how do you overdrive your regular lighting? - Aquarium Advice

mr funktastic · 08-29-2005, 06:35 PM

i have been reading about people overdriving there regular lighting fixtures to get more light out of them. i have just the standard flourecent lighing fixture that you get on a 20 gallon tank. i am running an 18"coralife bulb that is running at 15 watts. for a 20 gallon that kinda sucks. any pics or step by step thing would be great. thanks in advance

malkore · 08-29-2005, 07:05 PM

try the search button. I know a few people have written very detailed articles on this.
you must replace the 20w ballast in your fixture...that's the key to overdriving.

mr funktastic · 08-29-2005, 07:33 PM

i have searched but i dont kno what to put in the search. i put in overdrive lighting but i got nothin

malkore · 08-29-2005, 08:36 PM

Here's a 10 page post that I think covered it
http://aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic....highlight=odno

try searching for ODNO as well. also, google it...there are several wiring diagrams out there, and at thekrib.com

Jchillin · 08-29-2005, 08:40 PM

Edit...Malkore beat me to it.

greenmaji · 08-29-2005, 09:05 PM

What do you want as far as light out of this bulb setup?
If you want to get low light out of it .. ie around 23 watts of light you can do this with a smaller ballast.. one thats rated for 2-F32T8 bulbs.. If you want to go with a high light tank.. I would suggest you get more bulbs.. the most you can get out of that bulb is a about 30 watts.. and thats with a $30 ballast..
in other words the best you can do is get a low light tank.. either 1 or 1.5 watts per gallon out of it so you might as well go for the smaller ballast.. its considerably cheaper.. about $8 and [acronym:0063c85ffc="Home Depot"]HD[/acronym:0063c85ffc]..

mr funktastic · 08-29-2005, 10:16 PM

ok thats cool i will check into google for a diagram so i can figure out what i am doing. thanks for the help

greenmaji · 08-29-2005, 10:22 PM

an example of a wiring diagram for the bigger ballast on a 4 foot tube..

in this digram the ballast used has 4 leads.. the smaller $8 ballast will only have 2 leads making the diagram a little more simple the red and blue wires are power leads and the yellow returns to the ballast..

08-29-2005, 06:35 PM	#1
mr funktastic Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: alliston, ON Posts: 2,220 Images: 17	how do you overdrive your regular lighting? i have been reading about people overdriving there regular lighting fixtures to get more light out of them. i have just the standard flourecent lighing fixture that you get on a 20 gallon tank. i am running an 18"coralife bulb that is running at 15 watts. for a 20 gallon that kinda sucks. any pics or step by step thing would be great. thanks in advance

08-29-2005, 07:05 PM	#2
malkore Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Nebraska, USA Posts: 6,540	try the search button. I know a few people have written very detailed articles on this. you must replace the 20w ballast in your fixture...that's the key to overdriving. __________________ Visit my aquarium pages - see specs on my tanks, and photos of how they've evolved My other passion: TheNinja 500R - updated 9/18/05

08-29-2005, 08:36 PM	#4
malkore Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Nebraska, USA Posts: 6,540	Here's a 10 page post that I think covered it http://aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic....highlight=odno try searching for ODNO as well. also, google it...there are several wiring diagrams out there, and at thekrib.com __________________ Visit my aquarium pages - see specs on my tanks, and photos of how they've evolved My other passion: TheNinja 500R - updated 9/18/05

08-29-2005, 08:40 PM	#5
Jchillin Aquarium Advice Addict Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: New York, NY (The Big Apple) Posts: 12,976 Images: 47	Edit...Malkore beat me to it. __________________ _________________________________

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08-29-2005, 07:33 PM	#3
mr funktastic Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: alliston, ON Posts: 2,220 Images: 17	i have searched but i dont kno what to put in the search. i put in overdrive lighting but i got nothin

08-29-2005, 09:05 PM	#6
greenmaji Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: May 2005 Location: Central Kentucky Posts: 5,937	What do you want as far as light out of this bulb setup? If you want to get low light out of it .. ie around 23 watts of light you can do this with a smaller ballast.. one thats rated for 2-F32T8 bulbs.. If you want to go with a high light tank.. I would suggest you get more bulbs.. the most you can get out of that bulb is a about 30 watts.. and thats with a $30 ballast.. in other words the best you can do is get a low light tank.. either 1 or 1.5 watts per gallon out of it so you might as well go for the smaller ballast.. its considerably cheaper.. about $8 and [acronym:0063c85ffc="Home Depot"]HD[/acronym:0063c85ffc]..

08-29-2005, 10:16 PM	#7
mr funktastic Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: alliston, ON Posts: 2,220 Images: 17	ok thats cool i will check into google for a diagram so i can figure out what i am doing. thanks for the help

08-29-2005, 10:22 PM	#8
greenmaji Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: May 2005 Location: Central Kentucky Posts: 5,937	an example of a wiring diagram for the bigger ballast on a 4 foot tube.. in this digram the ballast used has 4 leads.. the smaller $8 ballast will only have 2 leads making the diagram a little more simple the red and blue wires are power leads and the yellow returns to the ballast..

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