Going for a 40 Breeder build

Andrew_bram

Andrew_bram

Tiger Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#42
#42
Yes 4ft bulbs are 54 watts each. I would vote for the metal halide first if its priced well even though I love t5.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 
geekengineer

geekengineer

Cleaner Shrimp
#46
#46
Thanks for the link. I didn't think to go right to the source. hehe.. Anyways I going to try to get to boulder today to look at those used lights assuming there even still there.
 
neil82

neil82

Sting ray
M.A.S.C Club Member
#49
#49
If you were to buy new equipment, then I recommend researching and identifying the type of bulb you want to run and then buy the appropriate equipment (specifically ballast) to pair with that bulb. Here is a link where you will find a chart with the recommended bulb/ballast pairings:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-03/sj/index.php

If you're buying used equipment, you might take the opposite approach and then select an appropriate bulb to pair up with the ballast.
I'm pretty new to the world of MH lights, but there are some veterans here that can help guide you. @jda123 is a great resource for technical questions and there are several other members that have years of experience running MH lights.
But it is important to get the correct bulb/ballast combo to get a good color spectrum from your bulb.
Keep us posted as you research and shop around.
 
J

jda123

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#50
#50
All double ended stuff is HQI. The right ballast for those Bimini Sun fixtures in the ANSI m81, not electronic. The great thing about any DE fixture is that the super-awesome 14k Phoenix is available to use - this is a great looking bulb that is not windexy, has great pop and great growth. I run 14k phoenix in my DE fixtures - corals just look good with no trick lighting, photos are easy to take and success is easy. They bulbs are among some of the cheapest out there too - rare that some of the best are also the cheapeast (Instant Ocean salt mix).

Sorry, I was doing 54w math and forgot this is a 36" tank.

The Hamilton T5 and MH fixtures are just a more modern equivalent of that used PFO. Cost is really the only difference. PFO stuff were built like tanks. Hamilton stuff is built like tanks. Both are good.

A pair of 150w (double ended) or 175w (single ended) MH over a 40 breeder is plenty. It will keep electricity down, heat won't be an issue. Unless you wanting to keep the most light-loving stuff, then 250w would probably be a waste. Remember that well-chosen MH setup is not any more or less efficient than a different type of light with the same output.
 
geekengineer

geekengineer

Cleaner Shrimp
#51
#51
Well hopefully it was a fair deal but got the used PFO lights for $250 with possibly one ballast that needs some love. @jda123 made it sound like they aren't usually too hard to fix and it could just be a loose wire or something like that. I'm and electrical engineer so hopefully that will help some. lol Also it needs one new VHO bulb but not a biggie.
 
geekengineer

geekengineer

Cleaner Shrimp
#52
#52
Thanks jda123 for showing off your awesome tank setup and all the things your up to. I got the ballast apart just to take a quick look at it. I found the parts from sola just not sure where to buy them for sure yet. I haven't tested to see which part is bad yet etc. It might not hurt just to replace both the capacitor and igniter if they aren't expensive.

http://www.solaballast.com/pdf/E-MCA00W151.pdf

View attachment 14250
 
geekengineer

geekengineer

Cleaner Shrimp
#55
#55
Well I decided to get that one. I sort of worried the transformer might be toast anyways there is a bunch of solid brown liquid looking stuff on the transformer that isn't working. Not sure if that's a good sign or not.
 
geekengineer

geekengineer

Cleaner Shrimp
#57
#57
hmm maybe that second link isn't there anymore so its going to something else. The one I bought I'm pretty sure the archived pictures says its 150W.
 
geekengineer

geekengineer

Cleaner Shrimp
#60
#60
Was cleaning up some pumps today from my old setup.. oh what fun.. Here's what the stand looks like after 3 coats so I hoping that is enough. I got to put some exterior latex or something like that on the inside next.

View attachment 14256
Here is a picture of the light fixture I got in case someone interested to see what it actually is.
View attachment 14257
 
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