HQI or Eletric ballast?

[reefgeek84]

Which is better and why? I am looking at maybe selling my HQI DE 250watt halide for a 400Watt SE electronic ballast.

MY understanding is that HQI is better, uses less electricity and easier on the bulb when starting, thus leading to longer bulb life.

Would it even be worth going up to the 400w, I have no chiller, but an open top hood and will have fans. I want to keep SPS mainly, and it is my only light so I want photoperiod to be 12 hours.

Help me out here.

[reefboy]

Im not sure how much more energy saving they are but i know they burn brighter then then most electronic halide ballasts i had a 150 that was as bright as a 250watt regular halide so thats ware u save on energy so if you ran a 250 HQI it would be comparable to a 400 without using the extra amps.

[drock59]

I would say HQI simply because that is what I use and I think it looks/works really well.

This is a bit more yellow than it actually looks but you get the idea.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/drock59/th_6-3.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v630/drock59/?action=view&current=6-3.flv)

[H20cooled]

Stick with your 250w HQI setup, you will have less trouble keeping the temp down then you would with the 400w. Also you should have NO problem keeping most SPS with that light.

With my tank setup 2x 250w HQI setup I have to run a chiller if I didn't the tank would easliy go up to 85+.

[impur]

Eballasts use less electricity. They also do not burn the bulb as bright as a HQI ballast does. Bulbs will last longer on an eballast. Probe versus pulse starting ballasts is where the startup lowers the life of the bulb.

[reefgeek84]

Ok, thanks guys...thats what I thought, but I just wanted to make sure.

[drock59]

listen to reefcast #6 they talk about impur's statement. Eballast do not use very much less energy and definatly burn less bright and bluer.

[Palani]

is there an electric hqi ballast? I think sunlight supply might have one? I'm not sure.

[impur]

No, eballasts and hqi ballasts are totally different.

[WAVES]

Radium on HQI 400w has my #1 vote.

Sunlight did just release a 400w Eballast, no more icecrap.

Id stick with the 250w HQI too between that and 400w E.

[reefgeek84]

Radium on HQI 400w has my #1 vote.

Sunlight did just release a 400w Eballast, no more icecrap.

Id stick with the 250w HQI too between that and 400w E.
Ok, thanks for the help.

[Lowman]

I run radiums on a dual 400 watt hqi ballast, my tank has never looked better

[R-3]

Ive heard of a lot of people switching over to the XM 20ks that used to use Radiums. I think the colors are realtively close from what I have seen. I think $ might be an issue in this but who knows why exactly. You also can run a XM off a probe and I dont think you can run a Radium off one. Later Ryan

[Ahbrit]

IMHO XM's are far more superior on the HQI Ballasts. i noted a definate positive change in my corals when i switched to XM
I also tried Helios but did not have them running long enough to cause a difference
According to Sanjay's report. Helios are one of the best
Radiums caused brown out at 6 months
Radiums are white with a blue tint
XM's are blue with a white tint
Helios are blue with a White tint

Plan your VHO setup accordingly to compensate for your color preference

[Ahbrit]

on a side note, the xm's caused more vivid colors within 3 weeks of the brown outs period, that i had at anytime in the prior six months (it was only a slight brown out period on maybe 10% of the corals)

[Reefin']

well im runnin 1 radium 20k and one helios 20k on a dual pfo 400hqi ballast....and ahbrit hit it on the button with the color of the bulbs....IMO u cant beat the look of the radium or helio on the hqi ballast.. its so bright the coral have to put on sun screen and sunglasses:cool: .the helio is a little bluer than the radium on the hqi ballast....i imagine that the radium or helios would be too blue if not ran on a hqi ballast....dont tell no one but i kind of like the color of the helio bulb better than the radium....too bad they are hard as h$LL to find....i just got luck and found another one on RC last week:D .i though i remember people commenting that the xm 20k was too blue.. and i thought i read that they caused brown out and other problems like RTN...but i have a bad memory(scratch).... do a search on RC to see what people have to say about the bulb....

but i would just keep your 250hqi setup and find a bulb you like the color of yourself......but hell if you do decide to buy a 400watt setup LMK, ill buy the 250 setup...lol:D

Reynaldo

[nu2reef-n]

Hey Reefin'
Are you looking for a 2 x 250 watt set up?No bulbs,No reflectors.
Drop me a PM.