???? on halide lights

[boggerscott]

i am wondering is there a difference in a, like parking lot halide light , like the ones you see on buildings shining on the parking lot? is there any way of going about getting a halide light without haveing to spend as much as my whole set up has cost me already?

 

[fishfreek]

The bulbs themselves are not that expensive. Less than $30 on average per bulb. The premade fixtures are costly as they include the ballst (somewhat expensive item), fans (can be expensive or can be cheap) and the metal enclosure (expensive for what it does). If you DIY your canopy you can usually get the same results for half the price.

Parking lot lights I will use since you mention them. The bulb itself will produce a speciturm that is very different than the MH bulbs for our usage. The MH bulbs sold in the aquaruim trade have very specific color spikes in their specitrum. I cant say as much for the high output lights on parking lot poles, etc.

I dont know what the average wattage is on the parking lot fixtures but with MH you must match the wattage of the ballast with the wattage of the bulb. I would guess most parking lot lights are higher wattage than 175W or 250W. I also suspect those fixutres would not be designed to say cool like the aquarium fixtures so using one over a tank itself could cause heat issues even if the ballast and bulb where compatable.

 

[skennelly]

Parking lot lamps are high pressure sodium bulbs which as the previous post said doesn't put out the correct spectrum for aquarium usage. The light is very yellow.

 

[boggerscott]

alright thanks i thought i mite have had somthing there for a min.