another M/H question

[orion]

I was not planing to go metal halides but i was handed over some industrial lighting containing 175 watt m/h ballast
made by Advance transformer co. it has a mark of m57-175
can this be used ok to fire better bulbs ?
I did some checking on the net but cant find out if they will work in a aquarium enviroment.
i have a endless supply of new bulbs to go with them however they seem to be only 4000 k

[Fishysan]

Yes you can use that to run regular 175w bulbs..

see that ballast here.. M57
http://www.venturelighting.com/VLPS/...allastspg1.htm

You don't want to run anything under 5500K (venture) and would probably want to look at 10000K ones.

[orion]

so the ballest will work provided that i use a bulb in the 6 to 10 k range rated @ 175 watts correct?
fisheysan what type of bulb /manufacture would you recomend?
the mogul is large on this fixture about 1 1/4 i think its called a ED 28 bulb
thanks

[Fishysan]

You could run any bulb that requires a standard bulb maybe.

I can't say for sure, I don't know if it has an ignitor, etc.

You should probably open it to see if it has a transformer & a cap only, or also has an ignitor, etc.

An option is to take it to UpperValley Hydroponics and ask them to help with what's missing then buy what's missing from them.. like a mogul that would suit the bulb you want.

As for bulbs, and which to pick is a LOADED question. Every person you ask will have different preferences. I lean towards the higher kelvin bulbs, but if you want a cheap bulb you could get the 5500K Venture. If you want a 10000K bulb, try the Aqualine Buschke or the Ushio. A lot of people use the Iwasaki 6500K bulb - it makes corals grow fast, is very bright, but the color's kinda on the yellow side and people find that the coloration isn't great on corals that grow under it.

hope this helps.

[orion]

fishysan:"You should probably open it to see if it has a transformer & a cap only, or also has an ignitor, etc."

LOL i had these apart in the first 5 min of handling them
there is only a transformer, mogul and a cap no igniter.

never thought about the plant guys at UpperValley Hydroponics i will give them a call
thanks

I hope they can retro fit them otherwise i just might have the most well lit up house in Rockland have 6 of them

:biggrinbo

[john rock]

you should be able to fire most 175watt lamps[mogul]
E28 is a standard mogul size. This what I have for my IWASAKIS and what most lamp fit. The reason I say that ballast [should] fire most 175w lamps is this, bulbs like USHIO
and AB are supposted to be used with an igniter or pulse start.
but, many people just use them on standard ballasts with no problems and have been doing this for years. I use IWASAKIS on my standard ballast and the lamps are made for MV. QUESTIN IS, do you really want to bother with 175? most people end up changing for a higher wattage anyways.
where in ROCKLAND are you? I go there lota as my sister lives near the ARENA. wouldn't mind popping by sometime.

[orion]

hey Johnny,
the ballasts are free and when i built by canopy i made it so that i could fit it with two M/H bulbs i may aswell use them.
i have 4 vho now440 watts plus 2x175 total watts=790 over a 90 gal 8 .7 watts per gal


Rockland< sure any time. would be good to see you again
I am just before rockland cannan rd on the right side of hwy 174>

[john rock]

yeh I know were that is.[cannon rd] I'll drop by sometime when I'm not so insanely busy. I would give the USHIO 175w
lamps a go. REEFERBOY[STIG] has them on his tank and there AWSOME!!!!!!!

[orion]

Busy!!! ha you gota try on 4 nights of school two kids and a wife plus the hobby thats busy hehe
:
Thanks for your help lads

[john rock]

how about 2 jobs, a wife, moving into a new home next weekend, school for me 2x weekly and the hobby. could be a tie!