Mh lighting

[mpleleaf]

I was wondering after hearing a few people discuss MH lighting and the price they were paying why someone doesnt walk into a electrical supply store and purchase their 175w or what ever size they want ballast, put it in some kind of enclosure , wire it to a medium or mogul sized socket , mount it to a reflector and call it done. It just seems to me that the lighting systems for aquariums are big $$$$ and to try to keep the price down the better . Can anyone tell me if there is a difference between a regular 175 w ballast or a 175 w ballast purchased from aquarium supply stores . To me , I can see the diff being in the bulb but not in the ballast ! If anyone can tell me different Please do as I'm about to rip into my canopy and make some changes !!

[neemo]

Well I guess you can always go it the DIY, bare bones route and save some $.
If you go to an electrical supply store a 175W MH ballast will cost you around $60. Mogul socket and wire $15. Then you have to wire it up and mount it somewhere.
If you buy a reflector, and a ballast that has an encloasure with a heat sink, as aquarium stores usually sell, it will obviously be more money, after all they have to make their profit on mark-up.
As for getting MH bulbs that are the correct temperature, it would be something that most electrical suppliers do not normally carry in stock. So unless you order in bulk they will charge you basically retail price.
Anyway thats what I have found to be the case unless anyone out there knows of a better supplier in the GTA???

[ajx22]

As with anything DIY...

MAKE SURE that you 100% know what you are doing BEFORE you start the project. Remember that you are dealing with electricity & water - two things that don't mix well.

Make 100% sure that all your work is up to code - because if you do something out of code standards...and say your house burns down...then your insurance WILL NOT cover you!

Also...you really wouldn't want to die due to something non-code -

Tombstone:

Dead @ 30 - but I saved $20.00 on my tank

:D :D

[pluff]

Kevin your a electrican.....U should know this stuff :)

:cheers:

[kentracey]

Another option might be to find a used setup on the board here or???. That's what I did and it's worked out great for me. You might want to give ORG a try as well. I've seen used ballasts in there sometimes.

[mpleleaf]

Yeah Pluff , your right , but so many people go and buy these light kits I thought I must be missing something (something mysterious or magical)! If the ballast is of no consideration then I'm off to the store for some MH lighting made easy and cheap ($500 no can do , bulbs not included) ! I realize now that the bulbs can be really the only difference and would be be hard to get local but the really big costs it seems are the rest of the riggin'. Thanks for the info guys , off to get some prices !

[mpleleaf]

Well I can get the ballasts for $54 ea. and the sockets @ $7 . For the heat sink I'm taking the top of my canopy , which is 1/2 " plywood out and putting in a 3/16 th thick sheet of aluminum 48x16" , same weight as plywood ! This will be polished to act as a reflector with the sockets mounted directly onto it , also aluminum will be a big heat sink for dissipation ! My four actinics will also be mounted on the aluminum with all ballasts remotely located in the stand underneath ! All the retrofit will cost is $150 not including tax or 175w bulbs !

[nigel]

Another idea is to buy a mercury vapour set up disconnect and remove the ballast replace the ballast with your MH ballast ,purchase your bulb make sure fixture has appropriate mogul and your set.
Some Mercury vapor fixtures are considerable cheaper than metal halide. This set up is if you are using a pendant type fixture.