Any Aqualight Pro HQI owners out there (or Light experts in general)?

[cmtbears34]

Hi there,

I bought a tank setup that included the Coralife 24" Aqualight Pro HQI 150W, 2x65W PC light fixture (I know those fixtures aren't the greatest, but it came with the setup). The previous owner warned me that the Compact Florescent bulbs had stopped working and guessed that they needed new bulbs.

I bought all new bulbs for this fixture (Phoenix 14k and 2 50/50 Coralife Compact Florescent bulbs) and installed them. The Compact Florescent bulbs do not turn on and the Cooling Fan is not working either. When I flip the 'On' switch for the Florescents there is a half-second flicker of light and then nothing. Does anyone know what might cause this behavior?

I don't know much about light fixtures...could this mean the Electronic Ballast that controls the Florescent lights needs to be replaced? Anyone know for sure?

Secondly, which mounting legs work for this fixture. When I did a 'Froogle' search for 'Coralife pro legs' I saw two different kinds. One set is very short and vertical. Another set is longer and curved/bent. Which set is the one that will work for this fixture?

Any help at all would be much appreciated. Thanks!
-Matt :.

 

[JohnK]

Sounds like it may be a bad switch?

 

[mahk]

IMO, if the lights flicker for a second, the ballasts are bad. You can bring the ballasts to any electric supply store (Bains Electric Supply in Southern Mass for me) and show it to them. They were able to find a suitable replacement in stock for 8.99 a piece. I believe Coralife wanted 65$!!! Granted, they take a second to come on, but I have it as a backup light. Good to know that if I get in a jam, i got at least something.

 

[cmtbears34]

IMO, if the lights flicker for a second, the ballasts are bad. You can bring the ballasts to any electric supply store (Bains Electric Supply in Southern Mass for me) and show it to them. They were able to find a suitable replacement in stock for 8.99 a piece. I believe Coralife wanted 65$!!! Granted, they take a second to come on, but I have it as a backup light. Good to know that if I get in a jam, i got at least something.

Thanks Jimmyj and Mark for your advice/opinion.

I didn't even think about checking a local electric supply store for a similar Ballast. I have a supply store down the street from me that maybe I'll check out to see if they have a suitable replacement.

Yah, Marineandreef.com wants $45 (plus shipping) for them...so obviously a cheaper option would be nice. I just wish I knew for sure if the Ballast si the problem...do you think these places can test to see if the Ballast is shot or not?

Thanks again!
-Matt :.

 

[JohnK]

Can you get at the wiring for the switch? If so, a quick jumper wire could rule out the switch.

It surely could be the ballast, but the switch might be easier to test on the spot. (Bad switch might send a second of current as it's flipped, but not keep the circuit open, this would cause a quick flicker as described)

 

[mahk]

Good call John, not a bad idea.

Matt, they will usually test them for you. The first guy I asked did not want to for me, but I think the owner overheard him and jumped at helping me. I just wish they had T5 or MH ballasts, imagine what we could save.

 

[NHreefer]

I had the same problem with one of them, when it comes on for a second it's the ballast. A local lfs had a replacement in stock, put it in and fired right up. The ballasts get to hot from the MH.
Good luck

 

[cmtbears34]

Thanks again everyone for chiming in...

I think I can get at the wiring of the switch, I'll have to look into that tonight...so I could probably test that first.

I also put a call into the local electric supply store and they said to bring the Ballast in to them to see if they can match something up...hopefully they can and it will be for the $8.99 and not the $45.00

NHReefer - Do you remember which LFS had them in stock? If I can find a place local that has it (even if I have to drive a bit), I would rather go that route...especially if they would let me try it on the spot as well.

Thanks again everyone!
-Matt :.

 

[Cheetos]

My wife has the same light on her tank with the same symptoms that you are describing and it turned out to be the switch. I'm not ruling out the ballast but I would check the switch first with a jumper.

 

[cmtbears34]

My wife has the same light on her tank with the same symptoms that you are describing and it turned out to be the switch. I'm not ruling out the ballast but I would check the switch first with a jumper.

Thanks Cheetos for the advice...if the problem is the switch and not the ballast, how did you go about changing the switch?

I'm not very good at electrician-type stuff

-Matt :.

 

[JohnK]

If that's the case, I would simply wire the power cord straight to the ballast.

(then use a timer to turn it on and off as you should anyway.)

 

[NHreefer]

If the switch turns the lights on for a second, it's not the switch, unless you have a short somewhere. They aren't hard to take apart. I've fixed 2, one ballast I got from Jay's the other was a coralife system but had workhorse 5 ballasts in it, I just ordered another from e-bay and put it all back the same way.

 

[Qwank]

i bought one of these lights from a fellow reefer on here for my 75g project. one MH wasnt working and the PC bulbs werent working either. i found that i had broken wires at the grommet that goes into the housing. the grommets clamp down so tight that after a while it wears through the wires. try wiggling the wires at the grommets and see if the lights flicker a little.

 

[cmtbears34]

Hey everyone,

I really appreciate all of the advice!
I tested the switch today and it is working fine. I also checked the wiring (unplugging/plugging back in and wiggling the grommet etc.) and nothing helped. I'm pretty sure it is has to be the Ballast now.

Just for the heck of it, I called the manufacturer and described the problem and the tech guy said it definitely is the ballast. He said with all of the heat the MH puts out it eventually wears down the Ballast since it is so close to the MH lamp.

I guess I'll go ahead and buy one and hope that it does indeed fix the problem.

Thanks again everyone!
-Matt :.

 

[NHreefer]

That will fix it. Make sure you put in a new fan or the same thing will happen eventually. Good luck

 

[okuma2977]

i have the 72" aqualight 3x250w 20k 4x65w pc 4x1w lunar lights .......... i love the light no problems with it... knoc on wood as i tap the table.....

 

[cmtbears34]

That will fix it. Make sure you put in a new fan or the same thing will happen eventually. Good luck

Good point...I probably will replace the fan while I am at it.

I also have a 4" Cooling fan that I am going to run right under the fixture blowing across the water...hopefully this will help somewhat too.

-Matt :.

 

[emzee]

I had the exact problem you are discussing. At the time I found a thread by someone
else with the same symptom. Here is the link which includes a discussion of the final fix.
http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=322872