T5 retro Kit question

[GIJOE007]

I am thinking about switching from my current lighting set up (2 x 250w MH w/ 2 x 100w VHO's) to T5. I would like to purchase the parts and create a retro kit in my existing canopy and was wondering if the following would work for a 6 bulb T5 configuration:

1 x Ice Capp 430 Ballast (330watts / 6 bulbs = 55 watts per bulb) will this be enouph to power 6 x 54w T5's properly or should I look at the 660 series for all six - is that possible?) another option is to go with 2 x 430 ballasts and wire 3 per ballast???
1 x wiring harness(s) for ballast
4 x 10K or higher T5 bulbs
2 x Actinic T5 bulbs
6 x water tight end caps c/w end cap stand offs

Up to this point I have only been a MH guy, but am getting tired of the heat and evaporation issues, and feel T5 is the next generation of lighting anyways. I'd also like to know how the wiring harness' work ie. do they have all the leads needed to wire to the end caps etc?

Any help, suggestion and or input would be great.

Cheers
Joe

[qfrisco]

Joe - instead of buying the parts individually, I'd recommend buying a kit that already comes with all the parts you need. I just switched from T5 VHOs to MH, but when I got my T5s, I got a complete retrofit kit from reefgeek.com. They already come with the ballast (they have HO and VHO versions), wiring harness, endcaps, standoffs, reflectors, and bulbs. The only thing you will have to buy are the screws to mount the stand-offs to your canopy.

Anyway, to overdrive 6 x 54w bulbs (48" bulbs, right?), you will need two ballasts - a 660 and a 430. The 660 can support up to 4 48" bulbs, and the 430 will support the other two. This means you'll need two wiring harnesses. One end of the wiring harness plugs into the ballast, then the individual wires go directly into the endcaps. You will splice the power cord leads onto the appropriate leads coming out of the harness.

So you can collect all the parts yourself, or get a complete kit from reefgeek.com for $609, bulbs included - and these aren't cheap bulbs either. They only sell top quality bulbs at reefgeek. Moreover, Greg over there will help you with the bulb selection to get you the color you want, and the PAR you want. Greg will also throw in a baggie of Jolly Ranchers candies with your order. :-)

Here's a link to the 4x54w T5 VHO Retrofit kit: http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/IceCap/SLR_Retrofit_Kits/48_inch__6x54W_SLR_T5_Very_High-Output_Retrofit_Kit_w!_Bulbs_by_IceCap

[GIJOE007]

for that price I could just buy a TEK - 6 bulb fixture (dont want to though, would like to have them all mounted in my canopy which matchs the stand).

Can someone explain the difference between HO & VHO? May be a stupid question but I'm not 100% sure I know the difference.

I was also thinking, the ballast I'm using for my existing T12 VHO's is a WorkHorse 7-5-7...it has 2 leads for 2 x 48" bulbs. Can I not use that to run say 2 x 48" T5 actinics then use a IceCapp 660 to run the other 4 x T5's? Just wondering if that would work or not.

[qfrisco]

The Tek fixtures are HO - so driving the 54w bulbs with 54w. The VHO retrofit kit I referenced overdrives the bulbs with about 80w and will give you significantly more light than the Tek fixture. And more heat, mind you. :-)

You mentioned right off the bat that you wanted to go with an Icecap ballast, so I assumed you wanted to overdrive your bulbs. The difference between HO (high-output) and VHO (very high-output) T5s is how much power the bulbs are driven with. Icecap ballasts are used to overdrive as they supply standard 54w bulbs with around 80w.

If you're looking for a price comparison to the Tek 60-bulb fixture, this is the equivalent retrofit kit: http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/IceCap/SLR_Retrofit_Kits/48_inch__6x54W_SLR_T5_High-Output_Retrofit_Kit_w!_Bulbs_by_IceCap

[GIJOE007]

thanks a bunch, great help. So do youthink that I could run 2 x T5's with my 7-5-7 workhorse ballast then run 4 x T5's with a icecap 430? (the 430 = 330watts and would give me approximatly 82 watts for each of the 4 bulbs essentially overdriving them correct?)

[qfrisco]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12960324#post12960324 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GIJOE007
thanks a bunch, great help. So do youthink that I could run 2 x T5's with my 7-5-7 workhorse ballast then run 4 x T5's with a icecap 430? (the 430 = 330watts and would give me approximatly 82 watts for each of the 4 bulbs essentially overdriving them correct?)

I don't have experience with the Workhorse ballasts, but if you know they will work with the T5s, then yes, it's perfectly acceptable to use that ballast, and another for the other bulbs.

However, I believe the most an Icecap 430 will drive is two 48" bulbs, so you'll have to go with a 660 if you want to drive 4 of them. I don't have access to my Icecap manual to double-check, but I believe that's the case.

So your above idea will work, as long as you use a 660 instead of a 430 to drive the 4 T5s.

[GIJOE007]

cheers, thanks a bunch!

I just went to icecaps web site and looked at thier wiring diagrams, they show configurations for 2, 3 and 4 bulb set up...only problem is they dont tell you how long each bulb configuration is? I possed the question to the general customer service email department to varify 48" set ups.