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- Thread starter Fliger
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Fliger
New member
I keep getting hints to update this thread. :lol: The bleeding has pretty much stopped - I moved all my SPS to a temporary tank where I have them stable. I did lose quite a few though, but rebuilding should be fun. 
I bought two new toys - one I'm pleased with, one I keep having problems with. The first one is a new calcium reactor - I got the Elos REA120 Plus. Its purty. I'm just waiting on a co2 tank and I'll get it up & running. I went with the Elos regulator & solenoid also.
The other is the Sfiligoi Infinity 2x400W + 4x54W and I've had a lot of issues with it. I thought it would be a good choice because of the wide reflectors. But as soon as I got it, the T5 ballast blew. It fired the lights, they turned off. I'm pretty good with T5 ballasts so I did whatever I could to fix it - they're not working. I decided to just replace the ballasts, and run it off US standards. Reefgeek has been nothing short of stellar helping me with the issue (as always). So I thought I'd run the MH only, but the fuse blew. I've had Giesemanns & Aquaspacelights - they didn't have a fuse - but this one does. And it blows, literally & figuratively. After the first, I went thru four more - which lasted anywhere from 3 seconds to one day.
So Sfiligoi wants to send me MORE fuses. A little frustrated, but what can I do? Right now I just have a massive light fixture taking up room on my floor. I ended up buying a used Aquamedic Sunlight NG in the meantime.
Somehow in all of this I ended up with three pendants - the Elos 2x150W + 4x39W, the Aquamedic 2x250W + 4x54W and the Sfiligoi. :lol:
So all that said, I got all the SPS out and this week I will be finishing my aquascape & adding sand. Very excited. Should get the sump in the next few weeks as well! I'll post some pix when its done later this week!
I bought two new toys - one I'm pleased with, one I keep having problems with. The first one is a new calcium reactor - I got the Elos REA120 Plus. Its purty. I'm just waiting on a co2 tank and I'll get it up & running. I went with the Elos regulator & solenoid also.
The other is the Sfiligoi Infinity 2x400W + 4x54W and I've had a lot of issues with it. I thought it would be a good choice because of the wide reflectors. But as soon as I got it, the T5 ballast blew. It fired the lights, they turned off. I'm pretty good with T5 ballasts so I did whatever I could to fix it - they're not working. I decided to just replace the ballasts, and run it off US standards. Reefgeek has been nothing short of stellar helping me with the issue (as always). So I thought I'd run the MH only, but the fuse blew. I've had Giesemanns & Aquaspacelights - they didn't have a fuse - but this one does. And it blows, literally & figuratively. After the first, I went thru four more - which lasted anywhere from 3 seconds to one day.
So Sfiligoi wants to send me MORE fuses. A little frustrated, but what can I do? Right now I just have a massive light fixture taking up room on my floor. I ended up buying a used Aquamedic Sunlight NG in the meantime.
Somehow in all of this I ended up with three pendants - the Elos 2x150W + 4x39W, the Aquamedic 2x250W + 4x54W and the Sfiligoi. :lol:
So all that said, I got all the SPS out and this week I will be finishing my aquascape & adding sand. Very excited. Should get the sump in the next few weeks as well! I'll post some pix when its done later this week!
Nuuze
New member
Wow! Sorry to hear that about your Sfiligoi fixture Fliger! 
I have the 250w version with ACLS without the problems you describe. Let me know if I can help any to trace wires etc. You can easily take off the two endplates to peek inside. I wonder if any of the wiring got shorted out from shipping or caught in between any metal parts. Strange that both T5 and MH are giving you problems, those should be two seperate circuits. Maybe something shorted out at the power blocks were the external wires meet the internals ones?
I have the 250w version with ACLS without the problems you describe. Let me know if I can help any to trace wires etc. You can easily take off the two endplates to peek inside. I wonder if any of the wiring got shorted out from shipping or caught in between any metal parts. Strange that both T5 and MH are giving you problems, those should be two seperate circuits. Maybe something shorted out at the power blocks were the external wires meet the internals ones?
Fliger
New member
Hey there - me too! I was pretty excited to get it. Hopefully they take care of it, I really need a light! I bought spare T5's and a couple Radiums on top of the Ushios to get the right flava. They are all sitting on the shelf.
They are seperate circuits - they blew at different times. Reefgeek is taking care of me on the T5, which to be honest is fine - I'd prefer a T5 ballast designed to run in the US. I think on the MH, the ACLS units are fine - maybe because they are electronic? I know of at least one other person who's had the same problems with these magnetic ballasts. I just hope mine doesn't drag out.
I saw your thread - your tank looks great!
They are seperate circuits - they blew at different times. Reefgeek is taking care of me on the T5, which to be honest is fine - I'd prefer a T5 ballast designed to run in the US. I think on the MH, the ACLS units are fine - maybe because they are electronic? I know of at least one other person who's had the same problems with these magnetic ballasts. I just hope mine doesn't drag out.
I saw your thread - your tank looks great!
invincible569
New member
Why dont you get a replacement on your unit since its been problematic? Dont let that warranty run out!
Fliger
New member
We looked at all the options when it first came in, but fixing it seemed to be the only way. At the time, I had my Elos light sold and I needed the Sfiligoi. We had every reason to think it could be fixed. As time went by - my friend had to back out of the Elos deal, as he needed a light also. So I ended up being stuck with both. So I figured with two lights, and an immanent fix for the Sfiligoi - I could setup the second tank to house my SPS. Makes sense, right? Well, fool me once - shame on you, fool me twice - shame on me! I setup the second tank, moved all my SPS over and the Sfiligoi still didn't work. So I had to buy a third pendant.
Looking back I wish I would have done things different (like not buying a pendant that another reefer buddy had problems with, yet I figured they would have figured it out by now) - or I shouldn't have assumed twice that the pendant would be fixed.
Anyway, Greg as we all know is great and he's doing what he can - but he can only do so much. In the meantime ... still waiting for fuses. I think the final fuse blew 15 days ago ...
Looking back I wish I would have done things different (like not buying a pendant that another reefer buddy had problems with, yet I figured they would have figured it out by now) - or I shouldn't have assumed twice that the pendant would be fixed.
Anyway, Greg as we all know is great and he's doing what he can - but he can only do so much. In the meantime ... still waiting for fuses. I think the final fuse blew 15 days ago ...
clownnrnd
New member
wow David I saw the blown fuses and knew exactly what fixture you had bought 
.
My fuse nightmare started in Nov.06. I don't know how many fuses I eventually blew. I'd buy them half dozen at a time. Will from AO just bought me 3-400w IC's to replace all of my magnetic MH ballasts.
Sfigiloi told me my problem was due to a bad capacitor. They sent me a new capacitor and I switched the one out in question and it blew the fuse a couple days later.
Nuuze- if you have the ACLS I think you have the electronic ballasts. I'm not sure how they work or how they are configured or for that matter if they run off 110v or 220v.
I just spent 3 nights after work last week changing my MH ballasts. My system is a 400w (???) system. The box/boxs that are remote house step up transformers that take our 110v up to 220v needed for the ballasts. They are also used as a junction box for the T-5's and moonlights. So power comes into the fixture for the mh's and goes to the capacitors,ingnitors,ballastss and mogul sockets. My system was a 400w system where they took 1-250w ballast and another 70w ballast and depending on how the systems wiring went through a jumper cable dictated at what wattage the fixture was run. Basically I could run either 400w bulbs or 250w bulbs simply by changing one jumper wire.
So David, If you take the cover off. All of the inner workings are sandwiched between the reflectors. My system had 3-250w ballast and 3-70w (220v) ballasts for the mh's and 2-step up transformers for the T-5's sandwiched between the MH reflectors. Then of course there is all the stuff you can see from the end w/ the panel removed (capacitors,ignitors and T-5 ballasts).
One last thing is I thought I had heard it was not recommended to overdrive the end caps for the T-5's. Did'nt know if you were thinking of running IC's or not.
David YHPM
Chad
. My fuse nightmare started in Nov.06. I don't know how many fuses I eventually blew. I'd buy them half dozen at a time. Will from AO just bought me 3-400w IC's to replace all of my magnetic MH ballasts.
Sfigiloi told me my problem was due to a bad capacitor. They sent me a new capacitor and I switched the one out in question and it blew the fuse a couple days later.
Nuuze- if you have the ACLS I think you have the electronic ballasts. I'm not sure how they work or how they are configured or for that matter if they run off 110v or 220v.
I just spent 3 nights after work last week changing my MH ballasts. My system is a 400w (???) system. The box/boxs that are remote house step up transformers that take our 110v up to 220v needed for the ballasts. They are also used as a junction box for the T-5's and moonlights. So power comes into the fixture for the mh's and goes to the capacitors,ingnitors,ballastss and mogul sockets. My system was a 400w system where they took 1-250w ballast and another 70w ballast and depending on how the systems wiring went through a jumper cable dictated at what wattage the fixture was run. Basically I could run either 400w bulbs or 250w bulbs simply by changing one jumper wire.
So David, If you take the cover off. All of the inner workings are sandwiched between the reflectors. My system had 3-250w ballast and 3-70w (220v) ballasts for the mh's and 2-step up transformers for the T-5's sandwiched between the MH reflectors. Then of course there is all the stuff you can see from the end w/ the panel removed (capacitors,ignitors and T-5 ballasts).
One last thing is I thought I had heard it was not recommended to overdrive the end caps for the T-5's. Did'nt know if you were thinking of running IC's or not.
David YHPM
Chad
Nuuze
New member
Wow, that sounds confusing with the magnetic ballasts!
My ACLS says 100v - 240v on the back. Wiring with the ACLS is pretty straight forward.
Looking at the wiring it seems pretty simple. I figure if I ever have to send the ACLS on a forever journey to Italy I will probably wire up Icecap ballasts for the MH's since the T5 ballasts are already internal. The ACLS comes with two units, one master and one slave. The slave is a standalone MH ballast for one bulb. The master controls the other MH bulb, T5's and moonlight. They both have programmed functions and features for the dawn to dusk effects.
The wiring is quite easy. 3 wires for the slave. (2 wires for the MH bulb and 1 ground) The master has 7 wires. (2 wires for MH bulb, 2 wires for T5, 2 wires for moonlights and 1 ground) Here's a pic on the side where the 2 wires come into the fixture and T5 ballasts
My ACLS says 100v - 240v on the back. Wiring with the ACLS is pretty straight forward.
Looking at the wiring it seems pretty simple. I figure if I ever have to send the ACLS on a forever journey to Italy I will probably wire up Icecap ballasts for the MH's since the T5 ballasts are already internal. The ACLS comes with two units, one master and one slave. The slave is a standalone MH ballast for one bulb. The master controls the other MH bulb, T5's and moonlight. They both have programmed functions and features for the dawn to dusk effects.
The wiring is quite easy. 3 wires for the slave. (2 wires for the MH bulb and 1 ground) The master has 7 wires. (2 wires for MH bulb, 2 wires for T5, 2 wires for moonlights and 1 ground) Here's a pic on the side where the 2 wires come into the fixture and T5 ballasts
clownnrnd
New member
Yes, the ACLS looks much cleaner inside than a magnetic unit. I've heard all new units will come w/ electronic ballasts whether they use the ACLS controller or not.
I love my fixture. I think it lights my 30" F>B tank very well but I payed well over 2k for it and now it looks like a DIY project w/ the IC's leads coming out of the top of it. I tried to use the Sfigiloi pig tails coming from the fixture but the IC's would'nt fire the bulb on the farthest end of the fixture. I'm assuming this must of been becouse there was too much wire between the ballast and the mogul socket.
Right now I'm wondering where my warranty lies??
Chad
I love my fixture. I think it lights my 30" F>B tank very well but I payed well over 2k for it and now it looks like a DIY project w/ the IC's leads coming out of the top of it. I tried to use the Sfigiloi pig tails coming from the fixture but the IC's would'nt fire the bulb on the farthest end of the fixture. I'm assuming this must of been becouse there was too much wire between the ballast and the mogul socket.
Right now I'm wondering where my warranty lies??
Chad
CalvinC4S
New member
Hey Fliger that definitely blows. If you need anything I have holding tanks, lights,skimmers or anything you may need from
my tank swap.
On a better note,
Your going to really get a kick out of setting up that Elos Ca/Rx.. The thing is freaken awesome. I turned my schuran JS1 into a M&M dispenser after setting it up.
my tank swap.
On a better note,
Your going to really get a kick out of setting up that Elos Ca/Rx.. The thing is freaken awesome. I turned my schuran JS1 into a M&M dispenser after setting it up.
invincible569
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10215816#post10215816 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by clownnrnd
Yes, the ACLS looks much cleaner inside than a magnetic unit. I've heard all new units will come w/ electronic ballasts whether they use the ACLS controller or not.
I love my fixture. I think it lights my 30" F>B tank very well but I payed well over 2k for it and now it looks like a DIY project w/ the IC's leads coming out of the top of it. I tried to use the Sfigiloi pig tails coming from the fixture but the IC's would'nt fire the bulb on the farthest end of the fixture. I'm assuming this must of been becouse there was too much wire between the ballast and the mogul socket.
Right now I'm wondering where my warranty lies??
Chad
I hear what your saying. You pay more money to get the best and not have to worry about anything for many yrs. The other problem now is the value of the IC modified unit. As for your warranty, talk to the manufacturer and let them know what is going on especially since its original parts are non Sfiligoi now. If they are a company with superior service standards, they would make this right for you & David.
Fliger
New member
Thanks guys for all the input. Right now I'll sit tight and wait for the fuses. I'm a little unsure of what it will do - since I've already blown one of theirs, and several others. Chad's experience makes me worry a bit, I will definitely let you all know how it turns out. Edward, I agree - their service standards will show based on what they do. Its already forced me to spend quite a bit of my time & extra money that I didn't have to spend, not including having to back out of my Elos sale and my buddy had to take a hit since he had to buy last minute.
We'll see if Sfiligoi steps up like most other high end Euro companies. But right now I'm in my third week with no replacement fuses ....
LOL Bill - how come you can hound me for pix and all we get is pix of your Porsche and your ... um ... toys ... :lol: Seriously, I love the Ca Rx, I've run some water thru it, it is really nice. I like single Eheim pump running the whole thing. You gonna run yours internally or externally?
We'll see if Sfiligoi steps up like most other high end Euro companies. But right now I'm in my third week with no replacement fuses ....
LOL Bill - how come you can hound me for pix and all we get is pix of your Porsche and your ... um ... toys ... :lol: Seriously, I love the Ca Rx, I've run some water thru it, it is really nice. I like single Eheim pump running the whole thing. You gonna run yours internally or externally?
Guys,
last month I order Sfiligoi system,but i order with out Mh ballast only T-5's. I will be using my Ice cap-400w ballasts.
I was in between Giessman and Sfilgoi and i went with Italians)
I really like Sfiligoi reflectors,looks similar to Luminarcs.
David, do you think i might the same problems?
mike
last month I order Sfiligoi system,but i order with out Mh ballast only T-5's. I will be using my Ice cap-400w ballasts.
I was in between Giessman and Sfilgoi and i went with Italians
)I really like Sfiligoi reflectors,looks similar to Luminarcs.
David, do you think i might the same problems?
mike
