metal halide question

justinwwwallin

justinwwwallin

Member
someone has metal halides for sale but theyre not like for reef aquariums. they were made for like a work place. would they work for a reef?
high bay lights 400w 110v metal halide fixture
is what it says
 
marka1620

marka1620

Member
Not sure but I think it will not work. Work light is a different spectrum as opposed to a reef light. I dont think you can put a reef bulb in a work light because of different ballast. I'm sure someone will chime in on it.
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
Do you know the kelvin of these bulbs? Also, 400 watts is a lot, depending on tank size. What size tank do you have? How deep is the tank?
 
justinwwwallin

justinwwwallin

Member
Originally Posted by lion_crazz
http:///forum/post/3043510
Do you know the kelvin of these bulbs? Also, 400 watts is a lot, depending on tank size. What size tank do you have? How deep is the tank?
I do not know exactly. But I'm getting a 260 gallon. 30 inches high
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
Ah, 400 watt bulbs would be fine then. I would find out the kelvin of the bulbs. You want at least a 10,000 kelvin. They will probably be much lower, and if that is the case, they will not work for your application.
 
bmkj02

bmkj02

Member
This is exactly what I used for mine. Local business was converting their lights from 400w MH to T8's and were selling them for $20 each. I bought two of them. Check out my thread and go to the bottom for picture if this is the same that you are talking about. They worked just fine. Just get the correct 400w bulb for your tank and plug it in and should work fine. Dont use those bulbs though. Not the correct kevlin and no telling how old they are. I willing to bet they are used up already. Good enough to light a room but not proper lighting for a tank. And the bulbs that came out of them were HUGE!!!
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/337492/new-125g-aga-setup-any-other-advices-will-help
 
justinwwwallin

justinwwwallin

Member
Originally Posted by bmkj02 http:///forum/post/3043733
This is exactly what I used for mine. Local business was converting their lights from 400w MH to T8's and were selling them for $20 each. I bought two of them. Check out my thread and go to the bottom for picture if this is the same that you are talking about. They worked just fine. Just get the correct 400w bulb for your tank and plug it in and should work fine. Dont use those bulbs though. Not the correct kevlin and no telling how old they are. I willing to bet they are used up already. Good enough to light a room but not proper lighting for a tank. And the bulbs that came out of them were HUGE!!!
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/337492/new-125g-aga-setup-any-other-advices-will-help
thats awesome! how do i figure out what bulbs to put in? the guy here is selling for 20 bucks
 
windlasher

windlasher

Member
Originally Posted by justinwwwallin
http:///forum/post/3043744
thats awesome! how do i figure out what bulbs to put in? the guy here is selling for 20 bucks
you might want to look up specs.. i read something once about the glass between the bulb and the tank having a UV component to it. that is, so the harmful rays dont tan your corals.
 
bmkj02

bmkj02

Member
Originally Posted by windlasher
http:///forum/post/3043821
you might want to look up specs.. i read something once about the glass between the bulb and the tank having a UV component to it. that is, so the harmful rays dont tan your corals.
This pretains to the double ended MH. I dont believe they make 400w double ended so a glass shield will not be needed. Single ended have that built into them
You have the ballast now you need to know what color you are looking for and what you are planning on keeping in the tank. Bluer color you will probably need a higher kevlin like a 14k or 20k. I have 4 x 54w HOt5 actinic. Thats a lot of blue so I went with 2 400w 10,000 bulbs.
 
bmkj02

bmkj02

Member
Originally Posted by justinwwwallin
http:///forum/post/3045620
and how would i pick a ballast? thats what runs them right? sorry im a rookie with metal halides. theyre new to me haha
high bay lights 400w 110v metal halide fixture is what you got right? That already includes the ballast in them. All you have to get is the bulbs
 
salami trigger

salami trigger

Member
We also have them were I work..they are for our street lights around the property.
The ones we have dont say the Kelvin or CRI either.
When I first saw them my eyes popped out...we have like 50 in storage..but I too doubt they are correct for what we use em for.
 
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