MH - Is this a good buy?

[masterkaw]

I was looking around for some metal halides and came accross this one. Is this a good buy or should I stay away from it? Will this work for my 72 gallon tank? I appreciate the help. Thank you.

[masterkaw]

Sorry, I forgot to paste the address. Here it is; http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300259320839&ssPageName=MERCOSI_VI_ROSI_PR4_PCN_BIX_Stores&refitem=130255004425&itemcount=4&refwidgetloc=closed_view_item&refwidgettype=osi_widget&_trksid=p284.m185&_trkparms=algo%3DSI%26its%3DI%252BIA%26itu%3DIA%25 2BUCI%26otn%3D4%26ps%3D42

[masterkaw]

Any comments?

[Reefscape]

Besides the auction being fiished...lol....yes, it looked like a nice buy to me...

[Sploke]

the only thing I would be concerned about is the lack of brand name. for something that has the potential to get hot enough to start fires, I would prefer buying something backed by a company with a good reputation.

[masterkaw]

Besides the auction being fiished...lol....yes, it looked like a nice buy to me...

Yes the auctions is over but there is a few of these that come up now and then.

[wildman117]

the only thing I would be concerned about is the lack of brand name. for something that has the potential to get hot enough to start fires, I would prefer buying something backed by a company with a good reputation.

as long as it is UL listed it should be okay

[Sploke]

And the auction states nothing about that...so the only way to find out would be to buy it?

[masterkaw]

the only thing I would be concerned about is the lack of brand name. for something that has the potential to get hot enough to start fires, I would prefer buying something backed by a company with a good reputation.
Is there another one that you suggest? How about the wattage? Is this amount good enough for a 72 gallon or can I go lower wattage for metal halide? Do I have to add a chiller? Or can I get away without using a chiller?

[Sploke]

As far as brands go, Aqua Medic, Coralife, Current USA and IceCap are some well-known brands. That wattage would be plenty for your tank size, you could probably even get away with 2x175w, although the 2x250 will allow you to keep just about anything you want, limited by tank size. Whether you need a chiller or not will have to be determined by your individual setup, you might just have to wait and see.

[Miss my puffer]

I believe these are the lights aquatraders.com sells. If it is they are ok. I bought one and switched out the ballast on the mh with an ice cap ballast and a different bulb and it works great. Saved money over the other mh systems and probably have a better ballast to show for it.

[sed03f]

I bought an odyssea reef light off ebay, 36" with 2 96w lights, one daylight and one actinate light (cant spell today) and 4 moon lights. It has a built in fan, pretty nice. I paid 75$. My plants are doing really well. And it shipped very fast.

[masterkaw]

I believe these are the lights aquatraders.com sells. If it is they are ok. I bought one and switched out the ballast on the mh with an ice cap ballast and a different bulb and it works great. Saved money over the other mh systems and probably have a better ballast to show for it.
Actually aquatraders are cheaper. Why did you change the ballast? Did it go bad? Why did you change the bulbs? Were the bulbs any good?

[Miss my puffer]

I changed out the bulb because it was getting old and the ballast because icecap makes a better balllast. Both were still working, but you tell a big difference in the ballasts, the icecap was much brighter. the bulbs are ok and they will work, I used mine for a year before I replaced the mh and still have the pcs in. Replacing the mh bulb is a pain and I ended up unhooking one of the moonlights in the process (and they are not easy to connect again). The moonlights are so bright that having the one unhooked is not that big of a deal.