Time to get lights

I'm fielding two really good options here. The fixture I currently have in there is too small to fit a F20T12 bulb so I highly doubt it'll hold a compact fluorescent bulb like the ones seen at ahsupply.

I think slipknottin is going for the easiest solution, new ballast and a brighter bulb. The only issue I see with that is that the bulb is 24" and doesn't cover the length of the tank. How would that affect the plants? Another issue, my fixture won't fit a 1 1/2" bulb, it's a real piece of... art :rolleyes: I have another fish tank lid that fits F20T12 bulbs, maybe I can fit that in my hood. Would 75w be enough light to have a decent plant tank? At least I wouldn't have to jump into CO2.

If I went with the 96w from ahsupply I'd have to basically gut my hood and fit it in there. Does it come with the fixture to hold the bulb & ballast in light innards in place?

Ya'll kick ass, thanks for the help. I hope I find some way to repay you in the future.
 
technically if you run a 75 watt VHO on a workhorse 5 it will be as bright as running a 95 watt VHO on the same ballast (ie. overdriving the bulbs)

the bulb just wont last as long. (maybe 8-10 months) I dont think having a bulb only 24" long will bother anything. Youll still be getting plenty of light into the tank.

If you look at your fixture, why isnt there enough space? Is the ballast mounted inside the back and that takes up another inch of space?

Could you possibly remove the ballast and break the reflector so its a little wider? If you can do that, then you could mount the new ballast outside the hood. (fulham ballasts are pretty small anyways)

If there normal endcaps and not the waterproof ones, those should hold both T12 and T8 bulbs.

You could always go with a CF kit, but i strongly dislike those bulbs. I feel the light coloration from them is crappy (awful compared to the URI fluorescent bulbs), they loose a LOT of output in the first 100 hours, and there easy as heck to break.
 
Originally posted by slipknottin
technically if you run a 75 watt VHO on a workhorse 5 it will be as bright as running a 95 watt VHO on the same ballast (ie. overdriving the bulbs)
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The workhorse 5 is a 120w ballast, wouldn't it be over-driving the bulb to 120w? How did you come up with 95w?


If you look at your fixture, why isnt there enough space? Is the ballast mounted inside the back and that takes up another inch of space?

Could you possibly remove the ballast and break the reflector so its a little wider? If you can do that, then you could mount the new ballast outside the hood. (fulham ballasts are pretty small anyways)
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Because it's a cheap POS lamp. I tried a F12T20 bulb and it didn't fit, the end caps are too close to the fixture and therefore there isn't enough diameter where the light tube runs to fit a 1.5" bulb... only the smaller F8T16 lamps. I have another fixture from another tank that fits F12T20 24" bulbs. The ballast currently in that fixture is only able to run a 20w lamp, but if I replace the ballast and retrofit it with a fulham workhorse 5 we may have a winner.


You could always go with a CF kit, but i strongly dislike those bulbs. I feel the light coloration from them is crappy (awful compared to the URI fluorescent bulbs), they loose a LOT of output in the first 100 hours, and there easy as heck to break.
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So then you don't like the kits from ahsupply? You feel over-driving VHO bulbs is a better solution? What damage can I do by over-driving 75w VHO bulbs?
 
I have a couple retro kits from AH supply. The kits are very nice, I really like the reflectors (and im a very large fan of fulham ballasts...) I just dont like how PC bulbs are made. They light looks sort of "fake" and i dont think bulb quality is as good as the bulbs made by URI.

And about the 95 watt bulb, i mean the 95 watt VHO and 75 watt VHO bulbs will have the same output if both are being run on the same ballast (workhorse 5)
Many many people (myself included) overdrive VHO and NO bulbs all the time with no ill effects (besides shorter bulb life).
 
Why don't I get a cheapo 36" light strip and replace it's ballast with a workhorse 5? What wattage bulb would/should/could I use with this? I'd like to avoid over-driving bulbs if possible, but I'd like to have enough light. So how many wats is a 36" VHO bulb?
 
36" VHO bulbs are 95 watts.

youd still be overdriving it... most Ahsupply kits overdrive bulbs too. Its a pretty standard practice.
 
Ok, tomorrow I'm going to find a workhorse 5 and a 24" VHO 75w light. If that doesn't provide enough light I'll modify my current fixture to fit a 36" bulb.

slipknottin you're my hero, thank you for the help ;) Will post pics once finished.
 
lol... good luck :D


If you didnt know where to get it (www.fulham.com)

heres the wiring diagram

wire12.gif


pretty simple, but let me know if you have any questions.
 
Originally posted by superjohnny
Why don't I get a cheapo 36" light strip and replace its ballast with a workhorse 5? ...
Click to expand...

Now you’re talking.

This is exactly what I have determined most cost effective for my 48" tank. I'll buy or scavenge a cheapo 48" two tube strip fixture and simply change out the ballast for one with my specifications.

I've done a lot of reading on ballasts. It’s all in the "ballast factor" measurement. Your average T12 fixture has a BF of 0.7 (or 70%) while your average T8 fixture (admittedly electronic) has a BF of 0.9 (or 90%). These percentages are measured against a reference 1.0 BF ballast.

Let me explain. If a tube has a design of 2800 lumens it will emit 1960 lumens on a typical T12 ballast and 2520 lumens on a typical T8 ballast. That's 20% more.

What is interesting is that run of the mill T12 and T8 bulbs do actually have a similar design output of approximately 2800 lumens.

Tip: *Buy an electronic ballast and shop by the ballast factor.* Everything else is smoke and mirrors. Don't get confused by the "Power Factor"; it relates to big consumers negotiating rate breaks from the electric utility and the size of wiring on large scale installations.

Tip 2: You can inexpensively change your lamp holders to standard length ones that will hold either T8 or T12. Some fixtures specifically designed for T8's have short holders.

You can even build your own provided you protect the wiring and have a grounded sheet of metal near the tube (can be painted white) to serve as a "ground plane" (has to do with the tubes firing and stray EMI.

PS you've got your tube numbers backwards. The number after the F is the wattage and the number after the T is the diameter in eights of an inch. Thus, for example, it should read F32T8 841 = Fluorescent 32 watts, 8/8" diameter, 80 something CRI, 4100K.

The wattage is very roughly 80% of the length measured in inches.

If you do opt for electronic ballast it will mostly likely be "instant start". This will shorten the life of non-IS tubes. I believe all generic T8 tubes are IS. Some specialty tubes however may be "rapid start" which isn't too bad but avoid "preheat start".

Be wary of "energy saving" ballasts/fixtures in the guise of "energy efficient" Energy saving simply means they use less energy _AND_ produce less light. The upshot is you need more fixtures for a given illumination. Energy efficient on the other hand means they use less energy and produce equivalent light. Check the ballast factor - do you really want 40 watt tubes running at 30 watts?

Does carpguy work for AHSupply? (just kidding).

Gumby
 
of course Gumby, you could always go nuts and retro in 1 or 2 54 watt T-5s

:D
 
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