Electronic Ballast - T5 and T8

[kevqtmn]

does anybody know where I can download the specs of "aquarium" electronic ballasts? I am curious as to whether there is any difference between an Osram Quicktronic ballast and an ICECAP or any other fluorescent aqua electronic

I am also looking for the names of lamp manufacturers, especially those companies who manufacture T8 and T5 fluorescents.

I am looking to educate myself with the market for aquarium lighting products.

Any advice, links, and resources would be greatly appreciated.

 

[justDIY]

perhaps someone that owns an IceCAP could provide the FCC ID or Patent Number, then you could look-up a schematic of the ballast, and see what makes it tick

my guess is icecaps are just 'high-end' electronic ballasts like advance's mark v or intellivolt models, and the manufactorer has found that the same ballast can run a variety of lighting combinations, and their legal department is willing to accept any liability that comes from such experimentation

my guess is GE, Advance and others ballasts also run NO, HO and VHO bulbs, as well as CF's, but they do not want to market this fact since it would reduce their product line from 100's of different ballasts to only a few, and if someone connected the wrong combination and started a fire or burned up the ballast, they'd sue GE

Do you have any ball-park prices on high perfomance electronic ballasts from your company - I'm always eager to find low cost ways to increase my WPG ...

I'm real close 'breaking down' and ordering a ahsupply kit for a 30gal that I'll be rebuilding soon, since I've failed to find any suitable high color temp (6500-6700k) solutions via "non-traditional" application of commonly available lighting

 

[kribbz]

talk to loganJ he knows alot about aquarium lighting.

 

[alrmc4]

i have a ton of t=5 info and will have more 1st hand experience soon i decided to jump into the t-5 arena myself.send your e-mail to me and i will set you up.good place to start for great info:http://dougc3.home.mindspring.com/Reefpage/Index.htm
and a conparison link:http://www.aquaphilics.com/Compare.htm

 

[alrmc4]

oops links did not work try one more time
www.aquaphilics.com/Compare.htm
http://dougc3.home.mindspring.com/Reefpage/Index.htm