T5 for 180 gal

[hahnmeister]

Thank goodness that the IC660 only overdrives them to 100watts then...lol.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

4 54 watt lamps on my 125 did 183 to the sandbed on the 660. 6 80 watt lamps only did 145. They were about an inch and a half higher up but still wouldn't have matched the 54 watt lamps if they were even

 

[hahnmeister]

huh... wow... the IC660 maybe isnt a good option at all for the 5' bulbs then. Of course... were talking about different bulbs here as well... were the 5' bulbs old/more of a blue mix?

 

[sjm817]

So, ~ 340W of 48" beat out ~ 600W of 60"? That seems pretty odd. Same bulb combos and reflectors?

 

[sjm817]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8923340#post8923340 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hahnmeister
huh... wow... the IC660 maybe isnt a good option at all for the 5' bulbs then. Of course... were talking about different bulbs here as well... were the 5' bulbs old/more of a blue mix?

AFAIK, the 660 is the only option for 60" bulbs.
Just by eye, the 6 x 60" over the 180 is much brighter than the 6 x 54 was over 90G. Different bulb combo though, so who knows.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

The 54's were 50/50 aquablue/actinic plus mix. the 80's were I GE, 2 aquablues and 2 actinic plus and 1 pure actinic.

The 660 drove the 80 watt lamps way brighter than a WH7. Didn't have a real 80 watt ballast to compare to the IC.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8923371#post8923371 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sjm817
AFAIK, the 660 is the only option.

WH7 will drive 2, Triad makes an 80 watt ballast but they cost like 80 bux and run a single lamp.

 

[sjm817]

I saw the single ballast option @ Reefgeek. 6 ballasts, that would be...err...it would stink.

Meh. Maybe its time to go MH!!

 

[hahnmeister]

the IC 660 isnt the only option for 80watt bulbs, but the irony is that its perhaps the cheapest. The cheapest I can find V-S(aromat), sylvania, or OSRAMS for is something like $70 for a 1x80watt ballast.

Its what makes those fauna-marin ultrasolaris fixtures in the 5' configurations such a steal. they are the same price as a tek retro from geek, but so much more. the ballasts alone are worth half the cost of those fixtures.

 

[sjm817]

As above, 6 ballasts would be a royal PITA. No thanks. I have a Ballastwise that will run 4 x 54W that with special wiring (doubling up the connections) will supposedly run 2 bulbs @ ~ 100W ea. I never tried it.