Metal Halide ... cheap, is this right? What am I missing?

[sylock]

I'm new the the lighting business so I've been trying to learn what I will need for SPS coral and clams. I've been doing research and metal halides seem to be the best, but expensive. I've found a place that seems to be very cheap. What am I missing?
Ballast:
175 watt metal halide encased ballast-$55.00
250 watt metal halide encased ballast-$76.00
400 watt metal halide encased ballast-$99.00
Bulbs:
175 watt 4000K bulb - $19.00
250 watt 4000K bulb - 20.00
400 watt 4000K bulb - 22.00
175 watt 5500K bulb - $47.00
250 watt 5500K bulb - 53.00
400 watt 5500K bulb - 60.00
175 watt 12000K bulb - $89.00
250 watt 12000K bulb - 99.00
400 watt 12000K bulb - 109.00
Here's a blurb about the 12000K bulb
"The 12000K bulbs are just beautiful. They give off a pretty mix of white and blue light which lights the tank up nicely while providing a much desired actinic effect. This gives the reef aquarist the option of going just with metal halide to avoid complex lighting systems that incorporate fluorescent & metal halide. Your creatures will glow and you'll get those glisting shards off light dancing through the water with this bulb. Choose from 175, 250, 400, or 1,000 watt sizes."
If I'm not misunderstanding this is really cheap ($200)? What am I missing?

 

[option720]

No Aquaticlight does it that cheap. It is just plain magnetic ballast, wires, mogul, and bulb. Not a whole lot to it. There is no reflector though. And the 4000k bulbs suck and won't do a thing for corals.

 

[mr . salty]

The bulb socket(mogel soket) seems to be missing.I also don't see anything about a reflector.Both are needed....The 12k bulb is priced pretty good.But there is a site that sells a compleate 175 setup for $75...This includes evrything including the socket.....

 

[keitho]

i bought my lights from them and i have to say that i am absolutely 100% satisfied with what i got. i bought the 12000K halides, and my corals are doing great. in fact, i'm thinking about upgrading to the 250W lamps and ballasts when the opportunity arises. hope this helps...

 

[sylock]

Ok, so what wattage would I need? Can I get by with a 175, or should I get a 250 watt?
Edit: Oh, and what would a reflector be? Can I just use a mirror?

 

[chucky]

It all depends on what size tank you have .I would either go with the 250 or 400 w and supplement with actinics

 

[keitho]

i bought the 175W setups, but if i had to do it again, i would have gone with the 250W lamps. at least i have the option of upgrading the lamps and ballasts without rewiring or reinstalling the sockets and reflectors into the hood. the other thing i may do is add another 175W or 250W to the tank, but it would be easier just to upgrade the lamps/ballasts when i replace the lamps this may. hope this helps...

 

[salth2o]

I bought mine from them as well. I went with (3) 250 watt w/5500 k bulbs. The bulbs were just god awful color(yellow). I changed them to 10000k blueline. I also REALLY dislike the huge ballasts. If i had to do it again I would get the electronic balast FOR SURE.
Check out : links are unauthorized here
BurnNSpy
I would love 3 of those electronic balasts.For the extra cash I'm sure its worth it.

 

[tableforglasses]

I am all for the halide light system from them. I purchased one myself and I have been very pleased, the only key is you have to be willing to build it and set it all up. I have found that I am too poor to buy the best stuff, no matter how much it helps and I have to cut corners. I bought a metal air duct from home depot and formed it to make a reflector it only cost a few bucks. Then I put it all together and made my own little halide light system. I would also upgrade to the higher watts if you can afford the extra dough. I have never had a problem with my system, but that is just my opinion for whatever it's worth.
Sean

 

[biggdriver]

I have found a cheap place for MH Pendant lighting...Starts at 189.00 for 175w and the 400w is only 315.00 with an upgrade to 20,000k for only an extra 24 bucks any one interested e-mail me at timmk@charter.net..
Haven't puchased anything from here but planning on it soon...

 

[lilredcmc]

no, aquatic lighting is cheap but the way to go. we can't afford the best either but it is important to aleast invest in a good bulb. we ordered our first bulb from them and it lasted over a year. the only down side is no reflector but we made our own since we made the canopy it didn't cost but a few dollars. they are a great place to deal with.

 

[jhill5]

Originally Posted by MR . SALTY
The bulb socket(mogel soket) seems to be missing.I also don't see anything about a reflector.Both are needed....The 12k bulb is priced pretty good.But there is a site that sells a compleate 175 setup for $75...This includes evrything including the socket.....

good you send me the site, jason.hill@bisys.com

 

[tizzo]

holy...c'moly....
How in the WORLD do these ancient threads keep popping up?? This thread is 4 years old!! good luck with that link jhill...

 

[mudplayerx]

My guess is that they produce a very low level of PAR. Both ballast and bulb affect the par rating. There was a great study done on the PAR of various brands. You can find it here:
PAR of Different Bulbs & Ballasts