Question about metal halide fixture and led bulbs

[Cosmic_surfer]

I have an aquascape 3 bulb metal halide fixture. The bulbs are pretty much all dead. At menards i see a high lumen bulb that puts out 4000 lumens. It looks like it would fit, but i am curious if the bulb is compatible with the balasts. Will this 38 watt bulb be destroyed or will it do the job? Would 12k lumens be adequate lighting for a 125 gallon for the tougher plants like carpet?

 

[markstrimaran]

Time to up grade to a full spectrum led fixture.
I think the led bulb will work, as long as you have 110 volts at the socket. I don't know much about metal halide, except they use a lot of electricity and have a good 460nm 660nm spectrum. Back in the Incandescent Age.
With leds going main steam, the t-8 t-5 fixtures have led cross overs.
I am not sure on the lumen level a 10 watt led is about as Bright as a 60 watt tungsten.

 

[cichla81]

Yeah you can't stick an led buld in a mh fixture, I mean you can but it won't work

 

[Cosmic_surfer]

What would keep it from working? Doesnt the balast just regulate the current? I believe the bulbs i used were 175 watt, this led says it is 300... but only uses 38, so are you saying it wont work at all? I see on google, there are 80 dollar led halide retrofit bulbs... i could get those?

 

[reefman]

It does but but it's different. With hid lighting you use mogul sockets that are bigger than normal sockets. Also with hid when way the bulb is fired is different than standard. In most hid cases say the ballast is a 400 watt coil. What it does is when you turn the bulb on its gonna fire 6 to 800 watts to the bulb once lit it will supply 400. You'll end up blowing that led up. Even tho it says 300 watts it's equivalent not the actual watts. What ever the real wattage is that's the wattage

 

[Cosmic_surfer]

My uncle knows an electrical engineer. Perhaps i can get him to change out the sockets and bypass the balasts... maybe upgrade the fans. It is a very nice expensive light fixture that i think is worth saving...

 

[stempy]

It's a different kind of system, it won't work. That led does not require a ballast just a 110v light socket. If you want a nice fixture for that type of light simply buy hanging light kits like you would for a kitchen to install over the tank.

 

[markstrimaran]

To grow anything with photosynthesis. Your going to need LED that each bulb is pushing about 2 watt each. Rated at,
A 36 watt led will only have 18 LEDS,

 

[FreshyFresh]

Yeah, you'll have to bypass the ballast to get that 'bulb' to work. Keep in mind some metal halides use a mogul base like said above, while the lower wattage MH's use a standard medium base.

 

[Cosmic_surfer]

Well I got a guy rewiring my entire Coralife hallide array. He is changing the sockets to standard size to allow me to use the led bulbs above. We are also setting it up to plug directly into the wall and bypass the ballasts completely. I don't know what the PAR is on these lights, but at 4000 lumens a piece, I will be pumping 12000 into my tank. I hope this works the way I am hoping it will.