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Looking for a good alternative to buying $100 worth of PC bulbs

S

Subliminal

NJRC Member
Hey kids,

I decided I'd like to replace the unknown age bulbs in my Hamilton hood, which consists of 4x german-pinned 55w CF bulbs. The cheapest I found is straight from Hamilton, for $25 each, with another $10ish for shipping.

That's $110 for just bulbs, which will last what...6 months?

So, I know there are all sorts of used equipment out there, as well as the occasional great new deal, but I don
t really want to spend all that much more than that, and have no problem retrofitting if necessary.

My Tank is a 29g, which I believe is 36x12 on the top end, so I'm not sure if one halide in the middle will get to all my stuff.

Anyway, just wondering if anyone had any ideas for me.

Thanks,

damon
 
M

mookie

i have a 250w MH over my 50g 36x18 and i don't see a dim spot in the tank. if anything it just allows me to put lower light demanding corals to the sides of the tank., you would probably be good with a 150w, it would deffinitly blow PC's out of the water, going from PC to MH was one of the best investments in my tank.
 
D

DaveK

I use a single 175w MH bulb over my 30 gal reef. It's true the ends of the tank are dimmer than the center. However, a MH bulb on an electronic ballast will last 12 to 18 months, and you only need to get one $65 bulb.

Ideally if I were doing a 36 inch tank I'd use two MH bulbs, but it's not strictly necessary, and it would double the cost.
 
C

Carlo

The PAR still drops off considerable after 6 months and the bulb should still be changed around that point. Maybe push it to 8 or 9 months but certainly not 12-18 months IMHO. I run electronic balasts and use a PAR meter to determine when I change the bulbs out.

Carlo
 
S

Subliminal

NJRC Member
Thanks, guys. I ended up buying:

175w Hamilton Ballast
175w 14k Hamilton Bulb
Mogul Socket and relfector

And if I can ever get these dang cars running, I'll be building a nice canopy too!

I'm pretty excited for the change to metal halide...I think the shimmer is 'the stuff'.

:)
 
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