not another lighting question! hqi vs halide?

[rwlancaster]

i need help... i am starting up a 65 this time. i have retro halides and also have 2 hqi fixtures. lets say, or pretend that they are the same wattage,

what is the difference in

2 X 150 watt retro halides

and

2 X 150 watt hqi fixtures?

deciding which way to go here and don't know the difference

[Fly Guy]

hqi IS a halide

HQI fixtures take double ended bulbs. Most HQI ballasts can power either SE or DE bulbs though.

Retro could mean SE or DE(or vho or t5 for that matter). just means it was a DIY install instead of a factory assembled pendent or fixture

I honeslty see no point in DE bulbs. they give out more par........but you have to shield them taking most of the benefit away and being as the glass shield you have to use sits so close to the tank usually you have to clean it all the time.

There might be some benefit Im missing as Ive never ran anything but SE bulbs on HQI ballasts......but thats pretty much the gist of it

hth

[rwlancaster]

my hqi's are all DE

my halides are all SE

not sure if that helps.

[Fly Guy]

Originally Posted by rwlancaster

my hqi's are all DE

my halides are all SE

not sure if that helps.

se(single end/mogul based) and hqi(double end) are both metal halides just with different types of bulbs. Im not sure I undderstand what your question is now that I didnt explain above. ???

If you want me to advise which one to go with of the two you have......SE clearly IMO for the reasons I stated. Do you have different ballasts to go with each?? If so what kind are they??

[Loverotties]

Originally Posted by rwlancaster

i need help... i am starting up a 65 this time. i have retro halides and also have 2 hqi fixtures. lets say, or pretend that they are the same wattage,

what is the difference in

2 X 150 watt retro halides

and

2 X 150 watt hqi fixtures?

deciding which way to go here and don't know the difference

Well Retro fits in a fixture or canopy and fixture is a self contain fixture which also has a double end bulb and the other has a single end.I hope that's what you wanted to know?

[reefermike1]

hqi bulbs are smaller, and the reflectors are also usually smaller if space is an issue. thats why most fixtures use the hqi. hqi bulbs can be a pain to install and to replace imo... if i went with halide lighting again it would be mogul (SE)

[crvz]

From Tom last week ;

Originally Posted by tdwyatt

HQI is a trade name that Osram coined to name their original double ended bulbs , where HQI stands for Mercury (Mercurgy = Hg = Hydrargyrum) Quartz Iodide lamps, and has to do with the construction of the bulb and the elements and gas mixture inside the envelope of the bulb, see http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopi...5d2759b3b564f6 rather than retype the info in this post.

So HQI is another way of saying "Double End" for all practical purposes. I've recently purchased a DE 150W setup. And as Fly Guy states, they're a metal halide bulb. For a 150W bulb, they are almost entirely (if not entirely) DE bulbs. In the small amount of research I've done, I've never seen a single end 150W bulb. Therefore, though Fly Guy's advice may be great in other applications, for 150W setups it's useless!!

[Fly Guy]

Originally Posted by crvz

Fly Guy's advice may be great in other applications, for 150W setups it's useless!!

and there you have it

[fish.freak]

is there any difference on heat output? between de and se

[crvz]

Originally Posted by fish.freak

is there any difference on heat output? between de and se

I'd be surprised if it was noticeable. It's the same technology, so I imagine a very similar amount of the electricity is transfered to heat.