Radium metal halide bulbs will not be produced anymore!

[Troylee]

Got some old stock at work lol..

 

[Overboard]

Got some old stock at work lol..

You win!

Can you find empty cases somewhere to assemble a ballast? I assume these are components only.

 

[Troylee]

You win!

Can you find empty cases somewhere to assemble a ballast? I assume these are components only.

I make them lol.. but sure you can find a metal box at Home Depot or Lowe’s etc.. just a basic transformer can.

 

[A. grandis]

I make them lol.. but sure you can find a metal box at Home Depot or Lowe’s etc.. just a basic transformer can.

Show us the exact parts you use to make them! You have a nice collection of kits there! What boxes do you use?

 

[DenverSaltyFarm]

Any chance you have one of the 400w ballasts and opened it up to see what lives inside?

Paul

I have not purchased those yet but will get some soon just to stock up. I’m currently using 3 digital ballasts from eBay that switch between 250, 400, and 600 watt settings and using them on the 400w setting with radium bulbs. I’m building a missive stock of everything in case they go away

 

[Reefering1]

Unfortunately they won’t have a clue on the correct ballast for the reef hobby. You want the ballast rated for HPS. HPS or high pressure sodium bulbs in the grow industry requires pulse start to fire up just like the bulbs we use.
I was in the same boat as you not knowing what to buy and purchased 3 metal halide versions which did not work and digging deeper on components I found out we needed the HPS rated magnetic ballast which in the grow industry also works with grow metal halide bulbs.

You want to buy BAL-AS-0400HPS. Just make sure you spend $75 for free shipping. I had to add a cheap bucket lid to my order to put me over that $75 mark

Any chance you were, or are, able to open one of your 400w ballast and take a pic of the transformer so we can id the transformer? Just opening the case is normally 4 screws and the lid comes off

 

[Troylee]

Show us the exact parts you use to make them! You have a nice collection of kits there! What boxes do you use?

Here was one I built way back for my tank.

 

[djf91]

Here was one I built way back for my tank.

Very impressive. You’re holding out on us

 

[Minifoot77]

Here was one I built way back for my tank.

What and where did you get the material for the reflectors?

 

[A. grandis]

Here was one I built way back for my tank.

That is so nice!!! Are you selling the fixtures and ballasts? How much? Man, great work! Love it!

 

[oreo54]

What and where did you get the material for the reflectors?

Most use like that solatube material..

Don't feel like looking through all 17 pages..

DIY Lumenarc Kits

Anyone know where I can buy the DIY Lumenarc reflector kits, I heard that there are some out there, you just assemble yourself?

forums.reefcentral.com

The first link is dead though and the wayback machine has snapshots of the page but no images.. i.e "the template" but may be something else there.

At 96dpi this file should be to scale..21.719" x 25.802"
Template

 

[oreo54]

Soo took my file, resampled to 288dpi which allowed me to print it on a normal sheet of paper..
Maybe I'll put an led inside....
No guarantee the scaling is 100% accurate to the orig. file but ey looks cute

 

[rc1626]

What and where did you get the material for the reflectors?

And what was your choice of cutting the material? Edges look clean and straight. I will be attempting to build a couple soon as well. Going to do the Large version (19.5" x 19.5"). I was able to take the current online dimensions and enlarge them using Windows photo editor program. Then using Adobe acrobat to print out the schematic in tile mode to get the full pic using 8.5 x 11 sheets of paper. Now i have to tape them all together to get my full size template. For material I'm thinking of using a couple 36" x 36" sheets of 1100 or 5052 aluminum and buff it out to a mirror finish. Buffing the aluminum out looks easy enough based on the video tutorials I've seen online. Probably go with material in the 20 gauge range. Slightly thicker than the material of my current reflectors but still easily bendable.

Will take feedback if I'm missing something better.

 

[oreo54]

Here ya the"real thing" but would be a possible group buy since it has a crazy surcharge on small orders.

But you can get 2 out of a $70 sheet I think.
Hmm noticed it was a Canadian company. If Canadian $$'s all the better.
Min 5 48" x 24" sheets to beat the surcharge.
$67.75 canadian(???)
opps $70.53 per newest price sheet..

Anolux MIRO-SILVER® 4270AG
Silver PVD Enhanced™ - Specular Mirror Finish

 

[BeanAnimal]

Solatube material was popular, as was specular aluminum sheet.

If you look around you can find some other specular aluminum sources.

 

[Troylee]

What and where did you get the material for the reflectors?

I use chem metal 901 it’s a chrome aluminum.

 

[Troylee]

That is so nice!!! Are you selling the fixtures and ballasts? How much? Man, great work! Love it!

I never have but I could lol.. I still have my templates for them.

 

[Troylee]

And what was your choice of cutting the material? Edges look clean and straight. I will be attempting to build a couple soon as well. Going to do the Large version (19.5" x 19.5"). I was able to take the current online dimensions and enlarge them using Windows photo editor program. Then using Adobe acrobat to print out the schematic in tile mode to get the full pic using 8.5 x 11 sheets of paper. Now i have to tape them all together to get my full size template. For material I'm thinking of using a couple 36" x 36" sheets of 1100 or 5052 aluminum and buff it out to a mirror finish. Buffing the aluminum out looks easy enough based on the video tutorials I've seen online. Probably go with material in the 20 gauge range. Slightly thicker than the material of my current reflectors but still easily bendable.

Will take feedback if I'm missing something better.

I have shears and used snips to cut the tabs.. I have a full blown shop and do this stuff for a living lol.. I don’t reccomend buffing it out that’s a nightmare and will never be a true mirror finish.

 

[DIYreefer]

Anyone got Phoenix email? And does radium bulbs come in double ended ?

They used to make a 150w double end bulb. It had the same great coloring that their other bulbs have. I ran a pair over a 20g tank back in the early 10's. Corals grew out of the water in that little tank!

 

[BeanAnimal]

I ran the de 150s