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BoomerD · 02-22-2004, 12:35 PM

As to the 2 IceCap Ballasts, you say you're going to use 4 110w. bulbs. Each 660 will power those by itself. Are you planning to maybe run 2 actinics on 1 of them, and the 2 50/50's on the other? If so, maybe you could run 4 bulbs on 1, and 2, 3 , or 4 on the other. In my 90 gallon canopy, ( not enough height for MH) I have 1 660, and 1 430 IC ballasts running the following combinations. the 430 runs 2 actinics. These come on at about 7 a.m., the 660 runs 3 50/50's & 1 actinic. these come on about 9 a.m., then the 430 turns off at 9:30. The 430 turns on again at about 2030, (8:30 pm for the rest of youse) then the 660 turns of at 2100 (9 p.m.) and then the 430 actinics go foo at 2200 (10 p.m.)

This gives me a nice dawn/dusk period before & after the main lights and also gives me a chance to enjoy the phosphorescence (sp?) of the zooanthelle algae in some of my corals & anemones as they glow green under the actinics.

Otherwise, 2 660 ballasts for 4 bulbs is just a waste of $$$ that could be better spent on your tank. the $150+ of the 660, would nearly pay for a dual 250 MH set-up from CoolTouchlighting
(AquariumLight.com) which is one of the boards sponsors.

By The Way, in which branch are/were you a drill sergeant?
God knows, there were times when I hated mine!, but afterwards, had nothing but the highest praise for them & what they taught me!
Semper Fi!

02-22-2004, 12:35 PM	#9 (permalink)
BoomerD Reef Shark Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Northern California Posts: 5,638 View Gallery Karma Komment	As to the 2 IceCap Ballasts, you say you're going to use 4 110w. bulbs. Each 660 will power those by itself. Are you planning to maybe run 2 actinics on 1 of them, and the 2 50/50's on the other? If so, maybe you could run 4 bulbs on 1, and 2, 3 , or 4 on the other. In my 90 gallon canopy, ( not enough height for MH) I have 1 660, and 1 430 IC ballasts running the following combinations. the 430 runs 2 actinics. These come on at about 7 a.m., the 660 runs 3 50/50's & 1 actinic. these come on about 9 a.m., then the 430 turns off at 9:30. The 430 turns on again at about 2030, (8:30 pm for the rest of youse) then the 660 turns of at 2100 (9 p.m.) and then the 430 actinics go foo at 2200 (10 p.m.) This gives me a nice dawn/dusk period before & after the main lights and also gives me a chance to enjoy the phosphorescence (sp?) of the zooanthelle algae in some of my corals & anemones as they glow green under the actinics. Otherwise, 2 660 ballasts for 4 bulbs is just a waste of $$$ that could be better spent on your tank. the $150+ of the 660, would nearly pay for a dual 250 MH set-up from CoolTouchlighting (AquariumLight.com) which is one of the boards sponsors. By The Way, in which branch are/were you a drill sergeant? God knows, there were times when I hated mine!, but afterwards, had nothing but the highest praise for them & what they taught me! Semper Fi!