Lighting issue

[cschweitzer]

I have a pfo acrolight setup on my 55G including 2X110W VHO and 2X150 DE MH. The problem I am having is that one of my bulbs was flickering and then went out. I went to take it out of the system, and the clay/porcelain/ fragile end part broke some. I tried to put another bulb in and it now won't fit right in like it should. Does this sound like a problem with one of the sockets(two on each bulb, one for each side) or could a piece of the end of that one bulb have broken into the socket, and how can I fix this problem? I know I haven't given a lot of info, but it was hard to tell the problem.

[doxyman]

Inside of the ceramic piece that broke should be a "disc" of metal that makes contact with the lampholder. I've seen several bulbs where this disc has actually been welded to the lampholder. Try looking at the lampholder contact on the side where the bulb broke and see if anything looks out of the ordinary.

[cschweitzer]

Thanks, I'll give it a try when I get home.