Hi, when browing around the LFS, I noticed that Arcadia has freshwater tubes (FF1that has "High Output" printed on the tube.
If I'm to replace my existing normal output tubes to this, do I need to replace the ballast in order for the tube to perform at its best? If yes, can someone recommend a ballast that works well with these tubes?
Thanks in advance.
Cheers,
U.K.Lau
You will need to change your ballast as the original ballast will not be able to drive the full output wattage of the HO tubes.
If you need the thin ballast, you will got to look for Osram ones, else there are the china made ones and also Elburu (sp?).
Sim Lim Tower will be a good place to try to look for the ballast.
Don't HO tubes use the same wattage as normal tubes just that they're more efficient at light output at the expense of tube life? I'd imagine the wattage printed on the box is probably the same and accurate no?
No.
Taking a 2ft tube, one is 13W and the other is 24W.
Thanks for the lead, bro.Originally Posted by valice
I'm a bit confused now. If I don't remember wrongly, on the tube is labelled as 18W. So, when I buy the HO ballast, which wattage should I choose?
Cheers,
U.K.Lau
18W? Wait. Are we talking about T5 or T8? I am also confused.
Pardon me, Valice. I'm referring to T8 tubes all this while.
Cheers,
U.K.Lau
In that case, you can ignore what I say previously.Since they are based on my experience with T5 ballasts and stuff.
Sorry about that.
But, maybe you can check the ballast on your current lightset to see what is the maximum wattage it can support. Then you will know whether you can just change the lights or not.
No worries, bro. You are just trying to help. Perhaps I should be more specific when posting a thread in future.
Cheers,
U.K.Lau
so anyone tried converting a t5 NO to HO before? can briefy tell me what is required? mine is a t5 2ft no
what i know is need a
24w eballast which can get from simlim.
is that all that is need?
also thinking of converting the current fl lights to t5 if possible. heard of it but the only idea i know is gotta change the bi pins also. anyone else heard of it before? interested in diying.
the "high output" may just be a feature used for marketing purpose.
normal 2' t8 are 18w but you can add another ballast to overdrive the tube. while providing about 70% more light, the tube life span will be shortened and will run much hotter.
thomas liew
Thanks, man. Most probably I will not do this as the current lighting doesn't have proper ventilation.
Since we are at this topic & for the sake of sharing, am I right to assume that the additional ballast is to be connected parallel to the existing one (meaning there will be 2 set of wires connected to the tube holder)? What about the starter? 1 starter to be connected to both ballast or each ballast requires a separate starter?
Any diagram to share? Thanks.
Cheers,
U.K.Lau
hi, interested to know if you gotta follow the WPG rules when you use t5ho on a 2ft tank? how many WPG should be sufficient for t5ho for a 2ft tank?
yes. use 2 ballast to drive a single tube; ie. 2x 40w ballast to drive a 36w tube.........................
am I right to assume that the additional ballast is to be connected parallel to the existing one (meaning there will be 2 set of wires connected to the tube holder)? What about the starter? 1 starter to be connected to both ballast or each ballast requires a separate starter?
Any diagram to share? Thanks.
i don't think iron core ballast can be used for overdriving. usually over driving is accomplished with e-ballast and these do not need starters.
thomas liew
the wpg is just a guide, not a rule. t12/8/5 are fluorescent tubes; the difference is their tube diameter. so you can use the wpg as a guide.
thomas liew
i heard t5ho is way brighter than PL tubes, better for depth type of tank...
for example, if let say the tank is of 2ft x 1 ft x 1ft......
what the best WPG for the tank using PL and using T5HO?
i'm planning of getting t5HO for my tank......thanks for all replies...
No best wpg as mentioned by thomas.
People normally say good with 3wpg.
But if you look at Amano's 2ft tanks and 4/5 feet tanks, they are something like 7wpg and 4wpg respectively. For his 2ft tanks, he uses like 100W of lighting.
as mentioned earlier, the wpg is just a guide. there is no best wpg.
how much light required depends on the types of plants you would like to keep and how much effort you plan to put in for the upkeep. high light (> 2wpg) requires more maintenance effort to ensure that your tank does not run out of nutrients and gets overgrown.
no doubt, t5ho is brighter than normal t5 or t8 or pl.
based on figures from osram, the light output for 2’ tubes are
a) 24w t5ho - 1600 lumens
b) 14w normal t5 – 1100 lumens
c) 18w t8 – 1300 lumens
d) 18w cf - ~1150 lumens
from these figures, t5ho is
45% brighter than normal t5,
23% brighter than t8 and
39% brighter than 18w cf
thomas liew
I agree with tawauboy last statement...
A person need to know the rules of thumb:-
Whatever tube you use, ensure that your ballast and tubes are having same wattage. Don't overdrive your tube with higher wattage ballast as the tube life spans is shorter ie you have to keep on buying new tube.
As for starter in lighting, you need to have in each tube if you are using normal ballast. If your are changing to Eballast (electronic) then a starter is not a must.
What ever you do ensures safety, water and electricity don't mix well...
there is one t5ho made in korea, running on a system without e-ballast. some sort of new technology, i haven't figured out how it works like anyway, but i'm really interested of upgrading all my lighting to these light system......
the unit comes with a holder, a t5ho light bulb and two connector at each end [for expansion of the light] and another cable to the main socket. slim classy looking light set but it's not used in aquarium but more common in pubs, office and homes....
heard from my friend that this is the latest technology from korea and was just introduced in the market here in malaysia about 2 to 3 months only....
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