Light Shopping. Please help!

[OCDP]

Well, yet again I am thinking of upgrading lights. Does it ever end? Hopefully this is the last. I was going to go with an Aqualight Pro on my new 50g cube, but I have decided that I'd like to do 250w HQI instead.

My questions are... what's one of the better ballasts and pendants to use? Where's a good reliable, cheap (or fairly priced) online site to order from? I prefer to order in Canada, no US sites. Also, what kind of ballast would you use? I want to get a good 250w HQI setup.. I seen Will's (Willito) and I think he was using a 250w icecap in a PFO pendant.. with a 14k bulb.. It looked so awesome.

So, in a nutshell: What are good pendants and ballasts to choose from, Where would be best to order this from?

Thanks guys.
Scott

[mr_alberta]

A Sunlight supply Blue Wave 7 (dual M80 ballasts) in some Reef Optix 3++ pendants is a good choice. Another excellent pendant is the PFO mini pendant. If you want to go with SE bulbs on an M80 ballast, you can't beat the Lumenarc reflector (but it is HUGE) or the new Sunlight Supply Lumenmax (which has been getting really good reviews over on RC).

If you also want T-5's, you can try the Maristar fixtures by Sunlight Supply which use the Tek reflectors for the T-5 and the RO 3++ reflector for the MH.

Ocean Aquatics sells Sunlight Supply stuff, so there's a good place to start.

Also, PFO makes a really nice M80 ballast enclosure. I find it to be a little nicer than my Blue Wave ballast. Fit and finish seems better.

[OCDP]

Thanks ! I was looking at this on Ocean Aquatics.. and this looks to be pretty good?? Can anyone advise?? The price is pretty decent as well for an all in one package. http://oceanaquatics.com/view_product.php?product=HL-250Reefstar14K

Thanks again.

[TheReefGeek]

Depends on if you like the bulb in it or not.

[OCDP]

14k is what I was going for.. either that or 20k. The only concern I'd have is with the brand of bulb it comes with. Otherwise, would this be a good setup to use?

[mr_alberta]

I've read of some people having bad wiring with their Hamiltons. Not sure what generation of fixture that applies to though, but they were the Reef Star ones. Also, the reflector in those pendants aren't as good as the ones that come with the PFO or the SLS, but the ReefStar is a lot lower profile than either of those. Its too bad you weren't looking earlier, I just sold my pair of SLS pendants.

[OCDP]

Hmm, do you have links to some SLS pendants? I can't find any on Ocean Aquatics :neutral:

Also, I'm glad I am asking around about pendants, otherwise I would have grabbed that one for sure , without knowing any possible backround info on it... so thanks.

[Delphinus]

I have the pendent you linked to Scott, over my ritteri cube. I like it, and the light is fine enough. I would budget the replace the bulb in about 6 months, and then you can switch to any light you want.

Alternatively, you can probably talk to Wendell about ordering a different lamp with it if you really don't want the Hamilton 14k, I'm sure he'd work with you on that. Never hurts to ask, anyhow. But FWIW, I'm using that lamp, and I don't really have any issues with it. It "works for me."

[OCDP]

Cool, thanks Tony. That's all I am basically looking for.. something that "works for me" haha. I don't want/need to spend a fortune on it, it just needs to be reliable, have you ever run into any problems with yours Tony?? If they are pretty stable, reliable units.. I may further look into it

[Delphinus]

I've honestly had no issues with it whatsoever. I've been running it since December so I'm at the point where I'm thinking about replacing the lamp. (I want to replace it around 6 months, not because it's a Hamilton mind you, but because it's a 14k -- the 14k's have lower PAR to begin with so I find it's better to be proactive on replacing the bluer lamps sooner than, say, whiter lamps such as 10k).

I agree there are probably "better" reflectors out there but for what I wanted out of it, it's perfect. There's no heat transferred into the tank that I can tell, the light has decent spread and it's working to light my 30x30x30 cube all by itself without supplementation.

If you ever find yourself in the south end, just pay me a visit and see it in person. I know this is a bit tricky for you, but I'm just letting you know my door's open if you want. Nothing compares to seeing the real thing. If you can find someone with one of the other reflectors then you can compare which one you like better and so on.

[OCDP]

Thanks Tony.. very helpful. How do you like the Hamilton bulbs? Are you running 14k and if so.. do you like the colour of your tank? I have been wanting to go 14k for so long, so I am hoping Hamilton has somewhat decent 14k bulbs...

Thanks for the offer on checking it out, I just may take you up on that :) Appreciate it, my friend!

I am going to look around a bit more, ask a few more questions. I just need to sell my Aqualight Pro (knock on wood... pray to the reef gods) sometime soon in order to go through with this.. I don't know how I afford to keep up with this hobby, I really don't haha..

[Delphinus]

If you find anyone who can afford to keep up with the hobby, see if you can find out their secrets. :)

I do run it with the 14k. I find that it's a nice colour for running the lamp all by itself. The light right now is a little bit whiter than when it first started, so it has shifted a little (as I would expect it to unfortunately).

It's a little bit of a tall order to run the lamp by itself on a 30" tall tank. The edges, although not perceivable to the eye, have to be somewhat dimmer than the centre of the tank. However I have a few corals, such as my plate coral, that seem to appreciate the lower intensity in that zone.

If I wanted a bit more PAR out of the bulb I would probably go with a 10k but then I might need some actinic on the side to acheive the same overall look to the tank. Since I didn't really want to do that on this tank, I'm happy with the 14k. Basically it's a good compromise -- bluer than your average 10k, but less blue (and brighter) than your average 20k.

I seem to remember that at first, it seemed *really blue*. It did settle out after a few days into a more "crisp ice blue/white" colour.

[OCDP]

Awesome Tony, thanks once again. Overall, it doesn't sound like too bad bulb wise, and the unit itself sounds pretty decent. I guess it's moreso another waiting game for me... need to sell the old stuff first :razz:

Thanks again Tony, your always a big help.