Steveowhits
Active Member
So once upon a time I won an Orphek pr156+UV at a Columbia, SC coral show. The 24" fixture from Orphek was a huge blessing and a small curse. I had no prior LED experience and quickly started burning corals. I paid Orphek $100 and the company sent me a dimmable ballast to swap in my light.
The LED light was now tameable. I invested in a par meter and started dialing in. I was getting growth but was never happy with the Orphek color scheme on my light. A second issue I had was that my tank size had grown out of the 24" fixtures range. I contacted Orphek again and they told me I could swap LED colors for an additional 200 plus shipping. I decided instead of spending the money on an LED gamble I would add a t5 fixture to enhance my 24" Orphek led light.
I Bought a cheap 8 bulb t5 on eBay for 120. The fixture had crappy bulbs so I spent about $50 more on 4 nicer bulbs from Drs.foster and smith. I removed the bulb set and reflectors...
I cut out holes for the exhaust fans and the 8 Orphek bolts. I decided to attach my Orphek light directly to the thick metal that composed the t5 fixture's shell for a stable build.
I cut the reflector with extra space to allow the light from the LEd to pass and air flow. I stuck 6 out of the original 8 t5 bulbs back in. I had to cut and move some brackets.
The finished product is amazing for the $$$.
The LED light was now tameable. I invested in a par meter and started dialing in. I was getting growth but was never happy with the Orphek color scheme on my light. A second issue I had was that my tank size had grown out of the 24" fixtures range. I contacted Orphek again and they told me I could swap LED colors for an additional 200 plus shipping. I decided instead of spending the money on an LED gamble I would add a t5 fixture to enhance my 24" Orphek led light.
I Bought a cheap 8 bulb t5 on eBay for 120. The fixture had crappy bulbs so I spent about $50 more on 4 nicer bulbs from Drs.foster and smith. I removed the bulb set and reflectors...
I cut the reflector with extra space to allow the light from the LEd to pass and air flow. I stuck 6 out of the original 8 t5 bulbs back in. I had to cut and move some brackets.
The finished product is amazing for the $$$.
