Juwel Rio 300(or 240) Light fault - replacing 2x T8 to 2x T5HO

[Sidlas]

Hi,
Im very new to all this so i would like to say sorry before i start as i might get something wrong or sound a bit silly.. you can feel free to correct me and im willing to learn from my mistakes.
Right so....
I bought a Juwel Rio 300 second hand tank with cabinet
When i got home i cleaned tank, and plugged in lights - it went on for 30-40 sec and then just switched it self off... and now i can't get them back at all.

So i done a bit of reading and found out that it's a common problem with Juwel lights and as im not scared of DIY jobs i decided to fix the light my self instead of buying one for over £100, As im planing to grow Live plants i decided that i might replace old 2xT8 which is only 36W to a 2x54w HO T5.

So far i managed to open original light case by cutting it with a hot knife and when i managed to open it i could see that my T8 ballast has burns on it. Also i found that there was a bit of moist in actual casing. So that raised a question - When i put everything back in place should i add a small fan in each side so it makes some sort of air circulation and keeps ballast cool and dry?

These are the bits im planning to order soon ( just thought i should seek for advice before i do that)
They all should make a complete 2x 54w HO T5 set in a original T8 case.

• 2x T5 end caps, tube holders - waterproof - £12
• Tridonic Atco 2 x 54 Watt HO T5 Electronic Ballast - £19.15
• 2x iQuatics 54w HO T5 Tube(1047mm) - £17.99
• 2x 70g waterproof silicone - £3.00

Total: £52.14 that doesn't include wires as i got some of them in my shed.

Also im not sure about reflectors - do i need them?

Haven't really decided yet what bulbs i should use - any suggestions?

When i will receive all parts i will make pictures of all assemble so if someone need to do something similar this can help.


Here is few pictures what iv done so far.

 

[Arne]

That's quite a bit more light, which could lead to a lot of algea ... but I see that you're ordering an electronic ballast. The electronic ones should be dimmable, I'd have a look at that.

 

[ian_m]

I had similar with my Juwel 180 lighting unit (s). Basically you will find the lighting unit will have been left for ages unpowered up and cold, which is where the condensation has come from. When in a working tank any moisture is not a problem as unit is warm and leaked water never condenses.

In my experience of repairing two Juwel lighting units one was one I got with the tank (2003) and other a "freebie" from a mate after his attempted repair.

1. You have taken the bottom off, rather than top, you will not be able to ever ever ever ever (did I mention ever) reseal the unit again. Been there done that, despite using silicone, hot glue, solvent glue, water always got in and stopped the starter working.

2. The first unit I had that came with second hand tank (2003), lights flickered and went off. Upon opening the from the top, found moisture. Combination of hair drier and airing cupboard and good solvent glue lights worked for years, until 2010.

3. When this lighting unit went "bang" one day (2010) I opened it up and found starter was blown, smelt of burnt electronics and clearly unrepairable. No moisture though. Did investigate briefly replacement T8 starter, but unless to can get access to all the Juwel wiring (and add extra wires) you have to find an electronic starter if you want a one to one replacement, as Juwel starters don't make use or even wire up the heaters on the end of the tubes. Most of the electronic starters that were wiring compatible I found, were for T5 tubes, in those days.

4. Was given another Juwel light unit, this one had been opened from the bottom (previous owner had silicone sealed the opening) , upon opening and drying I got it to work, but it always failed as despite what ever I did water always got in. Even purchased special high temperature glue gun glue that sticks/melts plastic but water always got in. I suspect the bottom is in a "stress zone" as it is hanging down and all joints I made always eventually leaked. This went fizz and died as well, due to moisture.

5. Bought some T5 holders (Ebay) to convert my first unit to T5 but it proved hard to get T8 fittings out, I opened the original unit by bending the top flap up at both ends, but T5 fittings were required to be fitted where existing T8 fittings holes were and push through holes were wrong size, so masses of silicone was required to hold them in place. As being held in place by silicone it wobbled and could basically easily be pulled off and/or seal broken quite easily. The other unit I had the T8 fittings were fixed by screws (better) but not compatible with the T5 fixings I had, and would have required more silicone. Didn't realise there were two types of Juwel T8/T5 lamp holders, push fit and bolt on.

6. Went to local shop £100 later, replacement Juwel T8 unit with free Juwel tubes (wish I got the T5 now tank is planted)....job done. That was Jan 2010, still going today.

7. Still eying up T5 replacement, despite having only just (3 months ago) replacing the T8 tubes.

 

[Sidlas]

ian_m Thanks for your replay and sharing your expieriance

I should done a bit more of reading before opening it

When everything will be in place i could make some small brackets which screw bottom to the top bit (so it takes away some pressure off the weak seal) and then try to use old solder to melt plastic back together and then put more silicone over it. It might work - or not )

How about my lights choice? will 2x 54W HO T5 be enough for a 47 inch long, 20 inch width, 23 inch deep tank? should i install reflectors straight away or should i test how my plants will do without them?

In fact i haven't chosen plants yet - as it's a big tank and i never had planted tank i think i will go with "Easy to maintain" plants.

 

[Sidlas]

Arne thanks for replay.

Yes, There is a choice of them - you can get normal electrical ballast and then there is 2 x 54w HO T5 DIMMABLE BALLAST which in price is same.
So i guess i should go for Dimmable - then i should be able to adjust light anyway

How about output power? if i use 2 x 54w HO T5 DIMMABLE BALLAST can i fit in lower W bulbs? or all i will be able to fit in will be 54w t5?

 

[Sidlas]

forget to mention - i got another option!

Buy same replacement ballast iv got now which would make this repair only around £5 but will my 2x 36w T8 gonna be enough for "easy to maintain" plants?

Many Thanks,

 

[Arne]

I'm not sure what you mean by W bulbs ... Instead of a long bulb with 2 pins on each end you mean the ones "folded" to have all 4 pins on the same end? I don't think that a convenient option for a long tank like that.
15 years ago I had a tank similar to those dimensions and it worked fine with 2 T8 bulbs. To make sure your plants grow well I'd focus on fertilizers and CO2 first, and if everything is in order you could always go for T5's.
If you just replace the ballast now and add reflectors you should be fine, and if you have a working system you can try out a secondary system with T5's. If you don't mind the wire just get waterproof caps and leave the ballast away from the top of the tank. Put it in the stand, no problems with condensation. Mounting the bulbs or hanging them on something should be easy with a pair of clamps.

 

[Sidlas]

Arne thanks for sharing your experience

With bulbs i meant tubes - word it wrong, sorry

Yes, that's a good idea - just ordered replacement ballast

Will fix my T8 tubes and then if plants will struggle i will add another 1 or 2 T5 bulbs

Now in search for fertilizer - should i go with cheap ones or i shouldn't save on that?

By cheap one i mean cat litter, akadama, pond substrate? as i worked out for this big tank i gonna need 20-25kg ( around 52 lbs) if i wanna it to be 1 1/2 inch layer

on top of substrate planning to put layer of sand about 2inch

 

[Arne]

Substrate isn't the same as fertilizer

For the substrate, personally I don't like the idea of cat litter, just because it's cat litter, but I think people have had success with it. Akadama should be fine, although the new kinds should last a little longer (wont turn to mush in 3 years or so?) If you cover it up with sand you wont have the problem of the mush clouding your water, just don't pull out a lot of plants regularly.

For fertilizers I meant the additives for the water, which plants take up not from the substrate, but directly from the water. This might be a bit of a complicated read but it's already cheap if you go with the "dry salts".
You can order them (starter's kit) from a sponsor here (look at the forum overview) and read about them here: EI DOSING USING DRY SALTS | UK Aquatic Plant Society

 

[Sidlas]

Ohh ok, Thanks - that helped..

And there is one more question which most of people doesn't include in their "how to set up a tank"

How to add water for the first time?? can it be tap cold or it must be at least 24 and Tap Safe added? as when im changing water for my 80L tank i always make sure that water is 26 degrees warm(same as in tank)

But if i gonna set up my tank, and first time when i gonna fill it with water it will be difficult to warm 350L in buckets

or can i fill it with tap cold water about 20% - plant my plants and then fill up to 90-100% and then just warm up with 2x 300W heaters?

 

[Edvet]

Just fill with cold tap water. If you realy don't like that throw in a bucket or two with hot water. It isn't essential.
I have a big tank, for water changes i just hang the gardenhose in the sump and let it go for 2/3 hours. In nature big temp. changes happen a few times a year.

 

[Arne]

Filling for the first time can be done with cold water, with a big tank I also try and get a hold of a hose and something to hook it up to the tap where I can mix in a little warm if needed. Also keep in mind it's better to fill a little colder then warmer. Nature can get cooldowns through sudden weather like rain, hail or strong winds, but never sudden heat. Water warms up slowly so adding hot water causes a lot more stress.
Also wait for about 3 weeks till you put fish in. Don't worry about adding Tap Safe. Unless your tap water is really bad, which I doubt, you don't need it at all.

 

[ian_m]

Don't worry about adding Tap Safe. Unless your tap water is really bad, which I doubt, you don't need it at all.

Unless water company gets a leak and add chloramine, which will wipe out all your fish & filter bacteria in one water change. Addition of chloramine is far more common than you think.

On another forum there is a member (Rories Fish House thread ?) where all £622 worth of fish got wiped out due to not adding dechlorinatror (cos as the Matrix says...it is not needed in UK ) due to chloramine being added by water company due to a burst pipe. So he saved £18 on 500ml of Seachem Prime that will treat 20,000 litres, but cost £622 in fish.

 

[Arne]

there is always the exception everybody has heard about
Here in the Netherlands, especially where I live, tap water has higher quality checks and is "better" then the 500 times more expensive bottled water. Bottled water companies had no comment