T5 frystration

[judy]

I have a 48" T5 canopy that holds two tubes-- and, at eight months old, the ballast is shot. It's all one unit, too, that can't be disassembled so the ballast can be replaced (so says my electrician friend who looked at it for me). Of course, the fluorescents are still perfectly good. My question: can I put the regular T5 lights into my 48" T5 high output canopy? Or will they blow up real good?

[judy]

My electrician friend says there's no reason why you can't put regular T5s into a HO T5 canopy. So I did. And by cracky, it works. In fact, I had too much loight with the two HOT5s and now, with one replaced by a regular T5, the light looks much better.
Algae alone will tell for sure, of course.

[Genirous]

Of course and they will work...

The only problem is reduced lifetime of lamps and ballast,
and maybe not the right spectrum...

[diamonddiscus08]

Hey Judy, have you thought about using a powercompact instead of a T5 setup? The bulbs I noticed and talking with others are much cheaper to replace and last longer. I just purchased a current usa obrit ultra 4x130w setup which is major overkill for my 55g. However I am thinking about moving to a 90g soon. Best Regards!

[aquagal]

My fixture, a 48" Coralife power compact, just stopped working also and it's only about 1 year old. I called Central Aquatics (parent company) and they are sending me a replacement ballast for free. I know this info. doesn't help you now, but it may if you are shopping for another light. I really like the Coralife Aqualights, especially now that I know the ballasts can be unplugged and changed so easily.

Good luck