My own question about fluorescent lighting....
 

I have a t12 25 or 40 watt shoplight fixture (48 inches) on one of my
tanks, is it true I can use t8 bulbs with it as well (I am assuming the
t8 bulbs would be required to be 48 inches long and 25 or 40 watts in
power)? Please confirm - thanks all!

T8 bulbs are usually 34 watts. Should work okay if your Ballast is
electronic start.

DJay
wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a t12 25 or 40 watt shoplight fixture (48 inches) on one of my
tanks, is it true I can use t8 bulbs with it as well (I am assuming the
t8 bulbs would be required to be 48 inches long and 25 or 40 watts in
power)? Please confirm - thanks all!

Thanks for the fast response djay! One little tid-bit of a question -
how do I know if my shoplight ballast has an electronic start? Thanks!

Any T8 bulb will fit and can be used in any T12 fixture, regardless of other
considerations. Obviously, the bulb has to be the same length. The T8 will
use less electricity and should make the same light as the T12.


wrote in message
oups.com...
Thanks for the fast response djay! One little tid-bit of a question -
how do I know if my shoplight ballast has an electronic start? Thanks!

Your ballast should say if it is magnetic or electronic. Also the real old
magnetic ballasts have a separate starter that is about the size of a car
cigarette lighter.

DJay


wrote in message
oups.com...
Thanks for the fast response djay! One little tid-bit of a question -
how do I know if my shoplight ballast has an electronic start? Thanks!

Thanks guys!

"djay" wrote in message
news:IEF9e.22908$H_5.6792@trnddc01...
Your ballast should say if it is magnetic or electronic. Also the real
old magnetic ballasts have a separate starter that is about the size of a
car cigarette lighter.


Doesn't an electronic come on with the switch? Mine is old, and I have to
depress the button for 5 seconds or so to get the light to come on. I have
to restart it of the power "blips." FOr that reason, I could never use a
timer with my light.

A
--
www.greenzap.com/newoffer

All you would need extra to make your light turn on automatically with
a timer is a fluorescent light starter (a small tin can like object
containing what I think is a condenser) and a proper simple rewiring.
I've done this myself with my 25 year old fluorescent light in my
bedroom on my small 15 gallon aquarium. You can get the automatic
fluorescent light starter at the local hardware store for something
like .70 cents each in the states. The starter has to be rated for the
length of bulb/tube and wattage of bulb/tube you will use with it, and
don't overload the ballast - only use bulbs/tubes/starters that the
ballast can handle, the ballasts capabilities should be etched/written
on the ballast. Polarity doesn't matter either so you can connect the
starter to the wiring without worrying about orientation of the starter
to the ballast and/or wire and switch. If you want an authentic
instruction on how to do this try searching some of the popular (I
think I read about this 12 years ago in an old print of tfh (tropical
fish hobbiest)) older aquaria hobby magazines' archives possibly on the
net or maybe microfilm at your local library. Hope that gets you to be
creative, later!

wrote in message
oups.com...
All you would need extra to make your light turn on automatically with
a timer is a fluorescent light starter (a small tin can like object
containing what I think is a condenser) and a proper simple rewiring.
I've done this myself with my 25 year old fluorescent light in my
bedroom on my small 15 gallon aquarium. You can get the automatic
fluorescent light starter at the local hardware store for something
like .70 cents each in the states. The starter has to be rated for the
length of bulb/tube and wattage of bulb/tube you will use with it, and
don't overload the ballast - only use bulbs/tubes/starters that the
ballast can handle, the ballasts capabilities should be etched/written
on the ballast. Polarity doesn't matter either so you can connect the
starter to the wiring without worrying about orientation of the starter
to the ballast and/or wire and switch. If you want an authentic
instruction on how to do this try searching some of the popular (I
think I read about this 12 years ago in an old print of tfh (tropical
fish hobbiest)) older aquaria hobby magazines' archives possibly on the
net or maybe microfilm at your local library. Hope that gets you to be
creative, later!

I'll be darned. I know what a starter looks like because I used to work in a
hardware store. Apparently I had the wrong idea about what it did though! :)

A