Light set up dilemma, reef   10/1/08
Hi Crew,
<Jessy here>
I have a 55 gallon fish and invertebrates tank with some soft corals (mushrooms, candy cane coral, beginner Zoanthids). I used to have two 48" VHO fluorescent bulbs. I upgraded to Power Compacts and bought a Jalli brand retro kit and it holds 4 - 55W bulbs. The kit also uses two ballasts.
<Ok>
I have enjoyed the brighter lighting and my fish and corals are very healthy and doing well.
<Good to hear>
However, I have changed the bulbs a couple of times as I have only had the Power Compacts set up about a year. As you can see from my attached photos, the problem with this set up is that the plastic holders that the bulb slides into literally melted and baked onto the plastic bulb end caps from the heat of the bulbs. This makes changing the bulbs a nightmare.
<And dangerous!>
As you can see from my other attached photo is that the white plastic end cap that contains the pegs stays in the burnt housing and the glass bulb part disconnects from the end cap. I had to use pliers to pull out the plastic end caps out of the burnt plastic housing part.<Yikes!>
Now, two of the bulbs do not work at all. Frankly the bulbs are cheaply made as well as the poorly engineered plastic housing set up that the pegs plug into.
I spent a ridiculous amount of money on the retro kit and the bulbs and now I feel like I have a Mickey mouse set up that is just not engineered well or made with quality materials. <Sorry to hear that>Why use rubber/plastic housings to hold such a hot bulb?
I like the brightness of the Power Compacts but I feel like my lighting set up continues to haunt me when it comes to reliability and quality.
<Understandably>
I just want light bulbs that are easy to change out and will not melt the plugs they sit in!!! Are there any better set ups out there that would fit my hood or are all of the set ups as poorly designed as this one.
< I would highly recommend a T5 retro fit for your tank. I understand that it means purchasing a new lighting system, but it will be worth it. T5’s offer much higher PAR value for the wattage consumed, and run cooler. I ran my entire 90gal mixed reef off of four 48” 54W T5 bulbs. I estimate that four would be plenty for your 55 gal tank. From the pictures it looks like mostly softies, and they will thrive under that lighting. Maybe you could check with your local fish club or on some of the larger forums and find someone selling a set used to save you some cash. >
Any advice you could provide me would be so much appreciated! Hope that helps, Jessy>
Thanks for your time,
Lynne

Re: Light set up dilemma 10/1/08
Hello Jesse,
<Hello again>
Thank you so much for your speedy reply. I just want to make sure I understand your response clearly:
You think that I would have a better set up purchasing a T5 Retrofit kit with only 4 - 48" 54 Watt bulbs? <Four would be plenty>
Also, my lights are close to the top of my tank that is an open acrylic tank. Which means the lights and the fixtures they plug into get wet from the salt evaporation. <It happens> Should I be putting some kind of glass or piece of acrylic over the water to prevent salt-water evaporation from getting on my lights and fixtures??
<You won’t be able to protect lights unless you get an actual T5 4-bulb fixture with the shield built in.>
My acrylic tank has a large cut out on the top of it and I have refrained from covering it with a piece of glass because I didn't want it to affect the lighting going into the tank and prevent oxygen exchange.
<I agree>
 BUT because the water level is only about 4-5 inches below the lights this means that whatever kind of lights that I have gets wet with salt water evaporation. This damages the lights and makes for a dangerous and corrosive situation. <Your logic is reasonable but this is how many people have their tanks set up and very rarely do they have issues. It is just a matter of keeping your lighting cleaned from salt creep and making sure your wiring is sound>
Will this T5 Retro Fit come with some kind of protective cover to protect the lights and the circuitry that the bulbs plug into??
<Not the retrofit, it will most likely just come with the end caps, bulbs, reflectors, and a ballast if you order it.>
 I just don't want a repeat of the mess that I already have.
<Understandable, but if installed properly you shouldn’t have a problem with T5’s. If you are extremely adverse to the idea, try getting a taller canopy or removing the canopy all together and get a stand alone fixture to hang or stand with feet on your tank.>
What are your thoughts here? Lynne
<Jessy>

Re: Light Set up Dilemma – 10/02/08
Thanks again Jesse,
This is my last question, I promise.
Do you have a recommendation as to a particular Brand Name of T5 Retrofit that I should look for and where I can get one?
<I'm reluctant to point you in any one direction, because I'm sure there are many good manufacturers out there. My personal fixture is a TEK 8 bulb fixture by Sunlight Supply. I love it. I looked at their website and found this ready made Retro fit you may find interesting http://www.sunlightsupply.com/aqua/products.aspx?request=AQUA_READYFIT&title=Fluorescent%20Lighting&type=product The only other piece of advice I can leave you with is to make sure you get individual reflectors. It helps with the lighting immensely. Do your research and ask around for other peoples' opinions in your town. They may have experience with other brands.>
Lynne <Jessy>