I'm getting closer to my final decision to go PC on my lighting setup. I know that the tubes have an estimated 10,000 hour life but does the output diminish to an unuseable point well before this figure is reached. The only information I have been able to find states " change after 1 year or when it expires" As the estimated lifespan on my current photo period works out to 2.5 years, this is worse than useless info. Anyone else had more luck than me?

The other issue I have is what size to order. The PC's are shorter in length than regular tubes, which means that if I follow the 2 watt 'rule' I would end up with a twin 15" array in my 30" lid which I think would lead to dark corners. I would like to go with the twin 55w at 20" but that is a bit OTT in terms of watts per gallon. Help!!! Please HELP.

Ian

They run till they die pretty much.
I've gotten about 4-5 years out of mine.
I've kept asking folks for their 1-2 year old one they claim they swap out but they never send any:-)


Regards,
Tom Barr

Ian, what are the dimensions of your tank? Is it a 30" 29 gallon? 2 X 36w,
across the top of the tank would not have any dark corners if the tank is
12-13" from front to back. The MIRO4 reflector is 34.5" in length and can
easily be cut down to fit your 30" lid. I'm assuming you will be procuring this
setup from AH Supply. Two 55s in a 29 gallon is definitely overkill....

Regards,

Bill Ruyle

Thanks Tom, looks good to me. It will without doubt be the main selling point when I enter financial negotiations with my accountant/banker (the Missus).

Ian

Thanks Bill, I think that the twin 36w units are the ones I should use.The ones I think I am going with are ASL units from a UK supplier. http://www.aquatics-online.co.uk/lis...=43&rets=1 31
They are similar to the AH ones on a twin inbuilt 19" reflector. The reason I decided against AH was that the shipping costs etc. outweighed the dollar rate cost saving.

The reason I asked about the light spread is that I have read that the light from these units does not spread a lot. BTW my tank is 75l 30" X 12" x 18" heigh.

Ian

Ian, you are going to be very happy with the results of the 2 X 36w kit.

Bill Ruyle

Thanks Tom and Bill. A 2 X 36w units plus tubes ordered tonight. Aquatics online are very good on delivery normally, may be here by Monday.

Ian

PC's arrived Today and are fitted. I'm impressed with Aquatics online's delivery. Ordered late Wednesday, arrived Friday.

First impressions :- The reflectors are white coated aluminium.......I expected a more reflective shiny surface.The reflectors have a clear perspex cover. The brightness was a little less than anticipated so I added one of my old t8 floro's. The tube I got are pink/blue and white/pink, colour balance looks good. with the T8 on the light spread looks quite even.

The ballast is larger than I expected, 7" x 4", and states magnetic ballast. Quite heavy too. So is a magnetic ballast an electronic ballast as it states in the write-up??

I'll be watching closely to see how my plants respond. I don't have a problem with algae, but I'll keep an eye on that too.

Ian,
Down the road, you might want to order the MIRO4 reflector from AH Supply.
You won't be needing any other lighting when you do. It's unfortunate, albeit
good delivery service, that the company you ordered from cut cost by including a lesser quality reflector. When you install the MIRO4 reflector, the
results will be immediately noticeable. Also, a magnetic ballast is not
an electronic ballast which would drive up the cost considerably. You will want
to mount the magnetic ballast outboard the hood, due to heat and weight.

Regards,

Bill Ruyle

Ian, make sure you keep a record of where you get good deals, the pmdd supplies etc there.

This will allow you a quick reference to help others in the UK.
Due to the size of the UK, it's like shipping in state in the USA.

We have many thuingsa here that might be better, a better deal etc, but shipping and availability is difficult across the seas. Shipping makes it tough.

So having a list of resources for these things locally is always a good plan.
This is one of the main concepts I've tried to focus on when giving advice and suggesting an approach.

Folks in the USA. Canada might have access to antibiotics but you folks don't for BGA, KNO3 is easy to advise on dosing no matter where on earth an aquarist might live.

Tap water conditioons does play a role but much less so with the methods I'll often suggest.

This trend towards a unified approach and low cost available nutrients is a good thing for everyone. The experimentation is fun no dobt, but aquascaping and doing that rather than algae wars seems like what most are seeking.

By a unified method, I mean several, not just one, EI works well at high and low light, so there's a couple, non CO2, and marine tanks. That's four basic approaches. All the others are linked to these in some general way.

Regards,
Tom Barr