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Need a new 250 watt dual ballast!!!

post #1 of 8
6/6/10 at 4:42pm
Thread Starter 
So my electronic ballast did not come on this morning
I took it apart and the only thing that I could find is that the cooling fan was not working. I replaced it with one that I had laying around from an old computer. The fan works now but the lights just flicker once but do not start up. I will keep trying to get it to work but just in case I need some suggestions for a new 250 watt dual electronic ballast. My current one was a "greatdeal" from that "auction" site.
I am running SE bulbs and want to keep it that way.
Please respond quickly I do not want to go without lights for a long period of time.
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post #2 of 8
6/6/10 at 8:14pm
I don't know of to many manufacturers of dual MH ballast anymore other than CoralVue, since PFO went out of busness. Are you sure it's the ballast and not the bulbs? If you have to replace the ballasts I would opt for IceCap. If you look at CoralVue their ballast are dimmable as well.
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post #3 of 8
6/6/10 at 10:31pm
Thread Starter 
I guess it does not have to be a dual ballast, 2 single ballasts will be fine.
I will look into Ice Cap and Coralvue....
Any other suggestions for 250 watt single MH ballast?
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post #4 of 8
6/6/10 at 10:57pm
Lumatek is another....I think you'll find them on the big auction site......ARO makes ballasts as well....The prices are pretty decent or where, that if they did go bad it wasn't tons of money.....$$$ for $$$ The IceCap is probably the ticket....Good product excellent customer service if you need it....Well worth the money spent IMO....I've heard people having issues with their CoralVue ballasts and customer service being poor....Another option would be to buy DIY kits and build them if your into that sort of thing???? At least with a electronic ballast you have the option to run either SE or DE bulbs..... You have to remember certain bulbs run better on certain ballasts than others. A particular bulb you like?
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post #5 of 8
6/7/10 at 12:34am
Thread Starter 
I do not have a bulb preference. The last few that I have purchased have been off the big auction site.
I have heard good things of Ice cap ballast... The prices that I have found are not too bad.
I turned my ballast back on and both bulbs flickered once but did not start..... but this time I left the ballast on and after 5 minutes they both fired up.
After an hour I turned them off, waited 30 minuets and turned it back on again and the same thing... flicker then after a few minuets they kicked on....weird.
I figure that this is just the beginning of the end for this ballast.
What bulb works best with the ice cap ballast? I am also running 2 110 Watt actinic VHO.
I like the look of a blue tint.
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post #6 of 8
6/7/10 at 1:05am
Alot really depends on your eye, but if your looking for PAR numbers the best thing to do is check out Sanjay's site has alot of good info and text him. If he can't figure the lighting....not many better than him. http://www.personal.psu.edu/sbj4/aquarium/aquarium.html. HTH
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post #7 of 8
6/7/10 at 1:40am
Thread Starter 
Thanks!!
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post #8 of 8
6/7/10 at 1:42am
There are other sites out there with info as well, just this guy lectures quite a bit and knows his business, and they sent him lighting to test out.
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