Type of ballast in All-Glass hoods

I was wondering if anyone knows any information about the type of ballast
that All-Glass puts in their deluxe hoods. I'm especially interested in the
48*12 hoods (made for 55G) since I'm thinking of buying one of these and
adding more light to it. However, depending on the type of ballast included
(especially whether it's electronic or magnetic) I could save myself a
little bit of money but reusing it and the bulb in my new design. (I
wouldn't want to reuse a magnetic ballast since they aren't the best around)

My design is to fit three T8 48" bulbs in that hood. I know it will be
quite cramped, but since the ballasts will be under the aquarium and not in
the hood, I'm hoping it's doable. Anyone ever did something like this
with these hoods?

Btw, I know I could just upgrade to Power Compacts, but T8 bulbs are so much
cheaper to rep every year.

Thanks,
Harry





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I checked out the hoods on www.all-glass.com and only their top-of-the-line
Triple Tube Strip-Light and High Output Compact hoods are listed as having
an electronic ballast. Considering they make a big deal about the benefits
of electronic ballast with these models and nothing is said on any of the
other models, its a damn good bet that only those models have electronic
ballasts.

Near certainty that your ballasts are magnetic.
E.Otter

The AGA tripple T8 fixture is a great light, I now have it on my 90
gallon but I did use it for a little while on the 55 and loved it. The
twin T12 fixture instead uses a standard magnetic ballast that I have
now swapped with a 4xT8 electronic ballast and overdriving the tubes
at 2x. But the tripple tube is the best bet IMO, although the bulbs
that come with it are also very good, it allows you to mix and match 3
different bulbs to get the look you want. If I were to choose again
between 2x55W PC and the tripple tube, I'd go with the tripple for the
flexibility of being able to mix bulbs. Obviously if you are looking
to have a high light tank, you can pack more light in less space using
the PCs.

I think all the T8 fixtures from AGA use an electronic ballast. The
others are easy to tell because they have a starter behind the bulbs.

Hope that helps
Giancarlo Podio

I bought the Coralife top and changed the tubes. It cost quite a bit
more but I think it was worth it.