general MH lighting questions

[ohio reefer]

i was looking at MH retro fit kits and the had electronic and magnetic ballasts. whats the difference? which is better?

also whats the difference between probe and pulse start? which is better?

has anyone bought the MH parabolic reflector set with mogul base from hellolights? its only $29.99. is this model any good?

TIA

mark

 

[cj10488]

i was looking at MH retro fit kits and the had electronic and magnetic ballasts. whats the difference? which is better

Electronic Is supposed to burn the bulb longer and better.. I plan on switching mine over to Electronic IceCaps in the next few months as they seem nicer looking as well.. Another point is most Electronics will light all bulbs including HQIs

also whats the difference between probe and pulse start? which is better?

Probe Start is the Cheaper of the 2.. Probestart is bassically the Beginner and will light most bulbs Except a few of the European bulbs such as the Radium 20k Pulse Start should light all bulbs except the HQIs.. If you plan on running 10k bulbs or so you should be fine with just a Probe Start..

has anyone bought the MH parabolic reflector set with mogul base from hellolights? its only $29.99. is this model any good

I have not bought one yet but I hear that they are good.. There is a few ppl that are using them.. I believe ReefLady is one of them as well as I believe Hara.. IMO I plan on buying a couple for myself pretty shortly..

HTH<
James

 

[loganj]

The manufacturers claim that the electronic ballasts burn the bulbs brighter and that the bulbs will last longer. They run cooler and use a little less power than the core/coil ballasts. The core/coil ballasts are less expensive initially though and will do a fine job. IMO, the electronic ballasts are probably a better deal in the long run. If you're willing to DIY some of it though, you can save a lot of money up front with the standard ballasts.
Most bulbs will light on a probe start ballast. AFAIK, all of them will light on a pulse start ballast. I believe the Radium bulbs require the pulse start and there may be some others.
I don't have any firsthand experience with the Hello Lights reflector...I can tell you that Hello Lights has an excellent reputation for quality products and I wouldn't hesitate to try one.

 

[MadManMac]

I just bought a 250 watt DIY kit from HelloLights.com for my 60 gallon tank. It took me about 10 minutes to get it in and fired up. Overall, it looks great and was simple to install. Also, the main point to the electronic ballasts is that they run way cooler and do not buzz constantly.

 

[ohio reefer]

thanks guys!!! i think i know what i'm buying

mark