The real deal with MH ballasts

[scrombus2]

I have a 75FOWLR native tank (LS,LR, water, fish, inverts, anemenones all collected locally). I am currently running 6 T8 bulbs 2 actinics, 4 GE aquarays. I want to switch to MH so I can grow corals. I am in shock at the high price of MH setups. I have several ballasts from security type lighting that can run different types of bulbs. My question is this- these ballasts have a code(M59, H33, etc.).Will the bulbs commonly sold for aquarium use work with these ballasts? I plan on using retrofit reflectors and new bulbs, but I don't want to buy bulbs if they won't work with the ballasts I have. I don't want to have to buy aquarium-specific ballasts if I don't have to....with the economy the way it is, my wife won't approve of close to $1000 to light our tank. Any help will be appreciated.

 

[spiderwoman]

I'm by no means an expert with MH lights, but the M59 sounds about right. Can you get a picture of the ballast? Also if I were you, I'd first get the code and then call one of the companies that specialize in aquarium lights and bulbs and ask them if their bulbs would work.

 

[teresaq]

Thats high for mh. I was just looking at some that were dual lights for under 500.00 that included ballast, refector and bulbs

 

[salt210]

I recently bought 2 retro setups from devildog on this forum and the ballasts used are from those high end halide shop lights

 

[scsinet]

Okay the codes you are mentioning are ANSI code designations for HID (High Intensity Discharge) systems. Both HID lamps and HID ballasts are labeled with them. Sometimes lamps and ballasts have more than one code. If ANY of the codes on the ballast match with ANY codes on a given lamp, they will work together.
All magnetic HID ballasts carry this designation, including mercury vapor, halide, and high pressure sodium lamps. Note however that you cannot usually interchange ballasts and lamps (run a halide lamp with a vapor ballast, etc). There are exceptions to this, the ANSI codes is the true way of knowing.
As easy as that nomenclature is, manufacturers of lamps (and sometimes ballasts) often obfuscate the codes, making them difficult or impossible to determine.
Then, you have to look at it manually. Metal halide ballasts come in 3 flavors. Probe Start, Pulse Start, and HQI.
HQI ballasts will run any metal halide lamp of the design wattage.
Pulse Start ballasts will run any SE (Single Ended "sc-rew in") lamp of the design wattage, and will SOMETIMES run a DE (double ended) lamp of the design wattage.
Probe Start ballasts will run any Probe Start SE lamp of the design wattage, but nothing else.
When I say design wattage, I mean that the ballast is designed to run a certain wattage, and you cannot use a different wattage lamp than what the ballast was designed for.
An M59/H33 ballast is a 400w, Probe Start, Metal Halide ballast. With that, you can run any probe start, 400w, single ended lamp.
Unfortunately, determining whether a lamp is probe or pulse start is difficult without actually seeing the lamp. Generally, lamps manufactured in Germany are pulse start, lamps made in the US are probe. The lamps visually look a bit different internally. You can't rely on online store photos either because stores often photograph one lamp and use that picture to represent every lamp they have. I do not know the specifics of all manufacturers, but I can tell you that 400w SE Hamilton and XM lamps will operate on your ballast. Ushio and Radium lamps will not. Beyond that, you'll have to research it yourself. Good luck.

 

[reefraff]

I lifted this info off another site. Be nice if maybe this and some other info could be placed in a stickied thread.
Ballast ID
There is a code that identifies magnetic ballasts. Electronic ballasts will simply have the wattage rating on them.
150 watt (any DE lamp) M81
150 watt Iwasaki M102
175 watt Probe Start (US) M57
175 watt Pulse Start (EU) M137
250 watt Probe Start (US) M58
250 watt Pulse Start (EU) M138
250 watt Double Ended aka HQI M80
250 watt Iwasaki H37
400 watt Probe Start (US) M59
400 watt Pulse Start (EU) M135
400 watt Double Ended aka HQI SON AGRO (This is a High Pressure Sodium lamp ballast rated at 430 watts)
400 watt Iwasaki H33
1000 watt M47

 

[scrombus2]

Wow! Thanks to everyone for their input. Yes, the ballasts I have are M59/H33, for 400w bulbs. I have to come up with a way to use just one 400w, 'cause 800w would probably boil my water.....do they make sunglasses for tangs?

 

[teresaq]

very tall canopy with a couple of clip on fans.