JBJ Nanocube lighting question

[jencheung]

I have a 24g JBJ Nanocube and I need to replace the bulbs. The website says that they're "standard 36w straight pin bulbs" so I took that to mean the 16" 36w Coralife bulbs would work. I picked them up yesterday and they're a little bit longer than the bulbs that came with the tank. The 10K fits fine, it doesn't touch the edge of the hood, but the actinic is just a fraction of an inch longer and rests up against the edge of the hood. I need to go exchange it 'cause the bulb is a dud (couldnt' get it to work in either socket while the other bulbs work in both sockets). Is it normal for the actinics to be just a bit longer or did I just get a weird bulb?

The other option is getting the bulb directly from JBJ, but then I'd have to get a blue bulb (7100-7200K) and not an actinic. I've heard that these blue bulbs are not as good for corals as the actinic. So I guess my options are

1. Get the 16" actinic bulb that might rest against the edge of the hood. Better for corals but might cause problems with the hood.

2. Get the blue JBJ bulb. Should fit without touching the hood but won't be as good for my corals.

Any thoughts on what I should do here? Thanks!

 

[Doherty]

I had the same prob...... When i had PC's i needed to replace with straight pin 36w 16in. I purchased them online they sent me coralife bulbs. Those bulbs were longer than the original bulbs. I had to take the light fixture apart in order to replace the bulb, because they did not make the clearance.

"I need to go exchange it 'cause the bulb is a dud (couldn't' get it to work in either socket while the other bulbs work in both sockets). Is it normal for the actinic to be just a bit longer or did I just get a weird bulb?"
Was it longer or did it not slide in the socket all the way?

What kind of corals do you have?
What was the brand of light?

 

[jencheung]

I just went and compared the bulbs to double check and the actinic is in fact a bit longer, just enough to make the difference between not touching the edge of the hood and pushing up against the edge. I mean, maybe 1/8". Both of the new bulbs are Coralife bulbs. The old bulbs were the ones that came with the Nanocube - not marked with a brand name though. The light fixture is just the stock hood that came with the Nanocube deluxe model. I mean I'm sure someone smarter than me could probably fix the problem but I don't know anything about electronics or wiring or whatever would be necessary to do it. I can physically get the bulb into the fixture and plugged into the socket and stuff, it's just that the end of the bulb pushes up against the edge of the hood.

As for corals, I've got softies (mushrooms, zoos, toadstool leather, GSP, clove polyps), a few LPS (candy cane coral, branching hammer and 3 acans I got yesterday) and a new orange monti cap I also got yesterday.

 

[Doherty]

It is weird that the actinic was longer than the 10k, like i said when i replaced my bulbs the coralife bulbs were longer than the stock bulbs (but the coralife bulbs were the same size as eachother)

 

[jencheung]

Well hopefully I just got a weird bulb and when I exchange it I'll get one that fits!

Out of curiosity, can someone explain the difference between the blue 7100-7200K bulb and the actinic bulb (420nm) as far as their effect on corals and viewing differences? Or point me in the right direction to read about it? Thanks!