It's
been a while since I've done a product review, but this light
fixture/bulb/ballast combination was so intriguing that I felt
compelled to write about it. Most reviews of lighting over the
past few years have focused on scientific measurements and statistical
analysis. It's certainly important to understand the PAR value
of a particular bulb or bulb/ballast combination, but it's equally
important to consider the practical aspects as well. Many aquarists
keep their aquariums in general living spaces, so aesthetics
is an important consideration. Most aquarists are on a budget
when it comes to lighting choices, so the question of value
for the dollar is a concern. Finally, a bulb or light fixture
can look great on paper, but the real question is how does it
work over a real aquarium? In other words, how do the corals
appear? Do they grow under this particular light/reflector/ballast?
Do they hold their "color?" How does the bulb hold up over time?
These questions are sometimes best addressed in real world tests
over time.
Old
lighting.
New
lighting.
I've
been toying with different lighting fixtures over my 42 hex
reef aquarium for many years. I've never been totally satisfied
with the choices I've made in that time. My first fixture was
a stationery 150 watt metal halide pendant clad in brown aluminum.
It held a double-ended bulb (AKA "HQI") and employed a dimpled
aluminum reflector. It performed well, but I was never satisfied
with it. Since it was affixed to the wall, I couldn't adjust
the height of the fixture. This made it difficult to change
bulbs and clean the tempered glass lens. I was also unable to
raise the fixture after replacing the bulb. Many corals cannot
adapt to a sudden increase in light when replacing an aged bulb.
This may result in coral "bleaching" or an expulsion of their
zooxanthellae, which often leads to the death of the coral.
Ideally, you want to raise the fixture after replacing the bulb
and gradually lower it over a period of time. This allows the
corals to slowly adapt to the increase in light.
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sponsor of this column
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This
fixture also became red-hot after a few minutes, and I was burned
more than a few times while performing tasks in and around the
aquarium. My last issue involved the ballast. It was a large
heavy box that got extremely hot. I couldn't hide it under the
stand because it would heat the tank by a few degrees over the
course of a day. I was forced to sit in on the floor behind
the aquarium, which was unsightly and made it susceptible to
damage from water spills. I later swapped this pendant out for
a smaller and lighter fixture but I was not satisfied with the
light spread over the aquarium. It's difficult to cover hexagon
and square-shaped aquariums with traditional rectangular pendants.
When
Andy Howard of IceCap, Inc. showed me this radical new stainless
steel fixture and the accompanying double-ended metal halide
bulb built into a mogul-based reflector, I was anxious to try
it over my 42 hex reef aquarium.
From
an aesthetic viewpoint, I find this fixture very attractive.
I like the shape, size and color. I like the fact that the height
is easily and infinitely adjustable by simply pulling and pushing
the steel cables. I also appreciate the quality of the fixture.
It's constructed of brushed stainless steel and has held up
well over a six month period. The fixture itself simply functions
to hold the bulb and vent some heat. The bulb is not enclosed
in the fixture and most of the heat is directed away from the
housing. It does get hot, but never scalding and, since it's
freely hanging, it's simple to push out of the way if I need
to work in the aquarium. The fixtures measures approximately
6.5" high and 8.5" at the widest bottom dimension.
As
for the reflector, it's built into the bulb! Iwasaki has managed
to mount a double-ended metal halide bulb horizontally into
a PAR36 reflector flood lamp! It's a clean and efficient design.
All the light is directed straight down in a fairly tight pattern.
There is no loss of light outside the aquarium. This is clearly
demonstrated in Sanjay's accompanying views of the PAR plot
at a distance of 9".
These
new lamps come in 70 and 150 watt versions, with blue and daylight
(6500K) color temperatures and PAR36 and PAR38 configurations.
You can see detailed specs here: http://www.eyelighting.com/colorarc_par.html.
After
experimenting with the various configurations over my 42 hex
reef aquarium, the corals and I determined that we liked the
150 watt 6500K PAR36 lamp best (M150P36FD/MED-R 6500K 150W Flood).
It offers the best combination of light spread, appearance and
intensity. The color is bright white, as evidenced by its 6500K
color temperature and CRI of 96.
The
real proof came when I moved numerous Zooanthid and Acropora
frags from my 500 gallon reef aquarium into the 42 hex reef
aquarium. To my surprise, half of the Zooanthid frags bleached
while the colors on the Acropora frags intensified. These frags
had come from approximately the same distance from the bulbs
in the large reef aquarium, except I use 400 watt Ushio, XM
and Iwasaki metal halide bulbs in that tank! I've also been
pleased that the colors on the Acropora corals have held up
over time, which indicates that the bulb hasn't lost much punch
over 6 months time. The bulbs are reported to last 2 years when
used in conjunction with the electronic ballast. I can't attest
to that yet, but even after 6 months, I have not been able to
acclimate many of the Zooanthid colonies to the higher intensity
light field. I had to move them off to the sides and bottom
of the aquarium where they're doing well. Growth on the SPS
coral frags has been equally impressive. One frag from a blue
Acropora millepora coral has outgrown the mother colony in 6
months time.
The
other piece of this combination is the ballast. I'm using IceCap's
150 watt electronic ballast. I have long-term experience with
this ballast since I've used it on another aquarium for the
past 18 months as well. It's small (fits in the palm of your
hand), lightweight, quiet and barely gets warm to the touch.
I'm able to mount it safely out of the way on the inside wall
of my aquarium stand with no concern for heat buildup. It's
a major improvement over the cinderblock griddle that I used
previously.
Not
to completely dismiss science, Sanjay Joshi graciously let me
include some of his graphs in my article. They clearly demonstrate
the intensity and punch of this bulb/reflector/ballast combination.
As a basis for comparison, compare
the PAR values and distributions in these plots to the graphs
that accompanied Sanjay's previous test of 150 watt DE bulbs,
reflectors and ballasts in the July 2003 issue of Advanced Aquarist
Online Magazine (see Analyzing Reflectors: Part II - Double
Ended Lamp Reflectors by SANJAY JOSHI and TIMOTHY MARKS http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/july2003/feature.htm
)
