Good choice in switching bulbs working from one to the other. Process of elimination. So if left flickers, no matter what, it is not the lamps, it is something else....perhaps ballast, write down all your findings in detail that you tried, have them in front of you for when you call ATI tech support.
Ok, And so, till tomorrow, let's go another route, let's have you post a favourite pic or two of your tank itself , one of your favourite inhabitants, to break up the stress. It can be today or it can be a while back. Sit back , chill, and immerse. Lets see Miami Reef....the pics don't have to be perfect. They only need to be what you see through your daily lens.
Nope, it's part of the headache, or shall we say fun! Lol
And....success, time being, till the next hiccup, and it will come, it's the challenge, you/we the community with you will get there. Each step, how long with this setup? It gets easier as the years go by, then you want the challenge again. Or it presents itself upon you out of the blue, when you dont want it lol....Vicious beautiful circle....
Can we have a pic? Just one....makes the thread all the better....it doesn't matter how it looks, just take a pic, and let us discover what your reef is....you've got something beautiful in there....
Check and make sure that the ballast wire are properly seated in the tombestones (the part that the lamp sets into. Sometimes they come loose and can cause that issue.
I think you might be right. I don’t think the unit is overheating because it’s still flickering. Is it hard to change sockets/ballasts?You don’t want to hear this. I’d put money on sockets. Why do I say this? It’s part of what I do. This tunnel:
And these ballasts:
Are all for 106 T5’s. Sockets are the most common failure point when flickering or failure to ignite is happening.
If you can read a schematic it’s not difficult at all. Basically just follow the lines and make sure that they go wher they’re supposed to. Basically follow each individual wire to its tombstone, give it a tug, if it comes out just re-stab back into port. Make sure power is off though. Those ballast wires hurt like heck if they get ya. People at factories screw up. Maybe they just landed a wire wrong or not completely. Don’t be intimidated and good luck.
What do I search in YouTube to do this? I have an 8 bulb and I’m slightly confused by this picture, but you make it sound easy enough in your writingIf you can read a schematic it’s not difficult at all. Basically just follow the lines and make sure that they go wher they’re supposed to. Basically follow each individual wire to its tombstone, give it a tug, if it comes out just re-stab back into port. Make sure power is off though. Those ballast wires hurt like heck if they get ya. People at factories screw up. Maybe they just landed a wire wrong or not completely. Don’t be intimidated and good luck.
I think @olonmv is saying (I could be wrong) , to check the existing connections first. Trace each and every wire to its landing spot, give a gentle tug, to ensure it is seated properly and move on to the next. This could potentially be the issue.
