Asmodeus Posted April 13, 2013 Report Share Posted April 13, 2013 Hi guys, I have a 200l Sunsun tank which takes 94cm tubes, and as we all know, the built in lighting sucks When I got the tank the ballast was already shot and so I have a few options as I see it 1) Replace the stuffed ballast and rewire in a new one. I don't know how to do this myself and it also means I'd still only have 2 tubes in there. Is 2x 39w T5HO tubes enough for a 50cm deep tank? 2) Remove all of the SUN Sun stuff and chuck in something like this under the hood. Has anyone else done this? 3) Remove the Sun Sun crap and use LED lighting of some kind. What would you suggest? I'd like to grow some plants but it wouldn't be a heavily planted tank. Any and all help welcome as I'm a bit stuck here! Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted April 13, 2013 Report Share Posted April 13, 2013 You should be able to get away without additional CO2 if your lighting isn't too strong. Upgrading to a 4x T5HO unit will require you to use CO2, a path you probably don't want to take. I'd just wire a unit like this in under the hood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asmodeus Posted April 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2013 OK thanks, so you think 80w will be enough then? Btw Ideal Electrical quoted me exactly half what Hollywood is charging for a twin 39w T5 ballast... Are they easy to wire in? EDIT: Just saw the Hollywood one has end caps (Ideal Electrical was just a ballast unit), so does that mean it's ready to plug bulbs into and you just need to mount it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted April 14, 2013 Report Share Posted April 14, 2013 Ask them if it comes wired with a plug and with waterproof end caps, trust me, you want waterproof end caps. If not, they should be easy enough to source. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asmodeus Posted April 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2013 So I got that unit and it is all wired in with waterproof end caps. I've ripped out all the SunSun electric guts from the hood and will attach in this new ballast with some reflectors. Sorted! Now, the SunSun lighting setup had a thin piece of perspex that slid in to the hood to protect the lights from condensation. This no longer fits due to the larger size of the new waterproof end caps (old ones were not waterproof). How vital is this if one has the waterproof endcaps? Will the tubes and endcaps handle condensation from the tank? Will it be Ok to have them exposed to the damp air in there? I see you can buy "condensation trays" (as in pic below) but they look ugly and cumbersome and possible reduce light efficiency. Do I need them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted April 22, 2013 Report Share Posted April 22, 2013 I've had no issues with moisture all over my reflectors and hood, the waterproof endcaps do their job well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northland chic Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 I am going to have to try this I think. Was thinking of getting a new ballast but feel like the local electrcians don't want to know. Is this very hard to do and do I need to buy another reflector or whats in the hood is ok? Thanks for any help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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