Cheapest Metal Halide Set up?

[Smite]

Those are nice choices if you find them for the deal of a lifetime, more likely in big cities but in places like where I live, gas and postage would eat away any savings. That means most budget reefers would have to pass on them.

As far as being burned by the core and coil ballasts…. Meh… if you mount them out of the way and install them correctly they should practically last forever. If they get proper ventilation or, better yet, if they were mounted openly in a room with good air circulation the transformer at least should last at least a century. The caps are prone to issues but they can easily be tested with a DMM. In the installations I have done I look over the transformer for signs of arcing or the smell of French fried tape or wire installation.

I’d imagine that many of the HID transformers you’ve worked on weren’t well ventilated. I know that commercial buildings are built as cheaply as possible so the electrical work on these buildings is shoddy from the moment the building goes up. I’d expect many more problems there than in the hands of a reefer, especially one with good DIY skills.

I wouldn’t want ballasts of any kind, core and coil or electronic, above my reef. As for the reflectors, at least in my case I have a 29” x 29” x 25” cube. The modified high bay lamp which is mounted a foot above the surface not only covers my cube perfectly; it throws out so much PAR that my mushrooms have to be in almost pure darkness in the rocks to open up fully. My duncans are growing like wildfire. My xenia have taken over the world. When I go to 14000k or even 20000k I’ll still get about half the PAR I have now and still be able to grow acros, nems, and clams nicely and with good growth.

I see you removed the ballast from the reflector assembly so it's not above your reef. I saw the picture in the seat of the car, with the ballast attached. Nice install but I'm going to guess you have more DIY skill and possibly electrical experience than the average reefer. I believe most get turned off to MH when it starts coming down to actually pairing their own gear, making sure everything works together. Some may not even go as far as to swap out a cord ends to make a ballast work with a different pendant. I'm glad that system is working great for you and you're able to score a cheap and effective light setup but I still wouldn't go recommending that system to someone looking to try MH for the first time, but that's my personal opinion. To each their own.

I bought my system used. Hamilton Cozumel sun reflectors for around the $500 mark with 2xicecap 250w ballasts and 2 radium lamps. Not super cheap, I know, but still a fraction of what I would have spent on radions to light my 50x36x26 tank and probably about the same if I went straight blackbox style LEDS. I did move up to 400w as the 250w didn't cut it. I found a guy selling lumenmax elite with 400w E ballasts for $40 bucks per set. New hamilton lamps cost me $140. So my setup plus a backup for well under $800 doesn't seem too bad to me. But the hobby did warp the dollar value for me over time.


I rigged it up with QuantaPros led bars, aluminum channel and an ATI hanging kit. It's the best of both worlds and couldn't' be happier with the system. All cooled by a small house fan but my home does have central a/c here in socal. I don't keep too many mushrooms but they are happy in the corners of the tank where the flow is lower.

I really don't think that was a deal of the lifetime on the cozumel suns, pretty much cost of reflectors new and I got the ballasts and bulbs for free. I'm not sure what defines entry level but compared to most tanks I think $500 per 4' of tank is pretty reasonable now days. But I could have squeaked by with the $80 setups and new lamps at $140, so the deals are out there. Those were extremely popular pendants, so not impossible to find.

 

[GarrettT]

Cozumel Sun 400w. Pendants are wide reflecting so one really needs a higher wattage to punch down on tanks that are moderate in height. Not many options to choose from unfortunately.

I personally wouldn’t run MH without LEDs and wouldn’t run LEDs without MH, but thats just me.

 

[Smite]

View attachment 3133412
Cozumel Sun 400w. Pendants are wide reflecting so one really needs a higher wattage to punch down on tanks that are moderate in height. Not many options to choose from unfortunately.

I personally wouldn’t run MH without LEDs and wouldn’t run LEDs without MH, but thats just me.

Gorgeous setup. I was super impressed with how cool my RB XHO hybrid ran but was again surprised at how cool the cozumel sun's housing runs as well. Well built fixtures, larger and taller than most want to see over the tank but I'm more about what's going on in the tank. MH supplemented by LEDs can't be beat for me. Are those noctua fans?

 

[Fishy888]

I do have some electrical/electronic background so I forget sometimes that even reefers don’t always know the electrical side of things.

I agree though, you have to know what you’re doing. You have to know what to look for on a transformer (caps as well) before you plug it in, and you really should know how a ballast regulates voltage and current, yadda yadda. Seriously, if you don’t know what you are doing, please don’t attempt it.

There are deals to be had on plug and play mh hybrid lighting and they’re for the most part solid choices, though @Smite listed even better options for those who aren’t on a budget and they could have twice the par of most of the plug and play mid range mh hybrid lighting I’m talking about, like the Current USA Orbit lights.

 

[GarrettT]

Are those noctua fans?

Yep, sure are. See post #4. They can drop the heat down in no time.

Build Thread - GarrettT's 192 gallon SPS

Like always, I tend to start a build thread after majority of the labor is complete. Originally, I had no intentions of building a thread, however after seeing some of the progress, I can't help but document the build. It's turning out much nicer than I had intended it to be. I always enjoy...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Smite]

Yep, sure are. See post #4. They can drop the heat down in no time.

Build Thread - GarrettT's 192 gallon SPS

Like always, I tend to start a build thread after majority of the labor is complete. Originally, I had no intentions of building a thread, however after seeing some of the progress, I can't help but document the build. It's turning out much nicer than I had intended it to be. I always enjoy...

www.reef2reef.com

I ran these with my RB hybrid and loved them. I plan to add them back here soon as it warms up in my area. That install looks very clean, nice work.

 

[jda]

Just curious, what are options for entry level MH set ups? Seems like you need the fixture, ballast, and bulb, any "package deals"? What would you recommend for someone new to MH looking to get started/try it out on a budget?

Did you get the answers that you needed? If you are in GJ, CO, the Denver swap meets and stuff usually have tons of used MH gear that is very nice. ...like less than a hundo to get going. I would not buy anything new unless you are for-sure going to love it for years to come.

Bulbs are OK at a year to 24 months. No need to replace them earlier unless you are overdriving them, which is not recommended by most. I have been using my 14k Phoenix for 2 years anymore... does not seem to matter.

In Colorado, the heat is a blessing. The newer setups and bulbs are much cooler than they used to be, but I don't even care. Heating is my number one expense with the dry air evaporation and cooler nights. Even in Missouri, a simple fan kept any tank cool for me.

 

[MoshJosh]

Did you get the answers that you needed? If you are in GJ, CO, the Denver swap meets and stuff usually have tons of used MH gear that is very nice. ...like less than a hundo to get going. I would buy anything new unless you are for-sure going to love it for years to come.

Bulbs are OK at a year to 24 months. No need to replace them earlier unless you are overdriving them, which is not recommended by most. I have been using my 14k Phoenix for 2 years anymore... does not seem to matter.

In Colorado, the heat is a blessing. The newer setups and bulbs are much cooler than they used to be, but I don't even care. Heating is my number one expense with the dry air evaporation and cooler nights. Even in Missouri, a simple fan kept any tank cool for me.

Yeah I think so, I will look at some used stuff, maybe even my local hrdroponics shop as they get used lights in from time to time (had a huge T5 fixture in the other day). Even had a member on here hit me up for some used stuff. I will likely do some shopping around and see. IF I can get this set up it may be hard to mount, so I will need to look into that haha

 

[jda]

For example, a Gisemann light is very nice - looks good and stays really cool. It can run 175w to 400w bulbs. It could be $2k with ballasts for a 6 foot tank. It will last 10+ years. This is fine if you are sure what you want and certainly cheaper than a commensurate level of Radions or other techy LEDs replaced once in that ten years, but you can make sure that you like MH with a $100 used setup first. Just avoid Chinese crap like Odyssea or the like... they are just bad and give all lighting a bad name.

If you are over on our side of the divide, I might have some stuff that I will get rid of super cheap. ...like older Reef Optix reflectors and CoralVue electronic ballasts. I am sure that I can put something together - I have to look.

Lastly, choose well. Nearly nobody needs 400w metal halide. Most don't need 250w. In most cases, 175w can do, which are low heat and less power than a lot of LEDs nowadays. Most of the people who talk about huge cost and heat savings were using too much wattage in the first place... ala having a dually diesel truck to take a single tape measure to a jobsite.

I started up a 60g cube with softies and I am using a 150w halide on it - great spread and color, $40 bulb that I will change every 2 years, fixture I got free at a meet. Initial and ongoing cost cannot be beat, let alone performance.

 

[GarrettT]

Nearly nobody needs 400w metal halide. Most don't need 250w.

I’m sure that depends primarily on coral type, the reflector, distance from water surface, and height of tank. My 14k bulb 400w cozumel sun pendants didn’t pack enough punch, so I had to supplement with OR3s to make up the difference. Tank is only 25” tall.

 

[Troylee]

I’m sure that depends primarily on coral type, the reflector, distance from water surface, and height of tank. My 14k bulb 400w cozumel sun pendants didn’t pack enough punch, so I had to supplement with OR3s to make up the difference. Tank is only 25” tall.

That doesn’t sound right… I run 250’s and can grow anything any where.. I bleach stuff in my sand lol..

 

[LeDart]

Just found this on R2R marketplace, take a look

California - Lighting - Drygoods - FS: DE Halide fixture

Selling for $50 shipped. I switched to a SE fixture with a radium bulb and this is lying around. Honestly the most natural lighting for growing coral!

www.reef2reef.com

 

[GarrettT]

600w MH?

Is there anyone out there using 600w MHs? If so, what ballast and bulbs are you using? I'm currently running mine at 400w, but need more par.

www.reef2reef.com

Par was only 185 mid tank (without LEDs on) using an Apogee 510 meter. I made up for it though by running the lights longer.

 

[RedoubtReef]

Yeah I think so, I will look at some used stuff, maybe even my local hrdroponics shop as they get used lights in from time to time (had a huge T5 fixture in the other day). Even had a member on here hit me up for some used stuff. I will likely do some shopping around and see. IF I can get this set up it may be hard to mount, so I will need to look into that haha

There are some nice fixtures in the sale forum. Did you ever say what size your tank was? For mounting, you can design something through sites like 8020.net
As an example, here is what I'm putting together to hold my 4' Hamilton halide fixture:

 

[Troylee]

600w MH?

Is there anyone out there using 600w MHs? If so, what ballast and bulbs are you using? I'm currently running mine at 400w, but need more par.

www.reef2reef.com

Par was only 185 mid tank (without LEDs on) using an Apogee 510 meter. I made up for it though by running the lights longer.

Are you using some cheap off brand bulbs or something?

 

[MoshJosh]

There are some nice fixtures in the sale forum. Did you ever say what size your tank was? For mounting, you can design something through sites like 8020.net
As an example, here is what I'm putting together to hold my 4' Hamilton halide fixture:

View attachment 3133962

20 gallon long. . . hahaha

 

[Wasabiroot]

Well said!

I mean, one man's wash and close to the same is another's nearly 1.4 times the amount. To be fair. Lol.

I would love to try a halide fixture on a tank in the future...I do love how the light looks. I'm a planted tank fan so that daylight spectrum is appealing

 

[Fishy888]

I mean, one man's wash and close to the same is another's nearly 1.4 times the amount. To be fair. Lol.

I would love to try a halide fixture on a tank in the future...I do love how the light looks. I'm a planted tank fan so that daylight spectrum is appealing

I agree with this. For some of us mh will bring cost savings and look awesome doing it. For others it will bring more expense. Every reefer needs to research lighting of all kinds and crunch the numbers. Then they need to decide which lighting solution works best for them.

 

[alton]

The only thing I would add is do not buy old used mag ballast. They break down and in time become only 70% efficient. The electronic ballast are sometimes 99% efficient. If you have an old mag ballast that gets supper hot , that is wasted energy plus in most cases will only run probe type lamps. Radium and Phoenix run on Pulse start ballast either M80 / M138 or higher or electronic. M57 - M59 will not. My best looking coral where under MH. Today I only run LED, but I care more about fish so I just have frogspawn and softies

 

[jda]

The Cozumel is a 20x20" reflector made to spread and cover 36-48" square areas with good coverage. It is not good at punching deep or providing a ton of output. Even if a wider area is needed, two rows of lower wattage halides might be better than a single with wider spread. The Cayman is better at producing the large PAR amounts that most people know.

I had a Cozumel that I used over a 42x42 frag flat. ...about 200-240 PAR 12" deep nearly over the whole thing... amazing coverage. If I needed more output, then 4x 175w might be needed.