coralife aqualight w 150w de halides modifying to 250w de halides

i purchased the fan and it came with its own power supply, so yea I ran the power wire through the existing holes on the outside into the fixture. I didnt want to bother with the compact fluorescents. Too many wires... also remember the new fan had many more cfm's
to make up for the wattage and heat jump. So I strongly recommend reefsparky that you do not try wiring it to the compacts.... Couple of reasons. No guarantees that it will work and why not go for a stronger fan when your gonna have a higher heat supply.

 

I'm not sure I agree with you about the fan, Patrick. I've always been one to get the job done the easiest way. Remember, wires are what I do--I'm an electrician! When I'm finished wiring it up, it WILL work. It's actually simpler than you think. Running a pigtail off the switchleg from the Power Compacts will allow me to not have to switch it manually, and as you pointed out--when my timer turns on the PCs, the fan will come on too. I don't think it gets much simpler than that.

When I'm finished, I'll snap some photos and you'll see that it's not that complicated. I do understand that you'd rather not mess with it, but that's your prerogative. To each his own.

I've checked the Aqualight Pro 250, and the parts list contains the same fan as used in the 150, so I'm going to trust that Coralife engineered it properly. If there's any heat issues, I'll buy a better fan.

Thanks for allowing me to learn from your hard work!

 

yea... let me know how it goes when you do yours... out of curiousity Id like to know how it works when you do the fan wiring.

Overall Im completely satisfied. Everything wen smooth for the most part.

Couple of final tips.
1. cut out igniter if using electronic ballast. Do not need this part.
2. sockets and bulbs will fit with no problem.
3. make sure you get new lamp cables ( my new cables were twice the thickness)
4. I personally recommend replacing stock fan with icecap 120mm 2 speed
5. and finally dont drewl on the glass when you fire your new bad boys up

thanks to everyone in this thread who posted. Thanks reefsparky for your help!!!

Thats all folks!!!!

 

I have the same fixture. Was wondering about this. I actually like my fixture.

So you spent some coin. I've looked at other setup of basically the same thing. Sort of in the same ball park. I'm sure I could spend a ton on lights.

Right now I'm just going to switch to 14Ks next time I replace. Spent too much money lately. Do you have a before and after shot of your tank with the 10Ks and new 250w 14Ks? I'm glad you guys are doing this. I might too in the future. Especially since Coral life makes a 250w in the same fixture. The rest of my system is fine. Lights would be the last upgrade.

 

I went through some doubt deciding if this was the right thing to do. For the finished product, I'm convinced the $400 is very well spent. Just about any manufacturer that makes a comparable fixture, (2x250 halides and 2x96 actinic PC) is going to charge upwards of a thousand bucks.

I switched to 14Ks the first time I had to change my 150W's on this fixture. I got the SPS lights from Tangster. They're OK, but I think the lack of intensity might be more attributable to aging magnetic ballasts than to any issue with the bulbs. I'm going to get 20K 250W lights after I make the upgrade.

I'll post pics when I do.

 

Thanks Sparky. I don't feel I'm lacking now. Especially with mainly softies and LPS. I will have some SPS in the future probably and going from 300 to 500 isn't a huge jump. Upgrading the ballasts alone is probably a worth while upgrade.

So with changing ballasts, what is the difference these days with coil/magnetic/digital stuff. Why is Ice cap so common?

 

Magnetic ballasts use coils of wire to transform voltages from the incoming 120 to the higher voltages and currents needed to drive HID lighting. Capacitors (ignitors) are also used to steady the current, and overcome the inductance created by the magnetic fields. Eventually magnetic ballasts will break down after years of the stress induced by the "moving" magnetic fields. This is why magnetic ballasts develop hum, and get so hot.

Electronic ballasts use circuitry instead of coils to achieve the same effect. The last longer, don't hum, and don't get as hot. They used to be a lot more expensive, but in the field of semiconductors--things get cheaper, smaller, and better with time.

I have yet to use an electronic ballast at home, but I suppose that Ice Cap was one of the first manufacturers of e-ballasts, and just rose in popularity. I've heard some experienced folks speak poorly of Ice Cap, but I don't know their product so I won't comment.

Coca Cola is the first major manufacturer of soft drinks. They got the biggest the fastest. Most soft drink containers bear their name. I sometimes wonder if they sell more drinks than anyone else because they're better, or because they're the biggest kid on the block.

 

I think its a great investment to upgrade. Think about it even if you were to buy the coralife 250w version youd be dropping an average price of $850. Not to mention that they come with magnetic ballast. I wouldnt buy the coralife 150w version with intentions of upgrading soon afterwards. Or even buying the 250w version and replacing ballast shortly afterwards. Wouldnt make sense when you can buy the odyssea fixture 250w version and replace ballast on that light. and have a killer light cheaper than the stock coralife 250w version.

I unfortunately was new to mh and didnt really plan on getting into sps like ive had and bought the 150w version. So my situation is not too common. Or maybe it is

So powerman I think the 150w version suits your lps/softy tank perfect. Maybe changing bulbs for a different color of light is a good option. But you will not need 2-250w plus pc's to keep your corals healthy and happy.

 

Not to mention the fact that magnetic ballasts are being fazed out do to new DOE (Department of Energy) ratings and requirements.

 

Thanks for all the input guys. I bought my whole setup from a coworker. It was only 10 months old and an above average system. So it was not a waste of money. However, I have already sunk more into it. The lights seem like a no brainer. I have spent plenty getting my tank to where it is at now. I'm going to switch to 14Ks this Summer, and then plan on swapping to 250w when it comes time to buy new bulbs again.