18 watts of acitinics on a JBJ 28 HQI

[badbread]

I will put in some more details and pics if people show enough interest. I know 18 watts isn't much over this tank but I think it looks fine.

 

Tools needed:

• Drill with drill bits

• Phillips screwdriver or bit

• Soldering iron, black tape, shrink tube, or caps (anyone works, I soldered and black taped, planning on shrink tubing when I get some time)

• Shears of some sort (I used kitchen shears) to cut the reflector that came with the fixture

 

Supplies:

•

Coralife Mini Aqualight Compact Fluorescent Fixture, 2X9W, 9 inch

• Another 9w acitinic PC bulb

• 22 gauge stranded wire (used to extend wires from the ballasts)

 

How to:

1. Remove the hood and place light side up in a comfortable working area

2. Remove first light cover, if you have a drill use it, there are over 20 screws

3. Remove cover over the MH light

4. On the original Aqualight fixture, remove the bulb and cut out a square large enough in the original reflector so that you can drill a hole in it to mount it on the screws that hold the MH fixture in.

5. Remove one screw at a time on the reflector that holds the MH bulb in and mount the cut out drilled squares with those screws

6. Prep the ballasts and the wires going to the bulbs, you will need to extend all of the wires that go to the bulbs, label them and label the bulbs, and cut the wires, strip them, extend the wire out, etc...

7. Using about a 1/4" drill bit drill a hole through the side of the tank next to where the existing wires stick out

8. Run your extended wires, there are little slits where the MH light cover goes that the wire will snake through perfectly, run it through the 1/4" hole you created, you can create a large mass of black tape to act as somewhat of a stress relief on that cable

9. Button it all up and there you go

 

How it looks:

• Before its buttoned up

• Notice where the wires are run and how the original bulb clip holders are mounted where the MH reflector screws are.

• Black tape stress relief

• Mounted back up on the tank

 

 

I dumbly didn't take a picture with just acitinic, I'll get one up tonight.

[jbmoneys]

Just out of curiosity, can you see much a visual difference during the day with these acitinics turned on with the HQI? Or is this strictly for a sunset / sunrise scenario? Great idea btw!

[evilc66]

I have been contemplating doing this for by BC14 with a 70W MH. I would like to see what difference it makes. Make sure you set the camera in manual mode to get the best comparison.

[badbread]

No difference at all is visible with the HQI on but for strictly acitinic viewing it looks very good.

 

Just snapped these 2 pics 2 minutes ago, show acitinics off and acitinics on, camera wasn't moved on a tripod taken a few seconds apart.

 

 

[evilc66]

Looks pretty good. Wonder if the Hellolights true 03 actinics would look any better? Coralife doesn't have a good track record for good looking actinics in my opinion, compared to Current.