? re: different HQI ballast

[willray]

I have an aro e-ballast and want to take advantage of some deals and use a different manufacturers ballast.

Will different ballast make the bulbs appearence differ and will it benoticable?
And will a 150 and 250 de w/3 t5's in a 48" hood look odd in the tank?

I thinking it would look cool and have some advantages.

[steevareno]

Yes, different ballasts will make the bulbs appear different. Check out the threads on RC. If your going to buy another ballast, why not make them both 250's? or both 150's?

[dz6t]

If both ballasts are electonic, you may be OK depend on how picky your eyes are. :D

What is the other brand of the ballast besides the Aro?

[willray]

This one.http://www.championlighting.com/product.php?productid=900033&cat=768&page=1 The price is sooo hard to resist Actually would like go w/ this onehttp://www.championlighting.com/product.php?productid=900032&cat=769&page=1 but it's twice the cost and then I'm left w/ an aro that will probably sit collecting dust 'cause no will want it.

[jimmyj7090]

I may be wrong here, but as I understand it;

It's more about juice in equals light out. With electronic ballasts in general you see less juice in which results in less light out, and likely somewhat different spectrum light produced. Magnetic "HQI" ballasts will push more juice to the bulb as compared to electronic ballasts, and in the end the spectrum emitted will be somewhat different. (no benchmark or guideline on this that I know of?)

What do you hope to accomplish here? Visiting other reefers tanks might shed a lot more light on the subject than discussion it online IMO.

Your welcome to visit my reef sometime. I have 250W 14K lamps on mag ballasts, and one 150W on a ARO ballast.

[dz6t]

go with the dual ballast. It is so cheap that there is no reason not to get it. Sell the aro.

[chew*]

I can tell you from visiting other tanks and comparing to my own, my aro ballasts tend to drive pheonix bulbs a crisp white with a hint of blue. I have seen the same watt brand bulb on PFO magnetic ballasts and it looked like a 20k bulb very blue. Luckily I didn't want my tank that blue.

[dz6t]

Aro ballast is very good ballast, they don't have the hype of Icecap but they are as good as icecap. IIRC, Aro ballast is made by Panasonic.

[RichConley]

Dong, I've had both an Icecap, and an ARO, and I honestly couldnt tell the difference (nor could the killawat). unfortunately I didnt get a PAR meter under them, but for all purposes, theyre very similar ballasts.

So I agree that ARO is a nice ballast.

[dz6t]

I have both type of ballasts too. There is no magical design for e-ballasts or any ballasts on the market, just magical promotion and marketing.

[dz6t]

I am wondering if there is really a HQI e-ballast out there. A e-ballast can drive both DE and SE bulb but IIRC none of them can drive DE bulb in HQI output.

[RichConley]

I am wondering if there is really a HQI e-ballast out there. A e-ballast can drive both DE and SE bulb but IIRC none of them can drive DE bulb in HQI output.

Geissmann shipped their 250w pendants for a while with electronic ballasts that ran at HQI specs. I'm pretty sure they dont anymore though.