Bulbs or Ballast?

[matthew_sh]

I am in the process of setting up my 75 gallon aquarium. I had the aquarium set up before but had serious algae problems before I could even get the aquarium cycled. I just started working on the lights and realized that something is wrong with them. They take forever to come on. I'm not sure if its the bulbs or the ballast. There are two 40w bulbs in the setup. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Matthew Sheffield

[fishfreek]

These are normal output florecents? If so then its possible the starters need to be replaced. The starter is the little round thing that is often found in the middle of the canopy. I have also found some florecent bulbs start slower as they age. If you tap the bulb does it start faster?

[matthew_sh]

There is no starter that I can find. The setup appears to be made for an aquarium. The bulbs connect to the ballast through little plastic cups that fit on each end. A wire runs from them to the ballast. Yes, they do seem to start faster if I tap them. I think I'm leaning more towards the bulbs. What do you think?

[loganj]

Sounds like bulbs to me.

[matthew_sh]

Looks like I'm going to try the bulbs then, thanks for the help everyone.

[chasgood]

Some of the newer ballasts are electronic. The T8 type fluorescent tube takes this type of ballast.
A 18watt T8 puts out the same light as a T12 20watt.

Find out what brand it is and look for it on the companys web site or email them.