Is there a Light Detective in the house

[Carlon]

My tank has been down for about 10 years. I started setting it back up about a week ago but could not find the manual for my lights. I can not remember the name or model but I am hoping someone out there in the tank can.

 

[Tahoe61]

I am thinking along these lines, see link below

http://www.aquariumarts.com/current.html

Not my image.

 

[Tahoe61]

BTW Welcome back to the hobby and R2R.

 

[mcarroll]

Definitely a Current USA due to the logo on the PC bulb. The fixture would have matched that. (I think. )

I've never seen a fixture like that which was both that long and had only a single halide in it. Weird!

Can you tell from the ballast if it's a 250 watt halide?

 

[Carlon]

It's great being back in the tank!!!!! You guys are awesome.

It's a 150 watt but I have 2 of them for my 125

 

[Eggyoke]

I had a 4 footer with 2 150 mh back in the day. Looks like the demand for PC bulbs are low and the prices are even lower. You can retro fit some leds or T5s but I would just buy new bulbs.

 

[Carlon]

How substantial would the gains be with upgrading to leds or T5s?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

How substantial would the gains be with upgrading to leds or T5s?

easier to find the bulbs.
heat.
t5 teck evolved really well as far as par to lumen output and watt to lumen on the efficiency side. thus abandoning the PC's.

And Welcome back!

 

[Carlon]

Thanks. Going to order some rock from BRS tonight to start cycle process. Looking at an empty tank for 8hrs a day is killing me.

I have to get a new skimmer and a new return pump. Tank is way too loud for office.

 

[mcarroll]

It's a 150 watt but I have 2 of them for my 125

I had two 150's for my 38 gallon.

I'm sure, along with the PC's, they will be fine for a lower-medium light setup. You just may have some dim areas at the edges of each bulb's coverage area.

None of those things is a problem per se.....just act accordingly. (And keep in mind if you choose to upgrade down the line.....consistency will be important for your corals.)

How substantial would the gains be with upgrading to leds or T5s?

PC to T5 was an incremental/evolutionary change.

By far most of the gains would be in the switch to LED. Not only is there another evolutionary gain in efficiency, but absolute power use will be lower and bulb-replacement/mercury-recycling becomes a thing of the past.

If the fixtures is working as-is, you certainly don't need to feel rushed to make any changes.

I have to get a new skimmer and a new return pump.

The skimmer can be run on a timer so that it's OFF during business hours.

The return pump might need to be reinstalled better....while some pumps are more quiet than others, most pumps should not be loud enough to be annoying if they are well-installed and in good working condition.

Details on the noise problem will help us help you too!

I'm guessing that the skimmer and return pump are the issue, but that's no guarantee!