I have four t5 bulbs from uvl 3 super actinics and a 75/25 two are using a ge ultrastart ballast and the other two are on a glo ballast i tested par and the ge puts out much higher par but i don’t think its ho but the glo says ho. Is it the light or the ballast that makes a t5 ho or both I’m confused with the readings. anyone use any of these?
Hi dunk, Not all ballasts are created equal. some for lower power consumption and lower light, and some for normal output and a few for slightly overdriven higher light output . you first need to find a ballast that is for in your case, im guessing 4 x 54w HO T5s? I have an extra Fulham Workhorse -120v-7 ballast, 220 HO watts for 4 bulbs. if you wunt. i have used Fulhams for my florescents , Long Time. it will drive them at regulation output. but its a long one. 1.75 x 1 x 18.5 inches.
or you can get a GE Ultra Start, low, regular output or over driven a bit. they have good service. first find one for your number of bulbs, and wattage, and make sure it HO. then choose the Ballast Factor you want. I prefer the high light output overdriven ones with BF of 1.11, meaning its 11% overdriven. more light. and it doesnt hurt the bulbs.
I have bought both Fulhams and GEs from these guys:
and
or others you can find on the net. i just prefer GE and Fulham for quality.
let me know if you want that fulham WH7. 4 x 54? or are you using 39W. ?
I have the he and the glo each run two bulbs to total four. But I want quality lighting. I may go vho. I’m aiming for 4-500 far on the corals for growth but not sure the best way to get there I already have LEDs and just may add more of them. But if your driver works better than I’m interested for sure
simple answer, yes the ballast makes a big difference of light output. The GE one you have is one that was highly rated among testing when I bought it. They can be found on-line at ebay and other electronic sites for a reasonable price. Just wondering how much difference in par you are getting from the different ballasts?
Are you looking for just a little better with what you can find around town or are you really looking for serious PAR? You can debate how decent different ballast are on many forums, but there is one guy I know who studies lighting for a living works at a major university and has teams of grad students to help him improve his tank… or um our understanding of light. Dr. Sanjay Joshi. You’ll find a lot of his info out there if you look around.
Last I had heard Ice Cap 660s(which is now called the VUE660 and sold by coralvue) is the best ballast to get. Add to that some ATI bulbs and nicely made SLR reflectors and it is very hard to beat the growth, coloration, and health you’ll get in your corals.
Next question to consider is how often to replace your bulbs. Some people say 6 months, some say 10, but it will depend on the brand and operating environment significantly. One thing is for sure if you use 6-8 bulbs and replace all of them at once after 14 months…not so good for the corals.(bleaching may occur, shock and stress is certain)
the normal service commercial ballasts work just fine. But the icecap(coralvues) will still overdrive them a bit for more light. suposedly with a softer effect on bulb life. They are unchanged in the change of ownership of the company. But still deliver the same good high light output.
Far as I know.
I want serious par for sure. With the ge ballast the par on the bulb was 870 with the glo ballast the par was 650. I heard the ice caps over power too much and cause them to go bad. I heard Charlie at dpa complaining of only gettin a month or two. I do have ice caps for my vhos and like them. I have two that could be sent back for repair if that’s a good option. I have uvl bulbs now along with led and have a Fulham workhorse ballast to run the 4 t5s. But may go with the ice caps. I now have LEDs 3 w Cree four t5s and am adding two vho bulbs to the setup. I want maximum growth in the coral tanks
Charlie heard the name ice cap for years so he bought ice cap bulbs and ballast for for his tank, then complained he didn’t like them. I don’t believe their bulbs were any good at all and they sold them for 5-6 months before the company went under and no one attempted to buy their line of bulbs.(I don’t believe anyone missed them)
VHO? Very hot and old? I know Ken loves them… I’m not a fan. T5s and LEDs for me.
These are my first t5s I always had vho. The ones I use lasted 3.5 years till I started growing algae. But po4 was off the charts. I’m liking the t5s now. A month or two and I’ll see how they will color the corals compared to the vhos on the dt. I now have a frag to 5 frags of each coral in my t5/led coral tanks. It’ll be nice to see how they color compared to the t5/vho dt. I will keep you posted on the results. Maybe I’ll get some reflectors and get the ice cap ballast repaired and go all t5.
Is the frag tank connected to the other aquarium? Chemistry can significantly effect the coloration of corals as well. Boron, potassium, iodine, iron, and more all have significant effects of coloration.(and also all easily overdosed) Just wanted to point out it certainly would not be a perfectly reliable experiment if they don’t share the same water.
I am still playing with my lighting constantly even after a year of experimenting with LEDs. I still believe hybrid T5s and LEDs is the best way to go, but the ratio I am playing with. There is a new LED strip coming out from one of my favorite companies in a couple of weeks. I’ll have them in to experiment with next week! (great to know the owners of the major reef product companies:-) )
I bet it is! Yeah it’s all connected. I love the DIY Cree led. Have very good success and they’re reasonably priced.