Ballast - How does it relate to plants?

[Aaron]

Thanks for the ballast info everyone. I just read about
magnetic ballast, people taking out the old ballast, putting in
a new ballast. Buying a cheap light, but replacing the ballast
and maybe hood, etc.

What for?

Do certain ballast make the plants grow better? Or is it a guy
thing, where you buy a car but have to replace the rims because
it looks cooler?

Excuse me for my newbie-ness, but I don't have a phd in this,
and when I look through google, there's too much stuff and I
can't sit all day and read, and confusing - one person says
this and another says that. Also, I don't know exactly why
people do the things they do, like pmdd, koh, k, n, T8, T12,
lumens, chroma, etc.

My plants grew large with a lot of neglect and without all
that, but if I try it - will I get superplants that grow
faster?

Thanks for the info.

[Tom Randy]

On Sun, 17 Apr 2005 22:46:50 -0700, Aaron wrote:

>
> Thanks for the ballast info everyone. I just read about magnetic ballast,
> people taking out the old ballast, putting in a new ballast. Buying a
> cheap light, but replacing the ballast and maybe hood, etc.
>
> What for?
>
> Do certain ballast make the plants grow better?


No, it's the light itself.


>Or is it a guy thing,
> where you buy a car but have to replace the rims because it looks cooler?
>
> Excuse me for my newbie-ness, but I don't have a phd in this, and when I
> look through google, there's too much stuff and I can't sit all day and
> read, and confusing - one person says this and another says that. Also, I
> don't know exactly why people do the things they do, like pmdd, koh, k, n,
> T8, T12, lumens, chroma, etc.
>
> My plants grew large with a lot of neglect and without all that


Then keep doing what you're doing and don't mess with it.


>, but if I
> try it - will I get superplants that grow faster?

No.

> Thanks for the info.


No problem!

[Aaron]

Thank you.

In article >,
says...
> On Sun, 17 Apr 2005 22:46:50 -0700, Aaron wrote:
>
> >
> > Thanks for the ballast info everyone. I just read about magnetic ballast,
> > people taking out the old ballast, putting in a new ballast. Buying a
> > cheap light, but replacing the ballast and maybe hood, etc.
> >
> > What for?
> >
> > Do certain ballast make the plants grow better?
>
>
> No, it's the light itself.
>
>
> >Or is it a guy thing,
> > where you buy a car but have to replace the rims because it looks cooler?
> >
> > Excuse me for my newbie-ness, but I don't have a phd in this, and when I
> > look through google, there's too much stuff and I can't sit all day and
> > read, and confusing - one person says this and another says that. Also, I
> > don't know exactly why people do the things they do, like pmdd, koh, k, n,
> > T8, T12, lumens, chroma, etc.
> >
> > My plants grew large with a lot of neglect and without all that
>
>
> Then keep doing what you're doing and don't mess with it.
>
>
> >, but if I
> > try it - will I get superplants that grow faster?
>
> No.
>
> > Thanks for the info.
>
>
> No problem!
>
>

[[email protected]]

Certain ballasts only support certain types of lights. Standard
fluorescent will let you power standard fluorescent lights (like the
kind you use in shop lights, shop lights are what I use by and large
but I can only support low light plants, the light itself is bright
enough otherwise for sure.). Then theres very high output (vho)
fluorescent lights and ballasts for more light. Then there is compact
fluorescent probably the most efficient and bright, at least for the
amount of electricity they consume. There are other types of lights
which are much more expensive such as metal halide and others which
also use ballasts. In fluorescent the sizes and wattages vary and you
need to select bulbs for your ballast accordingly. My silver dollar
tank uses a shop light with t12 (one inch diameter fluorescent bulbs I
think and another type is t8 which I think is 1/2 inch diameter
fluorescent bulbs, there may be others) 48 inch 25 or 40 watt
fluorescent bulbs and it works nicely. Sometimes with cheap fluorescent
lights you need to buy and install a automatic fluorescent light
starter (a small tin can which I think contains what is called a
condenser) if you want your aquarium lights to come on automatically
with a timer, I installed a starter into my bedroom 15 gallon tank's 15
watt fluorescent light (accompanied by a 40 watt automatic screw in
fluorescent) and it was easy. Timers rule! Hth

[djay]

The t value as in t12 is actually = to 1/8 inch. So a T12 is 12/8 or 1 1/4
inch. Obviously T8 is 1 inch etc.
Magnetic Ballasts are generally considered "older technology" and sometimes
need a helper starter. Electronic ballasts start the tubes without the aide
of a starter and are supposed to extend the life of the tubes somewhat.
I made a hood for my 75 gallon tank that would light 8ea 40watt tubes and
powered them with Fuhlam Workhorse 7 ballasts (purchesed at my local
electrical supply store). 8 tubes at 40 watts each was (you need not
imagine) a little overkill and my plants grew so fast that I spent two days
a week trimming to help maintain the look I wanted. Obviously I fertilized
and injected CO2 and eventually cut the light back to 5 tubes.

HTH,

DJAY

Djay


> wrote in message
ups.com...
> Certain ballasts only support certain types of lights. Standard
> fluorescent will let you power standard fluorescent lights (like the
> kind you use in shop lights, shop lights are what I use by and large
> but I can only support low light plants, the light itself is bright
> enough otherwise for sure.). Then theres very high output (vho)
> fluorescent lights and ballasts for more light. Then there is compact
> fluorescent probably the most efficient and bright, at least for the
> amount of electricity they consume. There are other types of lights
> which are much more expensive such as metal halide and others which
> also use ballasts. In fluorescent the sizes and wattages vary and you
> need to select bulbs for your ballast accordingly. My silver dollar
> tank uses a shop light with t12 (one inch diameter fluorescent bulbs I
> think and another type is t8 which I think is 1/2 inch diameter
> fluorescent bulbs, there may be others) 48 inch 25 or 40 watt
> fluorescent bulbs and it works nicely. Sometimes with cheap fluorescent
> lights you need to buy and install a automatic fluorescent light
> starter (a small tin can which I think contains what is called a
> condenser) if you want your aquarium lights to come on automatically
> with a timer, I installed a starter into my bedroom 15 gallon tank's 15
> watt fluorescent light (accompanied by a 40 watt automatic screw in
> fluorescent) and it was easy. Timers rule! Hth
>