Reef nutrition

bad ballast? bulb goes on and off

Apon

Apon

Supporting Member
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So I have a icecap electronic 250 hqi ballast firing a new 250 radium 20k buld for the last month, and now it seems it can't keep the bulb lit...it will fire light up for like 5minutes and then turn off. It does this off and on, sometimes it will stay on for hours and sometime only a few minutes. what do you guys think. the ballast is a few years old...time for a new one?
 
Could be, or it could be the connection in the socket. I had the exact same issue and it turned out to be the socket. Try removing the bulb, cleaning both the bulb contacts and the socket contacts and then try firing back up (if you haven't all ready)
 
Electronic can not be and HQI ballast. Did you run radiums on it before? The old icecap electronic ballasts used to have problems with radium bulbs. The new ones don't but still will not drive the bulb as hard as it should.
 
iani said:
Electronic can not be and HQI ballast. Did you run radiums on it before? The old icecap electronic ballasts used to have problems with radium bulbs. The new ones don't but still will not drive the bulb as hard as it should.
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Given it worked for a month then starting having issues why do you suspect it's an issue with the bulb? can you explain it, I think I am missing a partial lobe right now :(
 
I remember someone here reporting the very same thing after about a month of using their radium bulb on a ballast that was not matched for it.
 
Ian, No ....first time running a radium on it...I was running at XM 20k at OT ( this is on the zero edge) - What ballast do you guys suggest with the radium?

Gresham, I can try that tonight as well.


Mario what ballast do you have for a test? You still need to come by and check out my tanks.
 
I have older icecap and they work fine with my radium bulbs, the problem seems to be related to contact. Had similar issue with one of my bulb so I swap the bulbs around and all three worked so I think it is contact issue.
 
Apon said:
Ian, No ....first time running a radium on it...I was running at XM 20k at OT ( this is on the zero edge) - What ballast do you guys suggest with the radium?

Gresham, I can try that tonight as well.


Mario what ballast do you have for a test? You still need to come by and check out my tanks.
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PFO HQI, Bluewave 7 or IceCap, tutti frutti...
 
But it took a month last time to start goign on and off, right?
 
I just experience this same thing last night with newly installed SE radium on a 2yr old icecap 400w. It tried to fire the bulb a few times before succeeding.
 
ok update...we have a winner! Ian gets the prize, after trying to clean the socket, I switched out the ballast with my extra aquamedic magnetic HQI ballast and its brighter now and so far no more going one and off.

Thanks everyone for some advice.
 
Gresham true...I guess I can wait another month too, but for now I am happy. I actually cleaned the socket but it wasn't dirty and I ran the bulb for a few days. No difference, so I grabbed my old ballast from storage and tried it out. So far so good and it does run much brighter on the magnetic ballast.
 
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