Running less bulbs in a T5 fixture

HiImSean

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 20, 2012
Messages
350
Reaction score
216
Location
Acworth, GA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I picked up a 24” 8 bulb Sunpower for super cheap ($100) and planed on running it on a 40 breeder. I know it’s overkill so would it cause any problems running just 6 of the 8 bulbs? I have no problems opening it up to rewire if necessary or eventually adding some leds to it.
 

BZOFIQ

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 31, 2014
Messages
4,698
Reaction score
3,993
Location
NYC
Rating - 100%
9   0   0
You can just pull some bulbs out. They are usually wired in 2s. You need to figure out which ones are wired together by untwisting one at a time.
 

nereefpat

7500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 20, 2018
Messages
8,046
Reaction score
8,796
Location
Central Nebraska
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Totally fine.

By the way, isn't there a switch for 2 bulbs on the sunpower?
 

Midrats

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 16, 2015
Messages
2,099
Reaction score
2,293
Location
Madison
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'd run all 8, just hang it higher, and as mentioned above, one cord runs two bulbs, the other six. You could run blue+ and actinics on the six bulb channel, and a couple of Coral+ or 65K bulbs on the two bulb channel. Oh, and if you don't know already, make sure the ATI label on the bulb is on the cord side of the fixture. There's a hole there that keeps the bulb cool.
 

When to mix up fish meal: When was the last time you tried a different brand of food for your reef?

  • I regularly change the food that I feed to the tank.

    Votes: 44 21.6%
  • I occasionally change the food that I feed to the tank.

    Votes: 71 34.8%
  • I rarely change the food that I feed to the tank.

    Votes: 66 32.4%
  • I never change the food that I feed to the tank.

    Votes: 19 9.3%
  • Other.

    Votes: 4 2.0%

New Posts

Back
Top