replace t5 ballast or go LED??

[C Henry]

Im currently running a T5 4 bulb unit and one ballast went on me so im only running 2 bulbs.. its a coralife fixture and if i can get a replacement ballast for a good price i would rather do that.. i think that light will be going over a predator tank in the near future.. but i will be opening a smaller reef tank so i would like some input on what lighting to go with... and how are the LED's for coral growth? they are alittle pricey but i think it will be worth it if its the right choice... any input wold be great thanks...

 

[shayneh]

Don't know where your located but you can replace the ballast with a better Fulham pony or workhorse ballast depending on the bulb length.

http://www.fulham.com/

I know they have a distributor in London and Windsor.


Of course there are still used Icecap 440 or 660 ballasts kicking around that you can also retrofit to the hood.

I personally would wait until LED technology improves some more and prices come down. I was running LED on my old tank and coral growth was slow and color wasn't as nice as mh or T5.

 

[C Henry]

thank you so much and im located in chatham Ontario.. and its a 48'' fixture and i probably will just replace the ballast so it will go over a predator tank and ill spend the real money on a smaller reef tank lol but where could i find a good deal on a ballast? because the light aint all that old i would rather not cut any thing up or change it in any way, unless it was my last resort lol...

 

[shayneh]

Not sure I understand your question? You might have to move the screws holding the current ballast depending on dimensions and you'll have to cut wires to remove old ballast and rewire a new one. Get ahold of someone that carries fulham ballasts and they can help you replace yours.