strongest possible lights on stock setup?

[drea]

i have a oceanic 70 g tall w/the stock florescent bulb..... i recently put in a 20,000 ppm? light and it blew within 10 hrs, why? can i use it or should i get a 10,000 ppm.......
i'm a lil confused,

 

[wax32]

That was a 20000k (k is for kelvin and refers to the color temperature of the light, the higher the number the more blue) bulb.... what wattage did you get? You need normal output bulbs (low wattage) not Very High Output (high wattage). 10000k is the same diff... make sure your bulb is the right wattage for your fixture. The fixture should say the maximum wattage bulbs you can use.

 

[lepete]

You might be on the right track wax. But, VHO (1.5") bulb would not fit in a NO (1", I think) socket.
But, the newer T8 bulbs are also 1". So, you might have swapped the bulbs.
For flourescent, you can use lesser wattage bulbs then what stated on the ballast.... unlike Metal Halide... correct me if I wrong ...

 

[drea]

so i guess thats why it blew out? thanx, i'll get the proper one and worry about reef stuff later on

 

[tizzo]

By stock bulb, do you mean the one that came with the tank?? If so then replace it with what's called an NO (no output) bulb. It is so you can see into the tank, but it will not sustain any corals.
There are also higher wattage bulbs called HO (high output) and VHO (very high output), but you need a seperate ballast (or fixture to save confusion) than the one you currently have.
We think you may have tried to put a HO or a VHO bulb onto your NO fixture and that's why it blew.
When you find a NO b ulb, the wattage is usually 40. The kelvin rating will not matter, you can get 10,000 or 20,000. Try to stay away from the 6.000 and 6500 bulbs since those are better for plants.

 

[lepete]

I dont mean to scare you... I hope your ballast is okay. Your bulb might have drawn too much power, blowing out the ballast...... or blew a fuse on it.

 

[drea]

word... alright i'll put the old one back in and see what i did..... if it dosen't work i'll have to get a new fixture n stronger lighting! thanx for all the help, i'll let u know what happens
(tank is at gf's house)

 

[tizzo]

If it doesn't work, you should see a knob looking thing on the underside of the fixture. If you twist and pull, you will find the fuse. You can simply replace the fuse.

 

[drea]

ok, i put the old bulb back in.... its not working and i can't find the fuse....
its a oceanic 36 inch deluxe flurescent reflector
120 volt 38 watt 60 hz
the bulb that blew was a coralife 30 watt 1.5 inch diameter, but fit fine in the fixure..... and worked for 6 hrs or so......
were did i go wrong? very confused... i think this aftermarket light should be fine right?

 

[tizzo]

Any way you can post pics of the fixture??
Not sure why the bulb didn't work...

 

[drea]

sure, i can get some tomorrow... i actually took the fixture apart and didn't notice any fuse... i'll get some pics

 

[lepete]

Originally Posted by drea
sure, i can get some tomorrow... i actually took the fixture apart and didn't notice any fuse... i'll get some pics
You either have a starter or a ballast. A starter looks like a large bullet w/o the head. It is about 1" high and about 1/2" wide. I dont think you have this though.
What you have probably a ballast. It is a big heavy thing with 3 inputs (black/white/green) and 2 outputs (blk/white). The 2 outputs go on the end of your bulbs. You need to take that, goto HD and ask for a replacement. They should have one. What you have is probably a magetic ballast. Ask the guy in the flourescent light area.

 

[drea]

cool, sounds great, that is what i have by the way

 

[drea]

hey guys, they are giving me a new complete fixture, and i can run the new light on it, i guess it just blew out cause of whatever........ because the fixture says i can use the t12 bulb...