okay so im going to retrofit my fixture and take out the pc’s and put in t5ho’s as soon as i get the money. i was wondering what would be a good ballast for 2 48in t5ho attics but i dont really want to spend more than 120 on the ballast because not only will i be buying the ballast, the t5ho bulbs, the end caps but i will also be buying new mh bulbs because i do not no exactly how old they are seeing as tho i got the fixture used. any ideas of what kind of ballast and price? or if anyone has any spare ballasts that will work let me know! thanks in advance!
my bad on not getting around to getting back to you sooner. i meant to get in touch with you through andy but forgot all about it.
if you havent bought anything yet this is the ABSOLUTE best bar none
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this is what i used to gut my fixture. not only do you get everything you need including probably the single best T5 ballast out there, but reefgeek lets you choose any bulbs including the nicer ones(ati, giesmann, etc). also, the 660 ballast will overdrive the T5s and allow you to run 2 more for a total of 4 48" T5. Im using my ballast to drive my 2 48" in my fixture and 2 36" over my frag tank. just hit me up when your ready to do it.
Ice cap 660 is by far the best bet. Shooting you a PM as well.
hey shawn i know u have the same fixture as mine so i was wondering on how many watts should i use for the replacement mh’s i have a 90 gallon tank and wanted to be able to do pretty much any kinds of corals do would 150 watts be fine? im still new at this so help me out! thanks!
if you have the same fixture as me then its a 250watt fixture. the only thing you will need to upgrade it is new bulbs/ballasts. although i dont think for a minute that the reflector is great, it gets the job done for me. im using the original reflectors and sockets. i really dont notice any difference between my phoenix bulbs in the two tanks. the 75g has the cheap reflector and the 34g has a really nice reef optix III.
the 250 icecaps will run you around $130 each and a decent dual 250 ballast will run you about 230. i would get individual icecaps for several reasons although many people get duals. with singles if a ballast goes at least half of your tank will still be lit whereas if a dual goes your entire tank will be dark. also, icecap is right in our backyard in NJ and has a really good rep for quickly repairing ballasts that go bad. lastly, IMO the icecaps are some of the best ballasts you can buy, especially the new style 250s.
if you want, when we gut yours we can run all the ballasts together remotely. we can mount them right to the back or inside of your stand and ill help you install a molex quick disconnect for all the wires. it makes changing bulbs VERY easy.