T8 Programed Ballast W/Parabolic?

Does anyone have experience doing this one? The tank I'm working on now is 48 gallons, and incidentally 48 inches long. These dimensions make it difficult to get manageable light levels and good distribution at the same time with T5 or T5HO. I'm also tired of CF distribution issues. DIY LED looks appealing, but the freedom of spectrum isn't there yet.

So this leaves me with T8. I was wondering if a good parabolic reflector with a T8 ballast will yield similar PAR to a T5 of the same wattage. Hard data would always be welcome; I haven't been able to find anything conclusive comparing the two. The principles behind it would be even better still.

My goal here is something around a 50mmol PAR bottom.

-Philosophos

 

I hate to reply as 2nd post on my own thread, but things have changed a bit. I'm going insane between all the lighting options depending on how I raise, lower or obscure the lighting. Most of the insanity is due to the comparison between prices; aquarium lighting manufacturers like to charge twice as much to do it DIY it seems.

So I'll just open this thread up to what ever people want to suggest.

What works for a 48x13x18 tank, giving high distribution and a flexible spectrum with low end sufficient light for ground cover? Budget here is somewhere in the $150-$250 range.

-Philosophos

 

hmmm t5ho. I was looking at maybe doing a 2x of their 6500k 70w HQI and using height to compensate growth rate. I never bothered to check the rest. Nice job on the search; I'm going to have to find out more about these guys.

So that leaves the question... does anybody know about the reputability of the site on the customer service side? Any hardware details besides ballasts? It looks like they use ones from other companies.

My big deal now is having a suspended system; I don't enjoy being light jacked if I retrofit, or seeing the tops of the fixutre. In short, the lid is coming off of the hood.

All other ideas are definitely welcome. While I know my typical options, this tank is going to be a big investment for me. I'd rather ask the obvious than mess this one up.

-Philosophos
(Re-N00bed)

 

I was hoping you'd pop in at some point. Thanks for the reply

Unfortunately, the brands are all different here, so my job gets a bit harder.

My confusion comes in about here:
Sylvania QUICKTRONIC® High Efficiency Instant Start Ballast for 4 Lamp, 32 W, T8 Lighting

Are they selling me 4x8w or 4x32w ballasts?

I'm looking for programmed start; I've got no interest in paying for bulbs constantly.

Otherwise, it looks like this project will run me:

Ballast: $30
End Caps: $20 (if I'm lucky)
Reflectors: $40
4x Lights: $50

That's $140 before the housing; probably end up around $160-$190.

Meanwhile I look at something like this and wonder if I can't just get away with suspending it a few inches higher to give even distribution. This would be less money, and effort.

Multiple t-5's also come to mind for similar price and distribution, but I'm not sure what kind of ballast coralife uses.

This is my frustration really; the system I want is more expensive than the new over density, high watt crap. I'd be happy buying two 1x54w T5HO strips separately for $180 if they made them.

-Philosophos

 

Tom, I'm heavily considering the 2x54w and hanging it up high; looks like a very possible solution to this headache.

Shogoth, all of the lighting sounds nice in theory. In practice, it's the comparative costs. Right now, I can't get what I want for less than $200 with shipping for DIY.

I think it's time for a visit to the LFS. The owner does salt, but he loves his lighting, and keeps lots of toys around. I'll get back to things once I've talked to him.

Thanks for the help so far everyone. Hopefully I can get this worked out before long.

-Philosophos

 

Shopping around today opened up options; there's a nice T5HO retrofit kit for sale around here, using most of the parts I was trying to find online. I'll be doing a run to hardware stores and such for housing and T8 ballasts as well. If all else fails, I think I may give the fishneedit guys a shot; I've emailed asking them if they can rig me something up with a good 6 inch space between the bulbs.

Supercoley, there's a GE ballast I've spotted online and in stores around here; it's programmed start, and it isn't too expensive.

I guess what it comes down to is price; it's either a custom T5HO or T8. At least I know where things are headed now.

The hardware is slowly coming together for this project. I've spent an obscene amount of time researching for the entire thing; here's hoping the effort pays off some. Once all the hard stuff is here, I'm considering starting up a journal thread.

-Philosophos