hqi vs old school mh

[victor626nj]

which do you think is better and why

 

[showtime305]

<span style="color: black;">I don't think one really out performs the other. They both can produce the same output levels but I picked HQI because it's more versatile when it comes to smaller tanks. Moguls usually work better will larger reflectors; HQI can get the same job done in a smaller fixture.</span>

 

[ouling]

I see no difference SE and DE lamps as far as light output. They pretty much put out the same amount of power, and when it gets to 400W, the SE are often the better choice. The good thing about the DE is the reflectors are perfect for the light, SE reflectors usually only covers 2 side, and light can escape from the other 2 ends.

It all depends on the ballast when the light bulbs are the same quality. My 400w PFO standard electronic ballast puts out 300 less par than the PFO HQI ballast when it is used on my SE lamps. http://www.cnidarianreef.com/lamps.cfm">http://www.cnidarianreef.com/lamps.cfm</a>
Those are the readings of 250w. You can see the HQI ballast puts out something like 350+w to drive the bulb. On the 400W, the HQI makes somewhere near 500W output and a good 1100PAR.

Get good ballast and quality lamp, DE and SE don't matter as much as those two factors. :)

GL

 

[glxtrix]

there has been some reports that HQI's can be driven harder than SE lamps but I know that those are bulb and ballast specific. I choose HQI because they tend to penetrate water a bit better only down side is the light coverage.

 

[chicagoman_35]

After testing my tanks PAR (thanks again Sammy!), I got better penetration to lower levels in my tank under my DE HQI pendant...

 

[justonemoretank]

HQI bulbs are typically overdriven and will give the user more light (because you are pushing more electricity thru the bulb). They are designed for this. I would prefer HQI because of this and also because they are "newer" technology. I like new equipment.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

I personally run DE bulbs, but in retorspect, I would prefer SE for this particular reason- there are MUCH m ore options for bulbs with SE that with DE, especially at 400 W. Furthermore, manufacturers are sometimes a bit "shady" For example, Hamilton 400 W DE bulbs are slightly shorter than many standard 400 W SE. SO, you'll need a hamilton fixture or an adjustable fixture to even think of running one of these. However, SE is all uniform.

 

[mojo]

A DE bulb is the same thing as an SE bulb without the outer envelope - one is not inherently brighter than the other. However, since DE bulbs are smaller, the reflector can be placed closer, and thus the light can be reflected downward more efficiently.

My personal preference has always been DE, but I'm thinking about going SE for the reasons jmaneyapanda stated.

 

[simon_kruger]

Hate to say it but I agree with Mojo ;-) Thats why I went 4x400Watt HQI and at 10K. Max focus and max Par.

 

[simon_kruger]

Well not to be beaten;

Hydrargyrum quartz iodide (HQI) is a special type of high-intensity discharge (or HID) lighting, where the light is produced using a very high voltage electrical arc through a gas. The "H" in "HQI" comes from hydrargyrum, the Latin name for the element mercury. When heated, mercury vapour is created inside the bulb, and deposited when it cools.

An HQI lamp consists of a protective outer glass shield surrounding two heavy wires which are inserted into each end of a smaller inner bulb containing a gas. The lamp is powered by an electrical ballast, which regulates the current flow through the arc in the smaller inner bulb. Like all HID lamps, HQI lamps operate under high pressure and heat, and require special light fixtures for safe use.

HQI lamps can produce different color temperatures when manufactured with different metal halides. They are relatively efficient light sources producing a high lumen/watt ratio (approximately 6x that of incandescent bulbs).




Stolen from Wikipedia.......

 

[roland jacques]

Do you guy have any sugestions on where to get DE 400 watt lamps and fxtures (single fixtures)?

 

[simon_kruger]

Try our sponsor list.

I personally use Doug - ReefTankLighting, but there are other good places in ATL that you can use.

Try looking at Hamiltons. They have some noce fixtures.

 

[cgill311]

Can anyone recommend a good, cost efficient, 250W SE ballast? I'm running a generic one right now. I'm curious if I will notice any difference from my 20K SE bulb.

 

[dakota]

I'll go with HQI.

The bulb and the reflector are protected by the UV glass from salt water spray and splash. So much easier to clean the glass than the reflector and no risk of broken glass in the tank.

HQI bulbs are also manufactured with higher internal pressure than SE and will hold their output longer. Most will still have 70% of their output at 12 months, and it isn't entirely unheard of to have 10k bulbs with acceptable output in terms of both intensity and spectrum at 24 months.

 

[dakota]

Roland Jacques;64275 wrote: Do you guy have any sugestions on where to get DE 400 watt lamps and fxtures (single fixtures)?

Roland,

I have seen some Luminarc pendants that will hold 250 or 400 DE bulbs.
You could check their websites. I saw these on eBay. Might be discontinued fixtures.

The Icecap pendant will hold either 250 or 400 as well.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

Dakota;99964 wrote: I'll go with HQI.

The bulb and the reflector are protected by the UV glass from salt water spray and splash. So much easier to clean the glass than the reflector and no risk of broken glass in the tank.

HQI bulbs are also manufactured with higher internal pressure than SE and will hold their output longer. Most will still have 70% of their output at 12 months, and it isn't entirely unheard of to have 10k bulbs with acceptable output in terms of both intensity and spectrum at 24 months.

Where did you get this information? it is contrary to things Ive heard from manufacturers.

 

[glxtrix]

:unsure:

 

[skriz]

DE if you dont have the room for the nice large se reflectors. If you have the room, SE (with a good reflector) will provide better spread and more par. It can be concentrated, just like the de, with the new lumen bright reflector if you need that over spread.

like others have mentioned, se gives you much more bulb choice also.

I voted SE

 

[skriz]

dawgdude;114249 wrote: So your saying under perfect conditions you would go with SE? That even pushes me more toward DE because if I have to have a perfect reflector with the right bulb and the right ballast to compare to DE then its a no brainer to go with DE! Unfortunatly Sammy's PAR thread doesnt support the claim that the SE can outperform HQI. I have never had a problem with the spread on my HQI bulbs.

I think you misunderstood what I was saying, or I didn't say it right; more than likely it was me. SE is the way to go. It will put out more par than DE. If you need a smaller footprint, then you have no choice but to go with DE. If you like the focused beam of DE, you can get the same with SE bulbs using a different reflector. Remember, the reflector makes all the difference, more so than the bulb, beit SE or DE. If you buy a pos reflector and expect good performance out of your bulbs, then you're wasting time; you're just not going to see the par.

Since you mentioned Sammy's PAR thread...the way to measure total par output of a bulb is to test the par on a grid. measure each "sqaure" on that grid and add them up. this will give you a total par number. Some reflectors will have high points where the par output on certain points is really high, but low everywhere else. Other reflectors give a more even distribution over the entire grid. Good reflectors will give you a more even distribution.

so why SE over DE? More selection of bulbs. Better reflectors.