when the lights go out

[petes313]

hey everyone i'm in a bit of a tight spot here, i just got back from my vacation and apparently while i was gonna the power went out, but that wasn't the problem while i was gone, the problem ended up being that when the power came back, my lighting system fried....how, i have no idea, the ballasts seem to still be fine but everything else is shot. i was running 2 75 watt VHO actinics and a 175 watt metal halide over my tank which is a 50 gallon tank (30 long x 18 wide x 21 deep). in my tank are some mushrooms, xenia, some carpet zoos, frogspawn, button polyps, anchor coral, a bubble coral, and a open brain coral......my question is that i have a power compact fixture that has 2x65 watt bulbs that i can put over the tank, but will that be sufficient or do i need to go out and build a new retro kit with a metal halide like i had? or is there possibly another route i can go? any suggestions?

[Drewcipher]

Did you switch the halide bulbs just to see if that was what fried?

[petes313]

yeah, i tried switching all the bulbs, halide and VHO, then i transfered the ballasts to my other tank and those still worked with the other lighting system, but that other lighting system is in a custom canopy so i can't really remove that from that tank.

[Drewcipher]

Well, I think the PC light is better than nothing, but I don't think I would have it as a permanent solution.

[petes313]

well i also do have 2 of the 96 watt quad bulbs that i could use and just build a canopy for them to be housed in.....

[Drewcipher]

I would think that might be ok for the corals you have. You won't be able to do clams, anemones, or SPS corals, if you care. Softies and most LPS are pretty easy. If you think they aren't getting enough light you can increase the photo period as well.

[Shiandy]

Are u sure its not just a fuse or somthing, check ur power supply, find it odd that all the lights have blown, can undersand the halides, but supprised the VHO's have blown as well ?

[tkeracer619]

something isnt right. check your power strips. Other than the ballast and wires there is nothing that could be fried in a power surge.

If you changed the bulbs, moved the ballasts and the ballasts still work then something else is messed up. Do you get power. plug a normal lamp into the plug.

[Shiandy]

Did you work out what the problem was ? just curious.

[KING OF THE REEF]

i think your bulbs might have blown if the ballasts work and the rest of the units work except the bulbs, then it is your bulbs. please elt us knw what you have done to this point, i wonder if your end caps were on the fritz before this happened.