Advice about shorted out custom sealife unit

[saltfisher1]

Hi all,
I inherited a couple of old custom sealife 48 inch fixtures -- both take 2 65 watt 24 inch compact flourescents. One has daylight bulbs and the other has (or had) actinics. I have a 90 gallon with fish and some zoas.
I have two questions.
First, the fixture with the actinics shorted out. I swapped one of the two actinic bulbs, smelled something burning and unplugged it. I've summoned the courage to plug it in since, but nothing happened. I'm not much of an electrician but if anyone has any suggestions as to how to fix this, I'd appreciate it.
Second, I wonder if it's worth it -- these fixtures are old, and when I got them were corroded. The previous owners ran them above an open tank, leading to a fair bit of saltwater damage. I suspect that contributed to the failure of one of them.
Finally, if I shouldn't replace the burnt out one what should I replace it with? My budget is limited, but I do need something. With the daylight bulbs (now quite old) the tank has a dingy yellow look to it which is not very pleasing at all.
Thanks!

 

[mr. limpid]

Fixing the old light would be the cheapest way. You prob. burned out the ballast, replacing is easy just two wires in two wires out need to match colors. The trouble is finding the correct match. Pull out the ballast bring it to the hardware store they will help you replace it. If not you need to buy a new fixture, the fixture will depend on type of corals you want to keep.

 

[saltfisher1]

Thanks for the advice.
I think I'll get the ballast looked at. Hopefully that's it.
Will the two 65x2's won't be too weak for SPS corals in my 90 gallon? It'll only give me a total wattage of 260, or 2.88 watts per gallon. I suspect this issue is worsened by the fact that half of that is in the form of actinics.
Thanks, again!

 

[mr. limpid]

Yes SPS need Metal Halide; T5's or LED lighting.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Quote:
Originally Posted by saltfisher1 http:///t/388888/advice-about-shorted-out-custom-sealife-unit#post_3432860
Thanks for the advice.
I think I'll get the ballast looked at. Hopefully that's it.
Will the two 65x2's won't be too weak for SPS corals in my 90 gallon? It'll only give me a total wattage of 260, or 2.88 watts per gallon. I suspect this issue is worsened by the fact that half of that is in the form of actinics.
Thanks, again!
For a 90g four foot long tank with SPS corals, I highly suggest getting two 250w metal halides backed by two T5 actinic lamps. SPS corals require a lot more light than the average coral. You won't regret the purchase if you want SPS corals.

 

[reefraff]

If you smelled smoke the most likely place to check is the socket the lamp plugs into, thats pretty common. If thats bad you might be able to get a replacement through Current USA who bought out Custom Sealife. Could be you just need to clean salt deposits out of the sockets. JUST MAKE SURE YOU UNPLUG THE FIXTURES FIRST.