T5 died - what to do?

Sleepydoc · Oct 3, 2017

I have a 6 bulb 48" Sunlight Supply Tek Light T5 fixture for my 120 gallon setup. It has two switches/channels - one with 2 bulbs and another with 4 bulbs. When I came downstairs this afternoon I noticed the 4-bulb channel wasn't on. I haven't had time to take it apart and troubleshoot yet, but I'm assuming it's either the light or the ballast.

Before I get into repairing it, I'm trying to figure out if I should ditch the fixture complete and get an LED fixture, if I should do a retrofit to make it a hybrid fixture, or if I should just try to get it running again. Any suggestions?

glagunda · Oct 3, 2017

Sleepydoc said:
I have a 6 bulb 48" Sunlight Supply Tek Light T5 fixture for my 120 gallon setup. It has two switches/channels - one with 2 bulbs and another with 4 bulbs. When I came downstairs this afternoon I noticed the 4-bulb channel wasn't on. I haven't had time to take it apart and troubleshoot yet, but I'm assuming it's either the light or the ballast.

Before I get into repairing it, I'm trying to figure out if I should ditch the fixture complete and get an LED fixture, if I should do a retrofit to make it a hybrid fixture, or if I should just try to get it running again. Any suggestions?

Amazon t5 fixture pretty cheap. Mine is a hydro planet I believe. It can handle 8 bulbs and it’s only 138$

A. grandis · Oct 4, 2017

The amazon fixtures are a great option to replace the Tek.
But first you should try to open it and change the ballast. That's probably what's bad.
Grandis.

glagunda · Oct 4, 2017

A. grandis said:
The amazon fixtures are a great option to replace the Tek.
But first you should try to open it and change the ballast. That's probably what's bad.
Grandis.

Definitely a good idea. To replace the ballast. With mine I drilled out holes and put in 4 fans. With out the fans I was getting a temp of 120 degrees f. With the fans it’s about 90-100

Sleepydoc · Oct 5, 2017

Ok - I checked the switch and it's working fine, so it must be the ballast. BRS has the identical ballast for $60, so I just ordered a new one. Had I actually been planning more on replacing my lights it would've been a great opportunity to get a new fixture, but as it is I just need to get a working light.