Lights

[nate9]

i have been looking for some time now at lights for my 150g tank which for a while will only be live rock and some very non-needy inverts like feather dusters but later down the road i will probly like to have some corals.(not the very light needy sps or anything just some zoo's and stuff) i was wondering what you advice on how many watts i need or any certain brands or models of lights that you guys like. also

-i have found very cheap indoor garden lights with 1000w ballasts for a very good price but i know they dont come with the right kind of bulb so i looked and i cant seem to find a 1000w bulb anywhere that is the right kind so if anyone has seen one could you tell me.

-also could i just buy like a 400w bulb for that 1000w ballast and it would be ok or would it blow the bulb up?



Thanks for any help

 

[Aquascaper]

I'm assuming your talking about Halides here if not, that's what you should be getting

To answer you're question, a 1000w ballast will run:

1 x 1000w bulb
2 x 500w bulbs
4 x 250w bulbs
6 x 150w bulbs

(as long as the bulbs are wired in series)

It is not recommended to run multiple bulbs off a single ballast and you will find that, the more bulbs wired up, the more likelyhood there is of one or more bulbs not lighting. As long as the total wattage does not exceed the ballasts capbability, or falls below 100w it should run fine. If you exceed the ballasts capability the bulb will burn out very quickly and will not produce the spectrum indicated, if the bulb falls below the capability it may simply not ignite.

Cheap Halides are commonly called Aquabay, Lowbay & Growbay units. They are not very pretty but do a damn good job of lighting your tank for a fraction of the cost of an aquarium pendant unit. The bulbs supplied with them are useless and will need replaced but the total unit should still come in under £100 (mine did anyway).

HTH

 

[nate9]

ok thanks for the help but i have a couple Q's now, the ballast i was looking at looks like it only has a spot for one bulb so how do i connect 4 or so? also so you are saying that i could run a 400w bulb on the 1000w balast and it would be ok? and last, so you have never heard of a 1000w bulb?
,
- also is there like different type of ballasts, on some it says high presure sodium or whatever could i put a MH bulb in there?

 

[Aquascaper]

The world of ballasts is a confusing one.......

• To run multiple bulbs off one ballast you need to wire them in series (if this confuses you don't even attempt it)
• A single 400w bulb on a 1000w ballast would just burn out very quickly (if not immediately) and would not produce the stated light spectrum of the bulb
• 1000w bulbs do exist but are not common, especially in the general aquarium trade
• The ballast has to be for a Metal Halide bulb otherwise it will not run the bulb properly, again affecting the light spectrum emitted. There are also issues with increased UVc, etc. but there is debate over this.