Changing Light Bulbs For the FIRST time!!

[dadstank]

so, uh... as it says i need to change the lights in my tank. they just arrived from thatpetplace. it ended up being cheaper than the others...

however, what steps should i take to not cause harm?

i was planning on breaking down my tank and lowering the two pieces that are right under the main light. then i was going to move around some other larger rocks that i have not been very pleased with their placement during my last rock scaping event.

is this enough? how cautious do i really need to be? should i rearrange the tank in such a way that i can raise the peices back to the height they are now?

 

[Anonymous]

What kind of lights are they again? If they are metal halide bulbs I'd just not touch the bulbs with your fingers since the oils in your hand can stick and reduce the life of the bulb by causing hot spots.

Why would you re-arrange your tank? You shouldn't need to do this.

 

[LA-Lawman]

if they are halides..... unplug them from the ballast and use a dry papertowel to remove them from the socket. if you get any fingerprints on the new ones use some running alcohol and a papertowel to wipe them clean. if they are mogul sockets do not over-tighten and if they are double-end bulbs be sure they are seated correctly.....

you might need to provide an aclimation period if you are switching spectrums to a brighter one..... but we will hit that obstacle when and if it comes.... hth

 

[Anonymous]

run alcohol run!!!!


lol

freudian slip?

 

[dadstank]

i am just changing all bulbs.

250W 10000K metal halide
24" 03 actinc 20W
48" 03 actinc 40W
9W 10000K coralife compact (X2)
9W actinc coralife compacts (X2)

the reasons i am thinking to rearrange the tank are:

1. i kind of want to. i am not really happy with the current rock scape

2. it has been since May 2004 since the bulbs have been changed. i can only imagine what the difference in lighting is going to be......

why is it that you shouldn't touch a light bulb? of course other than the fact that you just shouldn't..... what does a finger print actually do to the bulb?

 

[Anonymous]

Finger prints will most likely leave oils on the bulb, as the bulb heats up it causes a part of the bulb to get hotter (oils) since oil retains heat moreso than the "air" that's normally there, could lessen the life of the bulb. Not so much an issue with the fluorescent bulbs though.

 

[Anonymous]

run alcohol run!!!!


lol

freudian slip?

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

i am just changing all bulbs.

250W 10000K metal halide
24" 03 actinc 20W
48" 03 actinc 40W
9W 10000K coralife compact (X2)
9W actinc coralife compacts (X2)

the reasons i am thinking to rearrange the tank are:

1. i kind of want to. i am not really happy with the current rock scape

2. it has been since May 2004 since the bulbs have been changed. i can only imagine what the difference in lighting is going to be......

why is it that you shouldn't touch a light bulb? of course other than the fact that you just shouldn't..... what does a finger print actually do to the bulb?

2 years is quite a while. I would change them out and lessen the photoperiod by a few hours a day. Increase the photoperiod an hour or two a week.

If the aquascaping is not what you want then by all means change it.

As stated above, the oils on our hands/fingers can cause hot spots and either lessen the life of the bulb or cause the bulb to explode.

 

[Anonymous]

I stagger changing each bulb out by a few days. Then I add a 1/2 hour "OFF" time in the middle of the photo period for each bulb. Whole process takes about 2 weeks (4 bulbs).

Louey