Screw in HID power compacts

[nytrillium]

Has anyone seen/used these in their tank before?... they are screw in type self ballasted power compact light bulb.
"High output screw in Spiral, 85 watt, 6500K, Natural Day Light, 120 volt, medium base, 5300 Lumens. Length – 11.5”, Diameter – 4”, Life – 10,000 hours, 1 yr. Warranty" (price on this site was $35 each.)
I was thinking of using like 4 of them in a custom hood for lighting on my 30 gal. then maybe supplementing with an actinic or something like that. It was also just a temp. idea till i got enough cash to really invest in some quality lighting. I think these screw into a normal light socket so it would be really easy and cheap to retrofit to a hood and then remove when i wanted to use it another way.
They also come in 105 and 200 watt although the kelvin ratings on those are too low for an aquarium without supplimenting wiht actinics.

 

[nytrillium]

ok... just to add to this: I found a 125 watt that is quad tube self ballasted -6500k i believe this is a mogul base on this fixture.... not sure though. Price is $50

 

[nytrillium]

ohhh spiffy: 150 watt 6500k for $60 same as above

 

[nytrillium]

OK... even more
on the famouse auction site i found a complete bulb,reflector, fixture combo for a 65 watt at 6500k for $65 it also says that you can "change the color temperature with filters"
NOW YOU CAN GROW AQUATIC PLANTS AND MANY TYPES OF LIVE CORAL
"Low Cost Color Filter Gels Change Our 6500K lights From 5000K Up To 12,000K or higher
We have just received our shipment of the new color filter gels. These remarkable gels will enable us to offer an easy solution to those customers who prefer a more amber light or a bluer light for some of their deep water coral. Our new gels (# 3206 - 1/3rd Blue) will convert our 6500K light up to 10,300K light with approximately a 20% loss of light transmission. This means with the gel on your light you will get approximately 3500 Lumens of light per light.
As you know the deeper the coral comes from the less light it receives and the bluer the water, so know what your coral requires and adjust the light to that requirement. No need to buy other lights or expensive actinic bulbs, you can not do it all yourself with our complete marine aquarium system.
We also offer a second gel (# 3203 - 3/4 Blue) that will boost the color temperature up to 12,000K. So now everyone can custom color our lights for their individual taste or needs. Some customers have even asked for Warming Filters and we have these arriving shortly and will post that information with pictures as soon as they arrive. ""
will this even work???? doesnt the temp. of the light depend on the gas inside the bulb? Is all the gel filter doing just changing the VISUAL spectrum and not necessarily thre usable spectrum of light?
Hope someone posts back as i am in need of lights soon and i am going insaine as i have been looking for a week now.

 

[glyle41]

my guess woudl be that the gel will just change the visible spectrum of the light doubt it will change the usable bvalue of the light as to using them you can give it a shot and see

 

[nytrillium]

Anyone that's tried them?

 

[vi3tb0i]

o dont trust those i use lights from fish stores only

 

[pitbull01]

Restaurants around here use those, I dont recommend those for an aquarium-too risky.

 

[pitbull01]

Plus, they arent very high wattage...

 

[nytrillium]

ok. thanks for hte heads up. even 150 watts isnt enough? i only havea 30 gal. tank

 

[nytrillium]

anyone?

 

[nytrillium]

bump^

 

[hagfish]

I was thinking of trying some of these in my fuge. If they say they are 6500k and they have high enough lumens I think they should work. This is a power compact light after all.

 

[nytrillium]

yeah that was my thought but i just found this site with really cheap MH ballasts so i may end up doing a DIY retro MH hood

 

[jasenhicks]

NYTrillium... if you want cheap MH lamps that work really well i have a set of 175W with 10,000K or a 14,000K bulb or a 250W with 14,000K bulb that i have to sell. (My wife is making me do it ) They arent wired, but i will wire them if you want so they are ready to install in your canopy. Im selling the 175W kit for $185 OBO, and the 250W kit for $200 OBO. I think the 175W would be best over your tank, and a 14,000K bulb would be best. Those prices are for them wired with a mogul socket, the bulb, and the electronic ballast (silent). They are so nice too, i really dont want to get rid of them... Ill knock $15 off them if you dont want them wired.

 

[jasenhicks]

Ok, let me clarify they arent CHEAP, they are inexpensive.

 

[nytrillium]

hmmm jasen. thats tempting.
I was actually looking into doing two 150 watt HQI with electronic ballasts and run like 13-15k bulbs. THen i wouldnt have to buy more or upgrade for anything i want to get. The only question i have is : will this be wayyyy too much light for some things and will they get "burned" if i have one light on each side.
MY tank is a 30 gallon 36" long glass currently cycling with about 45 lbs of live rock and 30 lbs sand. I hope to keep some coral down the road so im planning light for it now.

 

[jasenhicks]

I think a 175W would be perfect for a 30gallon tank. If you put a good reflector in and paint the unreflected sides a glossy white it will help push light around. A good rule of thumb is 3-5W per gallon... at 5W per gallon thats 150, with some to spare. The bulb is about 8" long so its a good width and should give a good bright spot in the middle of the tank and some good light at the outer edges. Plus the ballast i have is electronic, and the bulbs are great. Id put them against an XM bulb anyday. And the price is good too. It could ship tommorow...