Tanked Posted August 14, 2004 Share Posted August 14, 2004 I bought the 2X18 watt double light model for $35. It was back ordered and I had to wait about a month before it was sent to me. The clear mounting legs pictured in the magazine are not the ones that I received. More on that in a bit. The design of the canopy is very sleek, I do like the look of it. This light is sitting on a 2.5 gallon tank. In order to get the mounting brackets to fit onto such a small tank, I had to modify the mounting legs by shaving both sides down by about one inch on each side. The entire canopy flips up while still attached to the mounting brackets which allows easy access to the tank for cleaning/water changes/etc. A nice feature. Now the oddity. The double model has 2 separate switches for each bulb, but a single power cord. At night, the lights flicker on and off about every 5 minutes even though the switches are turned to the Off position. This creates an atmosphere similar to that of lightning during a thunderstorm. When the lights are on during the day, they work fine so I do not think the bulbs or the contacts are the problem. I assume there is some sort of sloppy soldering job creating this and I have to believe this can't be good for the lifespan of the bulbs. I cannot return the light for a new one because I already modified it and I can't return it for repairs just yet because there are animals in this tank that depend on it. I will be upgrading the lighting on my larger tank and when I do, I'll cannabilize the lighting from that tank as a surrogate so I may see if I can send the Fosters Smith light back for repairs. Overall, a decent design and perhaps I got the one dud in the batch but to date, having to deal with this glitch is a bit annoying. Link to comment
Kool-cat Posted August 14, 2004 Share Posted August 14, 2004 My review of doctor fosters: I ordered $298.00 worth of supplies in july 8, 2004 and the lady on the telephone said i would get a free t shirt and i never recieved it. The catalog even said i would get a free t-shirt if I spent $80.00 or more. Link to comment
Kool-cat Posted August 14, 2004 Share Posted August 14, 2004 And the offer didnt even expire yet... Link to comment
jmt Posted August 14, 2004 Share Posted August 14, 2004 I've seen the t-shirt. It's dumb. Some guy sported it into my LFS a while back and got tooled on. Link to comment
holyherbiness Posted August 14, 2004 Share Posted August 14, 2004 "At night, the lights flicker on and off about every 5 minutes even though the switches are turned to the Off position." I have the exact same problems... 1. Legs don't fit, i have a whole thread about that on the lighting forum 2. The lights flicker on and off even if the switches are off, which is highly annoying. Link to comment
Tanked Posted August 14, 2004 Author Share Posted August 14, 2004 Oooooooh, that T-shirt sounds like da shizznat ! Link to comment
Kool-cat Posted August 14, 2004 Share Posted August 14, 2004 I use the coralife aqualight and none of mine flicker when off... At least nonje do now. Link to comment
Kool-cat Posted August 14, 2004 Share Posted August 14, 2004 Hey holy where do you go to buy live rock and stuff? Fish town Usa? I dont like some of the people who work there. Link to comment
holyherbiness Posted August 14, 2004 Share Posted August 14, 2004 T shirt is ugly and uncomfortable I got that with my 90 dollar order, and it feels like rough packed wool (it's actually cheap cotton) The type of stuff you see in bargain bins at 99 cents stores. I bought my live rock and other stuff pretty much only from online vendors (bigalsonline is 2 day shipping once it's shipped; premiumaquatics nanorock is fantastic, drsfosterssmith lighting is overall good) To solve the problem of flickering lights, you can just simply connect it to a timer. problem solved =) Link to comment
Tanked Posted August 14, 2004 Author Share Posted August 14, 2004 Ah yes, the timer scenario. Good point. Link to comment
Tanked Posted August 14, 2004 Author Share Posted August 14, 2004 And yet, if these dang lights worked the way they're supposed to, I wouldn't have to buy more junk to compliment previously purchased junk. Link to comment
Kool-cat Posted August 14, 2004 Share Posted August 14, 2004 You can just unplug the lights? THat may break the plugh though Link to comment
holyherbiness Posted August 14, 2004 Share Posted August 14, 2004 I think the tradeoff is acceptable considering the price on these lights. like 1/2 of other lights. Link to comment
sdbeazley Posted August 14, 2004 Share Posted August 14, 2004 Why would anybody not use a timer with lights? that way your tank is always consistent. Link to comment
sdbeazley Posted August 14, 2004 Share Posted August 14, 2004 Corrie I try to state that there is nothing wrong with 6500k lights. They look perfeclty white to me and some say enhance growth in corals. Link to comment
corriewf Posted August 14, 2004 Share Posted August 14, 2004 Originally posted by sdbeazley Corrie I try to state that there is nothing wrong with 6500k lights. They look perfeclty white to me and some say enhance growth in corals. Do you wear sunglasses inside the house?!?!? Well if it works for you...: Link to comment
dieselraver Posted August 15, 2004 Share Posted August 15, 2004 i havea 5.5 nano (16" long) which Drf&S light would you recommend the smaller 12" or the 20" ??? Link to comment
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