9watt CF in 11watt ballast = Bang?

[NeilW]

Just wanted to pick the brains of someone in the know.

I've currently got the 11watt model of the Superfish Aquaqube but I'm slowly thinking its overpowered for my needs. This may sound strange but I like the length of the lamp that I have and am unsure of the 'stumpyness' of the smaller type. Would it be possible to put the 9watt bulb in an 11watt ballast or am I asking for trouble?

Cheers,
Neil

 

[yoda]

i dont think it would go bang as you put it but it would probably shorten the life of the bulb dramaticaly, could you not just find some way of blocking some of the light coming of the orginal bulb by covering it with something?

 

[NeilW]

i dont think it would go bang as you put it but it would probably shorten the life of the bulb dramaticaly, could you not just find some way of blocking some of the light coming of the orginal bulb by covering it with something?

Ahh OK, cheers.

I did think of blocking the old one with something but I couldn't think of an elegant solution that would have looked good with the ADA style gear . Originally I thought floating plants would have been the way to go but then the tank would look dim which I dont want.

Thanks again,
Neil

 

[JamesM]

A small piece of tinted perspex should do it mate

 

[NeilW]

Good idea mate. Its a shame though that by the time I've either bought frosting spray or tinted acrylic + silicone + postage it would be nearly the cost of a new unit and I can't be sure if it would work and it would need me to butcher my old light with glue. I think a new lamp the correct wattage may be the only way forward.

 

[PM]

Hi,

I'm in the same boat! I ordered the 9w, because I didn't like the colour rendition from my Dymax LED, and now have too much light for my 12x8x8" with only low light plants.

I plan to get some frosted perspex and use 3 small pieces superglued inbetween the main piece and the light as an air gap to let the heat out.

EDIT: Done with care I reckon this will look very 'ADA'

EDIT 2: Just found this!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3mm-Frosted-F...aultDomain_3&hash=item43a0c4a7f3#ht_993wt_789

Like this:

Working with perspex is pretty easy. I also thought that if it doesn't reduce the light enough you could just sandwich together two pieces, giving you 4 frosted surfaces instead of the two you get with only one sheet, so thickness isn't important, so the thinner the perspex the better, (with aesthetics in mind).

 

[NeilW]

That would be spot on, nice sketchup. It doesn't look as expensive as I thought either. I wonder if I could get away with no glueing it if I got the fit tight?

 

[PM]

That would be spot on, nice sketchup. It doesn't look as expensive as I thought either. I wonder if I could get away with no glueing it if I got the fit tight?

Well you could put 4 bits on the main piece of perspex and wedge it in, but I'm just very aware of the amount of heat my little light produces, so really want a gap.

There's always elastic bands! But that wouldn't look particularly ADA though

Actually I'm looking at my light as I type and I notice the bulb doesn't go all the way to the end, that could be the air gap!

Like this:

So you'd super glue the perspex to itself, but not to the light, it would be push-fit. It's certainly easier to make than the curved one, and should look better too. You could even have the push-fit parts run full length either side.

I'm gonna place an order now, I think this could work great!

EDIT: You might even be able to get away with just shoving one rectangular piece in, but on my fitting there isn't space as the bulb is almost level with the edge plane.

 

[PM]

Just a quick note, I just put the frosted perspex below the light, and it hardly males any difference at all.

Makes much more of a difference when there is more distance between the light. But right below it's very hard to spot....