cdearing
Well-known member
So, I thought I'd start a new thread instead of taking over someone else's.
I have an 80 gallon with a 4 foot Current USA light fixture which houses 2 actinic and 2 daylight bulbs. I noticed one day that one of the actinics had burned out (or so I thought). As I'm hunting to find new actinic bulbs, a week or so later another actinic burns out. Noone seems to know what the problem is and so I'm thinking that I'm going to need to buy a new fixture. I got on the marine and reef website, made a phone call and the guy there told me that one of my ballasts was probably bad and should be replaced. I give him the model number of my fixture and he sends me the "appropriate" ballast. That night, right after lights out, I nervously take the fixture off the tank and take it all apart, hoping to God that I can put it back together again. (No help from the 2 men in my house, btw). I open it up expecting to see 2 ballasts but no....there are 4, one for each light. I put the fixture back together, cursing under my breath, at 9 something at night. This is the email that I received MarineAndReef.com, "For a very brief time, I think February 09, Current USA put single ballasts
in their four lamp fixtures and did not tell anyone. They never made the
single T5 ballast available. However, you should be able to use this ballast
to power two of the bulbs, you just have to follow the wiring diagram on the
ballast." Isn't that just my luck. Now, not only do I have to take the friggin fixture apart again, I have to try to retrofit this ballast to work on two light fixture and find a way to attach the new ballast to the fixture. I was simply proud of myself for taking it apart and putting it back together, now this. You guys laugh if you want but this is no laughing matter for a blonde. What if I put it back together and it doesn't work? I don't have a backup. Egad!
I have an 80 gallon with a 4 foot Current USA light fixture which houses 2 actinic and 2 daylight bulbs. I noticed one day that one of the actinics had burned out (or so I thought). As I'm hunting to find new actinic bulbs, a week or so later another actinic burns out. Noone seems to know what the problem is and so I'm thinking that I'm going to need to buy a new fixture. I got on the marine and reef website, made a phone call and the guy there told me that one of my ballasts was probably bad and should be replaced. I give him the model number of my fixture and he sends me the "appropriate" ballast. That night, right after lights out, I nervously take the fixture off the tank and take it all apart, hoping to God that I can put it back together again. (No help from the 2 men in my house, btw). I open it up expecting to see 2 ballasts but no....there are 4, one for each light. I put the fixture back together, cursing under my breath, at 9 something at night. This is the email that I received MarineAndReef.com, "For a very brief time, I think February 09, Current USA put single ballasts
in their four lamp fixtures and did not tell anyone. They never made the
single T5 ballast available. However, you should be able to use this ballast
to power two of the bulbs, you just have to follow the wiring diagram on the
ballast." Isn't that just my luck. Now, not only do I have to take the friggin fixture apart again, I have to try to retrofit this ballast to work on two light fixture and find a way to attach the new ballast to the fixture. I was simply proud of myself for taking it apart and putting it back together, now this. You guys laugh if you want but this is no laughing matter for a blonde. What if I put it back together and it doesn't work? I don't have a backup. Egad!
