hid lamps

[reefguy]

hey folks...

sorry for the long absence, but two kiddos under the age of two are really keeping me busy. the real question has to do with HID metal halide lamps...

i recently decided to replace my 12000K sunburst MHs with 10000K ushio metal halides (have read that they are superior). i ordered the correct wattage for the ballasts i have and the lamps arrived with no problem. when i replaced the old lamps with the new lamps, they would light for a few minutes and then go off. this cycle would repeat for a number of hours, but the lamps would never reach full intensity.

my question is, in your infinite amount of reefkeeping experience, is this a ballast problem (too old and need new ballasts) or is this a defective lamp problem??

i really want to switch to the ushios as i have bought some new acropora corals (a REAL shift in internal policy for me) and i want to upgrade the lighting to ushios before i add another socket.

please help if you can...if you need help on any subject, please email me at keitho@lycos.com

thanks folks,

keitho

gig 'em aggies!!

[Rick O]

I have heard from several sources that this is an issue with Ushio bulbs. Check out this thread: http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/sh...threadid=12241 Around the bottom half of the first page there's some discussion about it.

[reefguy]

thanks for the help folks...the ushios finally lit up this morning and stayed lit. man, these things are way, WAY brighter than the sunbursts. i didn't realize that these new ushios could take as long as 3-4 hours before they light.