others, the 6500k iwasaki was reportedly designed as a conversion lamp for MV, and when redesigned to properly run on MH they added the R designation.
shane

[DJ88]

Shane,

It runs slightly higher at about 7000K now. THEy have kept the original name so as to not confuse I imagine. The new resistor allows it to run more efficiently.

And the R is for resistor. I'll go get the thread on RC where it is brought up. Or it may have been on Fishnet.

[ 23 February 2002: Message edited by: DJ88 ]</p>

[DJ88]

ok.. here is the quote from RC. the article about the 250W Iwasaki and the R rating is in the magazineit is actually the 2002 Marine & Fish Reef annual.

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>This very topic was just covered in the 2002 edition of Marine Fish and Reef USA Magazine. Which indicates that the "R" designation denotes the new carbon resitor but also goes on to say the new resistor is responsible for a better light than before. Actual kelvin value on the 6500K bulb goes from 6535 to 7660 so the bulbs appear less yellow than before.
I use them and wasn't aware of the change in the bulb however the new does appear much more blue than the old. Good Luck

<hr></blockquote>

[StirCrazy]

Darren, could this R have been created to adress the problems when running it on a MH ballast? aparently the main effect of running the 6500 Iwasaki's on a MH ballast was a decrease in color temp compared to running them in a MV ballast. also the higher starting power of the MH ballast decreased the life of the bulb. so by adding a resister they might have lowered the starting power going to the bulb solving that problem and bumped up the color a bit so when run on a MH ballast it won't look like a 5000K.

I am not positive on this yet i am waiting for a e-mail from eye internation which will clear this up, but from reading between the lines and readign what people say this could be a accurat guess.

In that article you refered to in the 2002 anual they only tested the new bulb and it preformed better on a MH ballast than the MV ballast. the old bulb in every test and trial was more blue and had more par on a MV ballast as aposed to the MH ballast. they do have a new section lables "aquarium" in there product catagorys now. I suspect that is the new "r" type bulb, even thouht there is no mention of a "r" bulb anywhare on there site.

oh your numbers are for the 400watt bulb, the 250 went from a color temp of 6707K, to 7211K (thats why you probably hardley noticed it.)

Steve

[ 23 February 2002: Message edited by: StirCrazy ]</p>

[DJ88]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quoteoh your numbers are for the 400watt bulb, the 250 went from a color temp of 6707K, to 7211K (thats why you probably hardley noticed it.)

Steve,

Thank you oh so much for informing me of my lack of literary skills. Concidering I don't have a copy of the annual here and that I quoted a thread on RC I don't see how I could make the mistake you so thanklessly pointed out. The numbes quoted were a close approximation to show the difference between the original to the newer 'R'designation of Iwasaki bulbs.

[StirCrazy]

Sorry Darren,
I knew you use the bulbs and I thought the

"I use them and wasn't aware of the change in the bulb however the new does appear much more blue than the old. Good Luck"

was you talking... the impression I got is that you were quoting your own post from somewhare else. I do know you use the bulbs, but did you ever use the non "r" bulbs?

in the 400 watt bulbs is ~1100K which would be a huge difference in look, but the difference in the 250 watt bulbs is only 500K ..this is what I am curious about.. how noticeable is 500K difference? and how hard is it to compensate for it with a couple actinic bulbs.

Steve