Off colored mh

[neil_04]

I have a aqua light pro 48, I noticed my bulbs looked off colored, they are about a year old. So I went to the lfs and picked up two new 250w 14k bulbs. I got home took fixture apart changed bulbs wiped glass down and fired it up. Left side of tank is yellow and right side is blue, could my ballast be messed up? I'm about at the point of switching out to led, as I recently had to change a 96w pc ballast.


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[Holygral]

what kind of bills and what did you pay for them. When I was running MH, I once bought cheap bulbs off Ebay, colors were all over the place for the exact same bulbs. The cheep Chinese bulbs have little to no quality control, is in MH you really do get what you pay for.

 

[mr_X]

I agree that the lamps are the problem, not your fixture. Take the yellow one back for an exchange. better yet, return both and put that money towards LED fixtures.

 

[neil_04]

bulbs are coralife, ive been affaid to take the plunge on led so many brands and different options. The current usa seems ok but its cheap which throws red flag up for me. The lfs says their corals are growing great on the tank they have led on, but they told me the fixture is $2000 that's a little steap if you ask me.

 

[mr_X]

You don't need to spend that kind of money. For your tank all you need are two of these-
165W Dimmable Full Spectrum LED Aquarium Light Marine Reef Coral Fish Tank Lamp | eBay

Virtually any fixture in this search will work-
dimmable led aquarium light | eBay

These are tried and true, and basically all the same minus some shape and/or color differences. The current fixtures are not strong enough for some high light species.

 

[neil_04]

Do they need to hang or can I fit them into my hood? They would sit about 8-10" above water. I would love to change over to led and get rid of my excess heat. Also ive had to change to manual air condition timers because the mh lights burn up aquarium timer strips

 

[Gregcoyote]

Those are all reasons why many switched to LED. Everyone has a opinion on their favorite fixtures, but everything you need is out there. X and I both like the inexpensive Chinese fixtures, while I have moved on to full spectrum and DIY for flexibility in my situation. Most of them work fine. Just post your thoughts and there is someone here who had one like it.

If you want to go with a pendant fixture, be aware of the coverage vs height that can be controlled by hanging height or lenses on the leds.


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[mr_X]

Do they need to hang or can I fit them into my hood? They would sit about 8-10" above water. I would love to change over to led and get rid of my excess heat. Also ive had to change to manual air condition timers because the mh lights burn up aquarium timer strips

If you have a typical wooden hood you can cut two rectangular holes in the top slightly smaller than the fixtures, and sit them on top of it. Either that or put them on the inside of the hood and let the fans pull air from the holes in top. This will bring fresh air into the hood, thus keeping the tank water cooler and aiding gas exchange and ph.
If you don't want to cut holes, just hang them inside the hood as far from the water as possible.
What type of hood do you have?

 

[neil_04]

I made my hood, my tank only came with a stand, so I built a matching top . added some edges to hold the Aqua light up at the top, and have two sets of fans running in the back pulling air out. It draws fresh air from the front edge. Wood work is no problem for me so modding the hood to support the lights is no big deal.


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[Gregcoyote]

Compared to mounting the MH without starting a fire, this will be a cinch for you.


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[neil_04]

Ordered two of them yesterday thanks for the assistance Mr x


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