Dixon1990 Posted June 5, 2009 Report Share Posted June 5, 2009 So, my current light is just a double 4foot t5 thingy(2x54W), just like one of the ones that are attached to ceilings, not aquarium ones. But the tank is only 110cm long, and im making the hood so it doesnt stick out :-? Is there anything wrong with cutting down the unit to hold 2 3foot bulbs(or are there any sizes in between? Or is the 2x54W ballast going to be unsuitable for smaller Wattage bulbs? So Can i cut down my t5 unit to fit a smaller bulb? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted June 5, 2009 Report Share Posted June 5, 2009 Some very modern ballasts can sense the tube being used and adjust to suit but I would doubt that that is what you have so the ballast will put out too much and overload your smaller tubes. Sometimes the ballast can be used to supply power to 4 tubes of the same total wattage as before but each tube would need its own starter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon1990 Posted June 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2009 just had another look.. Theres no starters i can see :-? :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted June 5, 2009 Report Share Posted June 5, 2009 that's becuase t5's have an electronic ballast and no starters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon1990 Posted June 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2009 Anyone want to swap my 2x54W 4foot t5 light for a double 3foot or 3x2foot lighting system? lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon1990 Posted June 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2009 . Doublepost Well im screwing this up :lol: Not having a goodday :evil: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted June 5, 2009 Report Share Posted June 5, 2009 Thanks for the correction I got myself mixed up with a bit of the old and a bit of the new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted June 5, 2009 Report Share Posted June 5, 2009 my kids call it oldtimers disease alan :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted June 5, 2009 Report Share Posted June 5, 2009 you "old timers" as you call it know more than most of us wippersnappers any ways, lol. :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diver21 Posted June 5, 2009 Report Share Posted June 5, 2009 i wouldnt think that if you cut it down it wouldnt do much except make the shorter tubes be brighter and last not as long. there is this article about modding a fluresent light to overdrive the tubes. http://www.aquariumlife.net/projects/di ... ing/47.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted June 5, 2009 Report Share Posted June 5, 2009 that's a very nice article diver. but that's for t8's. t5's are different in that they do not have that choke and starters for the tube. mine have a circuit board.dunno if it will work though. I may try what the article says on a t8 sometime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diver21 Posted June 5, 2009 Report Share Posted June 5, 2009 From what i can tell (and if anyone knows please correct me) is that there isnt any diffrence in the construction in the tube itself so i would think shouldnt matter. The choke and starter is a diffrent type of ballast from yours which im thinking would be an electronic ballast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted June 5, 2009 Report Share Posted June 5, 2009 If it has no starter as stated it will be electronic. The answer probably is: Yes you can but it may not be a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted June 5, 2009 Report Share Posted June 5, 2009 If you open it up and have a look at the electronic ballast it should have an operating range written on it. As long as you stay with-in this range you can ran as many and what ever size you like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nycnlo Posted July 12, 2009 Report Share Posted July 12, 2009 hey there you can safely cut it down and use the existing ballast... you can downsise the tube on ballasts you just cant up size... as the ballast is just a transformer as such... meaning a larger tube would draw too much current(watts) , a smaller one would just case the ballast to work less... therefore get more thermal effeciency (not get as hot during use) im currently running a 2x58w ballast to power up my two aqua one fighter tanks... (only using 2 x 18w tubes) this has been working perfect for almost a year on the same bulbs.. time to change them now tho hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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