Lighting woes & frustrations

[+KeeperOfTheZoo]

Grr!

I got 2 of the 4 new bulbs I need from Prof last night.

Got up this morning all excited to install them. I figured it'd be easy... Take out old bulbs, plug in new ones, enjoy amazing change in lighting. I shoulda known better.

I have an older Coralife fixture. The pins on the SPS bulbs are a little shorter than the Coralife bulbs and spaced just a little differently. They didn't want to plug into the end caps.

I ended up taking my whole fixture apart so I could fiddle with each connector and make sure it was connecting with the pins so the bulbs would light. The connection still isn't great, but the bulbs are working.

I think I've also discovered that what I thought was a burned out bulb is actually a burned out balast. I have 4 PC bulbs, 3 light and the 4th won't no matter what I do (or what bulb is in that spot). Is that the balast out. How do I replace a balast?

After an hour of fiddling I have the new bulbs working across the front of the fixture and one bulb in the back working & one out.

The new bulbs do look great! I'm disapointed that I wont be able to get all 4 working until I figure out the balast issue. I'm also worried about the loose connections to the bulbs. Short of just using Coralife bulbs I'm not sure what to do.

Anyone have a T5 fixture for a 6ft tank they'd like to lend me until tax return time when I can buy it? I'm pretty put out with my current fixture at the moment.

Liz

[Bill B]

Liz

Sorry to hear about your woes. I have had problems getting my bulbs loose in the past without pulling out and leaving the posts in the plug. You probably should know if you took it apart, but I though generally one ballast ran two bulbs, but it sounds like maybe your fixture is long enough that, that isn't the case.

Anyways if you are willing to share your email address with me please PM me the info. My granddaughter took a pretty nice little picture of your kids and one or two others I think. Thought you might like to have it.

Bill

[+KeeperOfTheZoo]

Thanks for the commiseration.

I would have thought one ballast for 2 bulbs as well, but there are 4 ballasts in the fixture. I've been looking around online today as we've done our running around and errands and I'm having a hard time finding 72" fixtures and the ones I've found are more than twice as expensive as getting 2 - 36" fixtures. I'm really kinda stumped as to how to light my tank if I ditch my current fixture.

I really am liking the new bulbs though. I can't get over what a difference it has made. The colors in the tank are so different and a few of my corals (especially the candy canes) have opened up like they never have before.

Liz

[caferacermike]

First let me explain that the SPS bulbs do not have different a different pin spacing. Instead what tends to happen is that the heat created at the connection causes the socket to shift around. All PC's do this. It almost always feels impossible to fit new bulbs into old sockets. I've got 2 units I'm working on for a friend right now and that is the problem with both of them.

On the part about ballasts, I replace them all the time for people. I generally only use Fulham Workhorse brand ballasts. My understanding is that you have 4x 96w. Unless you want 4 cords coming from the unit, i would replace all 4 of those craptastic Chinese generic ballasts with 2 Workhorse 7's Coralife is not known for making quality products. They are about the bottom of the barrel for the "good stuff". Once replaced with a better ballast, you should be good for many years to come.

The ballasts run about $40 apiece. I generally ask about $20 for a re-ballasting, but would consider splitting it for $30 to replace them all since it will be open. For a little more I could replace the sockets as well.

Unfortunately buying used lights, kinda like old RO units with old membranes, it typically costs you about the same as buying new once you replace everything.

[+KeeperOfTheZoo]

Ah,

Ok... makes sense. I've never changed bulbs before so didn't have any idea what to expect. It would very much make sense that the caps had adjusted to the pins in place, they had been there a very long time! In retrospect perhaps I should just be pleased that I didn't loose connectors and that the caps did go on.

I do have 4x96w. I'm confused about cords... I have 3 right now. One runs the back two lights, one runs the front two lights & a fan, one runs 6 moon lights that are dead and I'm not even going to mess with right now. Why would replacing the one dead ballast lead to a 4th cord?

The ballast are wired in a row along the back of the unit and it seems like I could replace the one that is blown and be good to go. I'm just not sure how to do it or how complex a process it is. Is it as simple as unplugging all the cords leading to it (looks like the connectors just snap in and out), unscrewing the ballast and doing it in reverse with the new one?

I honestly can't provide any feedback on Coralife quality except to say that this unit is 6+ years old and this is the first time a ballast has had to be replaced since the previous owner did no upkeep, hadn't even changed the bulbs. I got the light with the tank and got the tank, stand and a lot of other stuff for far less than what the tank alone runs used. Overall I'm still ahead even if I have to work on the light fixture. I guess the bummer thing is that I'm having to play catch up now and I'm doing a lot of it in an effort to repair/upgrade the faulty aspects of the last owners system. Some of it is very enjoyable since I like to tinker with stuff and I like to work on things. Some of it is frustrating because my budget is far from limitless and unexpected expenses hurt!

I have to take everything apart tomorrow to get the model number on the ballast. Coralife changed ballasts at some point and I'm not sure if I have the old ones that are not compatible with the replacements being sold or the newer ones.

Thank you for the info on installing new ballasts. Honestly, I just want to get this fixture running as cheaply as I can for right now because I'm going to go to T5s as soon as I can. Hopefully I can replace one cheap ballast and be good to go for a bit longer until I can continue on my path of scheduled tank upgrades!

Liz

[caferacermike]

Sorry about saying "want", meant to ask if you "have" 4 cords coming from the fixture. It sounds as though 2 ballasts are wired to one switch. I would replace at the bare minimum the 2 ballasts that are on the dead circuit with 1 Workhorse 7 rather than spending $25-30 on 1 single ballast. I would search Ebay for replacement coralife ballasts. I was on Hello Lights .com the other day and I think the CL ballasts were sold out. They had others that will replace them, ARO brand, but for the same price I would still use the Workhorse brand.