Best (currently available) metal halide reflectors, 48x36x25 sps dominant

[Smite]

I'm planning to upgrade late this year to a 48x36x24. While I'm having great success with my g5 blues on my current system I really miss the natural light of my previous mh fixture. I feel like I would need to add one more or a few LED bars to my radions for the coverage and natural growth I'd be looking for. The tank will be sps dominant but I do plan to also keep a haddoni or gigantea anemone so I need to have good penetrating par as well as coverage, I'd prefer to be running 250w bulbs if possible.

Currently I'm looking at the 19.5x19.5x9" Cabo Sun reflectors from Hamilton, 2 fixtures in total. I'm having trouble finding par readings for this one, i see stuff on the mini. I'm open to both pendant recommendations and retrofit style reflectors. Also I'd love to hear any full combo suggestions * reflector x bulb x ballast pairings.

Please keep the suggestions to currently available reflectors. UNLESS of course you have (2) super clean "x" available for sale

 

[A. grandis]

Either Cozumel or the Cabo Sun will work!
In regards to PAR numbers... you don't have to worry about that at all when you are looking for a good metal halide reflector. The PAR measurements will be directly related to the wattage and type of Kelvin rates you choose. The ballast will also have influence on those numbers as well, so every situation is different. Main thing to keep in mind is that using metal halides you only need to worry about adapting the corals to your light gradually. You don't need PAR meter to be successful with halides and/or T5s. They emit light in a very safe stable manner and will grow your corals healthy, colorful and perfect colony formation, as you might know.
Some would suggest you to go up to 400W for your system, but I think you can manage with the 250W, depending on what bulbs/ballast you choose, and the photopeiod. The Radium on M80s would be great. Hamilton 14Ks with electronic ballast are amazing. You need to choose your preferences. If you get a selectable ballast you can try and change for 400W in the future, if you want.
I would suggest you to call Dave at Hamilton and talk to him about your plans, so he can give you some advice and when they will have their stock available. There is an avalanche of people going back to halides and Hamilton is out of stock, currently producing, a lot of their halide gears. That is why I appreciate them so much. They are in business for more than 30 years serving this hobby with the best light systems available in US.
That tank will be amazing!

 

[Smite]

Either Cozumel or the Cabo Sun will work!
In regards to PAR numbers... you don't have to worry about that at all when you are looking for a good metal halide reflector. The PAR measurements will be directly related to the wattage and type of Kelvin rates you choose. The ballast will also have influence on those numbers as well, so every situation is different. Main thing to keep in mind is that using metal halides you only need to worry about adapting the corals to your light gradually. You don't need PAR meter to be successful with halides and/or T5s. They emit light in a very safe stable manner and will grow your corals healthy, colorful and perfect colony formation, as you might know.
Some would suggest you to go up to 400W for your system, but I think you can manage with the 250W, depending on what bulbs/ballast you choose, and the photopeiod. The Radium on M80s would be great. Hamilton 14Ks with electronic ballast are amazing. You need to choose your preferences. If you get a selectable ballast you can try and change for 400W in the future, if you want.
I would suggest you to call Dave at Hamilton and talk to him about your plans, so he can give you some advice and when they will have their stock available. There is an avalanche of people going back to halides and Hamilton is out of stock, currently producing, a lot of their halide gears. That is why I appreciate them so much. They are in business for more than 30 years serving this hobby with the best light systems available in US.
That tank will be amazing!

Awesome input and thank you!

I will be going for a 14k look, I've heard great things about their (or maybe that was Ushio) 10k but I think that may be a little too white for me. I ran radiums before and they are great but I'd like to give something else a go. The shimmer and "whiter" spectrum really makes the fish and carpet anemones look so natural. What electronic ballast would you recommend with the 14K hamiltons.

I'll contact Dave as I would like to have some glass so I'll be leaning towards the Cozumel sun pendant and they are currently out of stock.

 

[A. grandis]

Awesome input and thank you!

I will be going for a 14k look, I've heard great things about their (or maybe that was Ushio) 10k but I think that may be a little too white for me. I ran radiums before and they are great but I'd like to give something else a go. The shimmer and "whiter" spectrum really makes the fish and carpet anemones look so natural. What electronic ballast would you recommend with the 14K hamiltons.

I'll contact Dave as I would like to have some glass so I'll be leaning towards the Cozumel sun pendant and they are currently out of stock.

Yeah, I also love the 14Ks!
I agree with the glass protection and always recommend that. So many times I see splashes on the glass here. Better be safe than sorry.
If you know for sure you want to use the 250W hamilton bulbs and won't try to change it for the 400W, you could get the 250W dimmable from Hamilton. I've never used that one.

Hamilton 250 Watt Assembled Electronic Ballast - Dimmable (OPEN BOX ITEM)

If you know you will be using the 250W Hamilton 14K bulb you can get their magnetic ballast as an option. I would think the M58 will give a little punch to their bulbs, comparing to most electronic ballasts. Their dimmable ballasts should also be able to overdrive their bulbs though, using the 275W option on the dial, if that is applicable for their 14K bulb (and should be).

250 Watt M58 Assembled Ballast

For electronic selectable ballasts we don't have many choices.
It's normally either the Luxcore or the Icecap.

IceCap LuXcore 250W-400W Selectable Wattage Metal Halide Electronic Ballast - AquaCave.com

CoralVue LuXcore 250W-400W Selectable Wattage Metal Halide Electronic Ballast. LuXcore digital electronic ballasts are the most advanced lighting solution for modern reef keeper. These UL approved selectable ballast offer the hobbyist the luxury of switching between lamp wattage and drive modes...

www.aquacave.com

400w Selectable Wattage Electronic Ballast

Metal Halide has been a staple in reef keeping for many years. Luckily technology is keeping up with one of the older methods of lighting reef tanks. The IceCap Electronic ballasts give the best of all worlds with remarkable energy efficiency compared to all other ballasts on the market today...

www.marinedepot.com

Icecap 400watt Selectable Ballast Metal Halide | Premium Aquatics

Aquarium & Fish Supplies Superstore. Guaranteed Low Prices. Free Shipping for qualified orders. Aquarium supply for your aquarium fish, saltwater aquariums, freshwater aquariums and ponds. The best aquarium lighting, protein skimmers, aquarium chillers, calcium reactors, aquarium pumps for fish...

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Cheers!

 

[Smite]

Yeah, I also love the 14Ks!
I agree with the glass protection and always recommend that. So many times I see splashes on the glass here. Better be safe than sorry.
If you know for sure you want to use the 250W hamilton bulbs and won't try to change it for the 400W, you could get the 250W dimmable from Hamilton. I've never used that one.

Hamilton 250 Watt Assembled Electronic Ballast - Dimmable (OPEN BOX ITEM)

If you know you will be using the 250W Hamilton 14K bulb you can get their magnetic ballast as an option. I would think the M58 will give a little punch to their bulbs, comparing to most electronic ballasts. Their dimmable ballasts should also be able to overdrive their bulbs though, using the 275W option on the dial, if that is applicable for their 14K bulb (and should be).

250 Watt M58 Assembled Ballast

For electronic selectable ballasts we don't have many choices.
It's normally either the Luxcore or the Icecap.

IceCap LuXcore 250W-400W Selectable Wattage Metal Halide Electronic Ballast - AquaCave.com

CoralVue LuXcore 250W-400W Selectable Wattage Metal Halide Electronic Ballast. LuXcore digital electronic ballasts are the most advanced lighting solution for modern reef keeper. These UL approved selectable ballast offer the hobbyist the luxury of switching between lamp wattage and drive modes...

www.aquacave.com

400w Selectable Wattage Electronic Ballast

Metal Halide has been a staple in reef keeping for many years. Luckily technology is keeping up with one of the older methods of lighting reef tanks. The IceCap Electronic ballasts give the best of all worlds with remarkable energy efficiency compared to all other ballasts on the market today...

www.marinedepot.com

Icecap 400watt Selectable Ballast Metal Halide | Premium Aquatics

Aquarium & Fish Supplies Superstore. Guaranteed Low Prices. Free Shipping for qualified orders. Aquarium supply for your aquarium fish, saltwater aquariums, freshwater aquariums and ponds. The best aquarium lighting, protein skimmers, aquarium chillers, calcium reactors, aquarium pumps for fish...

premiumaquatics.com

Cheers!

I'll probably go selecta watt 250-400w of some kind just to keep my options open then. I think that'll also allow me to keep my bulb options open right? If i remember right I was overdriving my 250w radiums before on a electronic ballast at 275w.

 

[A. grandis]

I'll probably go selecta watt 250-400w of some kind just to keep my options open then. I think that'll also allow me to keep my bulb options open right? If i remember right I was overdriving my 250w radiums before on a electronic ballast at 275w.

Yup, that's right. You got it.
Hope to see some pictures of the system when time comes.

 

[Smite]

Yup, that's right. You got it.
Hope to see some pictures of the system when time comes.

How do you think lumenmax elites would fare on this footprint? A local member has a few for sale, galaxy ballasts 250/400 selectable with low hour 250w radiums.

 

[A. grandis]

How do you think lumenmax elites would fare on this footprint? A local member has a few for sale, galaxy ballasts 250/400 selectable with low hour 250w radiums.

Not the best. 36" will need some more spread.

 

[Smite]

Not the best. 36" will need some more spread.

That's what I thought but wanted to confirm.

Thanks

Matt

 

[zalick]

That's what I thought but wanted to confirm.

Thanks

Matt

They do not have enough spread for 36” wide. I have the elites and a 36” wide tank and they are good for about 2’ spread. I have them mounted 16” above water.

I’m just using them as a gap filler until the Cozumel are back in stock this summer.

 

[Smite]

They do not have enough spread for 36” wide. I have the elites and a 36” wide tank and they are good for about 2’ spread. I have them mounted 16” above water.

I’m just using them as a gap filler until the Cozumel are back in stock this summer.

Thanks for the confirmation. I went down a rabbit hole of people going back and forth on the spread of those reflectors, I'll be waiting as well then. A buddy has a 4' cebu sun 250x2 with 4 t5s but I'm worried that'd pretty much be the same story.

 

[Smite]

Bumping this back up. I found someone who has some Lumen bright large reflectors. so the 19x19x9 with selectable e ballasts 250-400w.

I'd really like to be able to mount the bulb about 18-19" above the tank. This will allow me to build a floating canopy that I'll make inserts for when company is over or we are watching movies ect. Would these be a good choice for coverage and par at that height? I found an article on reefmagazine that showed cozumel reflectors have much lower par values so I'm not sure they'll be the right fit for mounting higher


Edit: I'm referring to using 2 of the fixture to cover the 50x38x24" tank.

 

[A. grandis]

Bumping this back up. I found someone who has some Lumen bright large reflectors. so the 19x19x9 with selectable e ballasts 250-400w.

I'd really like to be able to mount the bulb about 18-19" above the tank. This will allow me to build a floating canopy that I'll make inserts for when company is over or we are watching movies ect. Would these be a good choice for coverage and par at that height? I found an article on reefmagazine that showed cozumel reflectors have much lower par values so I'm not sure they'll be the right fit for mounting higher


Edit: I'm referring to using 2 of the fixture to cover the 50x38x24" tank.

Lumen Bright reflectors have a narrow range. They are fixture designed to project the light deeper. The Cozumel are designed to spread. PAR isn't everything in regards to quality. You need a balance of those qualities and spread works with intensity (PAR). Using halides you can go with the 400W on e-ballats, or even 250W with German bulbs on M80s, to cover some of the 38", plus some Blue Plus bulbs. With the 400W you can place them a bit higher.

 

[Smite]

Lumen Bright reflectors have a narrow range. They are fixture designed to project the light deeper. The Cozumel are designed to spread. PAR isn't everything in regards to quality. You need a balance of those qualities and spread works with intensity (PAR). Using halides you can go with the 400W on e-ballats, or even 250W with German bulbs on M80s, to cover some of the 38", plus some Blue Plus bulbs. With the 400W you can place them a bit higher.

So the thread that has me somewhat worried about the cozumel sun reflectors being mounted high is this thread here on R2R. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/c...-sun-lumenbright-large-lumenmax-elite.169518/

It compares LB Large, Cozumel Sun and LM Elite on a 72x30x25" 300DD. The fixtures were mounted 10.5" off the water and while the spread is amazing with the cozumel sun, I'm a little worried about the peak par being under 400 with the 400w radium @ 10.5 to bottom of reflector. I'm up for running a higher output, lower kelvin bulb but I'd hate to mount these guys higher and then just not have the punch throughout the tank.
The other part of this comparison that had me thinking maybe the LB would get me covered was the test was done at 10.5 when they are recommended to be mounted higher 16-20"? Wouldn't that increase the spread of these numbers or do they literally just shine down that direct?

My reasoning for going so high- The tank will be in a corner so i'll be accessing the majority of the tank from the front and will need all the clearance I can get under the reflectors.

 

[jda]

Call Dave at Hamilton if you want to use their stuff. He is helpful and smart. The reflectors need to mesh with the height with the wattage, bulb and ballast.

Remember that 400w Radium is not an output monster. It is a nice bulb, but if you want more PAR then get a trio of 250w Radiums on HQI m80 and not a pair of 400w Radiums on electronic ballasts. The real 250w HQI radiums are nearly the same output at 330w instead of 400w. The HQI radiums are the output monsters. However, if you do go with Radiums, then you are stuck with m80 ballasts - do not try and do HQI on a select a watt which will under drive them. There are other HQI bulbs out there like 14k Phoenix (double ended... and all other double ended bulbs) and the Giesemann Line, but not all 250w bulbs are made for this and will be over driven.

 

[djf91]

Call Dave at Hamilton if you want to use their stuff. He is helpful and smart. The reflectors need to mesh with the height with the wattage, bulb and ballast.

Remember that 400w Radium is not an output monster. It is a nice bulb, but if you want more PAR then get a trio of 250w Radiums on HQI m80 and not a pair of 400w Radiums on electronic ballasts. The real 250w HQI radiums are nearly the same output at 330w instead of 400w. The HQI radiums are the output monsters. However, if you do go with Radiums, then you are stuck with m80 ballasts - do not try and do HQI on a select a watt which will under drive them. There are other HQI bulbs out there like 14k Phoenix (double ended... and all other double ended bulbs) and the Giesemann Line, but not all 250w bulbs are made for this and will be over driven.

Do you consider the 400 watt radium overdriven an output monster?

 

[jda]

It used to be, but about a half a dozen years ago, the radium bulbs started to blow up if you used the PFO Son Agro ballasts in them and overdrive them. ...so not a good idea anymore.

 

[djf91]

Oh shoot that’s not good, I just ordered a bunch for my new fixture....

 

[djf91]

Do you think that was just a random, isolated occurrence? The guy I bought the Son agros from was running them with Radiums up until about a year ago and had no issues.

 

[jda]

There are plenty of instances of the bulbs bursting and Radium confirmed that they changed something that made it happen. Maybe you can find a stash of the old bulbs, but I have no idea how to tell the difference. IIRC, Giesemann will work with the Son Agros.