DE vs SE setups.

[JasonJ]

im lookin to buy a pendant for my new cube tank.
just wondering the difference in performance between the 2.
this will be my first my MH setup.
thanks.

[JasonJ]

...anyone??

[marcingo]

I prefer double ended. To me they just appear to be much brighter. They also use electronic ballasts I believe which are quieter. I also believe double ended are less power consuming then single ended. Some also say that double ended bulbs last longer.

Also I have noticed that my bulbs (DE) do not heat up my water at all- they are 5 inches above the water while I know the SE do give off lots of heat. I am not sure though if higher wattage DE give off much more heat than mine my are only 150watt.

This are just conclusions that I came from from all the reading I have done and from what others have told me. Also About the brightness I have come to that conclusion from seeing stronger single ended bulbs in a tank and double ended.

As you can probably imagine- my lights at home are double ended bulbs.

But as Chin Lee says it is a topic that you have to research yourself and ultimately choose whichever type you like better there is tons of people using both DE and SE.

[Chin_Lee]

this topic is not easy to give a response to. It is based on a lot of personal preferences and individual setups. It is probably best to conduct this research on your own by searching other reef related websites or you can read through the articles at http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=45

Its a very general statement but DE are smaller and slimmer, need less room, reflectors are smaller and more compact giving a more intensed focused lightspread.
SE are bigger, bulkier, require more room to install reflectors and moguls, reflectors are larger giving a more spread-out lightspread.
They both need specific ballasts according to the bulbs you want to use.

But thats a very general statement. If you are trying to make an informed decision, my best suggestion is to look at other peoples setups and make the decision based on what you see and like.

[WWWD]

I like the DE pendant setups, the electronic ballasts are small and quiet. I think you might have a hard time finding SE pendants these days. AquaMedic make a really nice series of HQI pendants called Ocean Light, they are pretty cheap and look nice.

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/aquamedic/am-ocean.jpg

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=AM-75011&Category_Code=Oceanlight-p

[Samw]

There should be 2 or 3 threads on this. Given the same ballast and bulb brand and color temp, the SE will give slightly higher PAR. The advantage of the DE is size.

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=13604

Try it out for yourself.

http://www.reeflightinginfo.arvixe.com/select2lamp.php

Pick the same watt (ex. 250W), the same manufacturer (ex. Ushio or XM), the same ballast (example PFO HQI 250W). Then on one side, pick Single Ended (Ex. 10K SE), and on the other side, pick Double Ended with the same color temp (Ex 10K DE). Pick either shield or non shielded. Click submit.

Example output:

250W Icecap Ballast
10K Ushio SE: 85 PPFD
10K Ushio DE Shielded: 65 PPFD
10K Ushio DE Not Shielded: 78 PPFD

250W PFO HQI Ballast
10K XM SE: 182 PPFD
10K XM DE Shielded: 109 PPFD
10K XM DE Not Shielded: 136 PPFD

250W PFO HQI Ballast
10K AB SE: 130 PPFD
10K AB DE Shielded: 104 PPFD
10K AB DE Not Shielded: 128 PPFD

[StirCrazy]

SE on the same set up will give a brighter light over a larger area, but like said befor more bulky. DE is for people with limited room. My recomendation is to always try to go with a good SE set up (This will save you money and give you more light) and if that won't work then look at a DE set up.

Steve

[StirCrazy]

Given the same ballast and bulb brand and color temp, the SE will give slightly higher PAR.

Example output:

250W Icecap Ballast
10K Ushio SE: 85 PPFD
10K Ushio DE Shielded: 65 PPFD
10K Ushio DE Not Shielded: 78 PPFD

250W PFO HQI Ballast
10K XM SE: 182 PPFD
10K XM DE Shielded: 109 PPFD
10K XM DE Not Shielded: 136 PPFD

250W PFO HQI Ballast
10K AB SE: 130 PPFD
10K AB DE Shielded: 104 PPFD
10K AB DE Not Shielded: 128 PPFD

Considering a DE bulb should never be run "Unshielded" the SE will give significantly more, not slightly more, PAR output.

Steve

[Psyire]

SE on the same set up will give a brighter light over a larger area, but like said befor more bulky. DE is for people with limited room. My recomendation is to always try to go with a good SE set up (This will save you money and give you more light) and if that won't work then look at a DE set up.

Steve

I agree 100% with this comment. My 250w SE setup with Electronic Ballasts and Lumenarc III reflectors will out do almost all (if not all) 250w DE setups.