more lighting questions

[madisonrose]

so i picked up a 250w bluewave ballast
i understand they will draw more power being magnetic but does anyone know how much more compared to a electric ballast. my old ballast said it would draw 2.7amps.
and then
also i read that these ballast are desigend to fire german/ushio bulbs will i shorten a se xm bulb using this pulse start magnetic ballast??

and then
with the new ballast i recieved a lumenaric reflector, i know the de bulbs need to have uv shield, thats why they are all under glass. however i remember a old sunpaq unit i had almost seemed that you could see the tinted glass, however i cant see anything on this peice of glass that came with the unit(except that its beveled on each side) is there a way i can tell if this is the correct glass to protect corals from uv??

and then
i am trying to decide if there will be a big enough difference between the se bulb with old school dimpled reflector vs this newer lumenaric de bulb
this will be installed under a canopy, i have a small fan blowing across the water, i assume this sealed lumaneric will get really hot, compared to what i have now. am i gonna have overheat issues??

and then
i see new style lumenaric reflector units with built in vents to put a fan in.
it seems like a dyi project that could be simple enough to cut two small holes and duct in some air. anythoughts????

and then.....

 

[JayM]

so i picked up a 250w bluewave ballast
i understand they will draw more power being magnetic but does anyone know how much more compared to a electric ballast. my old ballast said it would draw 2.7amps.
and then
also i read that these ballast are desigend to fire german/ushio bulbs will i shorten a se xm bulb using this pulse start magnetic ballast??

magnetic ballasts (in general) are less efficient than electronic ballasts.
my blue wave 250w ballasts drew about 60 watts more (each) than the lumatechs I'm going to replace them with after my move.

and then
with the new ballast i recieved a lumenaric reflector, i know the de bulbs need to have uv shield, thats why they are all under glass. however i remember a old sunpaq unit i had almost seemed that you could see the tinted glass, however i cant see anything on this peice of glass that came with the unit(except that its beveled on each side) is there a way i can tell if this is the correct glass to protect corals from uv??

The glass on my lumenarcs does not have a noticeable tint. That glass should be fine

and then
i am trying to decide if there will be a big enough difference between the se bulb with old school dimpled reflector vs this newer lumenaric de bulb
this will be installed under a canopy, i have a small fan blowing across the water, i assume this sealed lumaneric will get really hot, compared to what i have now. am i gonna have overheat issues??

If you're going from no canopy to canopy, additional fan cooling should be added. I just leave my canopy top open, and seem to do OK...but I run central air and have 300 gallons in my basement to spread the heat over.

something which WILL be different is how much light you are getting to your corals with that reflector. You should acclimate them with the light raised and/or shorter photoperiods

and then
i see new style lumenaric reflector units with built in vents to put a fan in.
it seems like a dyi project that could be simple enough to cut two small holes and duct in some air. anythoughts????

and then.....

saw those on then lumnearclighting.com page just yesterday...sweet enhancement

 

[madisonrose]

well it seems like i want to go with the new reflector so now i have more ???
so there should be greater light output with this reflector which i assumed it would
now...
the tank has a canopy thats 12" from the top, if i install reflector into canopy it will be about 6-7 inches from the water just a bit closer than what my se bulb is hanging now.
how much more difficult is it going to be to cool this fixture.
the tank is 30"x18" the se bulb lights the complete tank ok will this reflector direct to much into the center being so close to the water or might i have enough space for it to light the tank


i know i know i should shut up and just install it and see what i think
maybe tomorrow