Help with Eclipse 12!

[thaman04]

Hi there,
I have had this Eclipse 12 for about a year. Recently the florescent light has been flickering, and at first I thought maybe the bulb burnt out.. so I replaced the bulb, and even the new bulb flickers. Now I'm wondering is there something wrong with the actual light fixture in the hood? I noticed that there is a crack on the box beside the bulb (where the plug comes out of).. I have a feeling it was because of the heat.

What should I do???

(Eventually I'll go full out with a custom tank, but I don't have time for that right now, so the Eclipse 12 is convinent for the time being and will stick with it lol)

[neilanh]

Welcome to AA!

I used to have this tank, it was a long time ago though. IIRC, the box you're talking about has a few screws and will come out. I'd open it and check for a loose or rusted connection inside. If you find rust, use a pencil eraser to clean it. If it's loose, dab a bit of solder on there.

[jonboyb]

I run the Eclipse 12 as a quarantine tank and I have to agree with neilanh. They produce an insane amount of condensation under the hood and if your's is cracked there's no telling how wet it's gotten in there. If all else fails, I've been looking for an excuse to convert my 12 to higher lighting for zoa propogation and I'll ditch the stock light. I was going to use it as a fuge light, but if you end up needing one let me know.

[thaman04]

Thanks guys!!

I'll give that it a try.

I'll let u know the result afterwards.

[thaman04]

Ok.. I undid the the 2 screws and took the fixture off from the hood.. and I noticed one of the wires is a bit this rusty colour, but also it looks like some of the plastic on the wire has melted a bit.

I tried using an eraser, but the melted part is still there, and I tried covering it with electrical tape, but it still does not work

[jonboyb]

Sounds like you had enough moisture build up in the box to maybe arc and melt some insulation. My offer still stands on sending you my light, but I have the tank setup up right now storing 2 fish pending pickupand it would be a few days till I could tear it down.

If you go to Marineland's website, they sell replacement parts and I couldn't imagine the light box/ballast costing much at all.