Hqi

gilbert

Member
What does Hqi mean in a metal halide? Is it better to have hqi bulbs or not? Will sps and clams do better with hqi? I'm looking into the biocube 29g hqi and I don't understand the difference.
Thanks for the help in advance.
 

scsinet

Active Member
As a practical answer from a perspective of aquarium lighting, HQI usually means a double-ended lamp, versus a single-ended (screw in) lamp.
There are of course exceptions to this, but again, from a practical perspective, that's the way to look at it.
HQI lamps produce more light output for a given wattage than standard halides. They lamps REQUIRE an HQI ballast, but HQI ballasts can also run SE lamps for a nearly identical performance. Ergo, HQI is more a ballast spec than a lamp spec.
HQI lamps are used almost exclusively in commercially manufacturered strip light systems. They are also used in pendants. SE lamps are used in some pendants as well, and they are used almost exclusively by custom made (DIY'd) systems, in part because they require external shielding to be operated safely.
 

spanko

Active Member
SCSI don't the HQI bubs require the UV shielding and the SE (Moguls) do not because they already have it in the bulb?
This statement confused me
"SE lamps are used in some pendants as well, and they are used almost exclusively by custom made (DIY'd) systems, in part because they require external shielding to be operated safely."
 

scsinet

Active Member
Yeah sorry I said that wrong... I meant to say that SE lamps are used almost exclusively in custom made (DIY'd) systems because the HQI lamps require special shielding, whereas the SE lamps do not.
 
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