# What kind of lights do I have?



## Jayse (Feb 15, 2012)

I just got a large setup off my friend, who didn't really research a lot of the equipment he had for this. This is also my first tank into the bigger equipment for the hobby. I just need some help identifying the type of light bulb so I can try and find it on the net. My friend went to our LFS and the guy said they are no longer available. Unfortunately our LFS owner has a reputation for wanting to make a buck over anything else.

The bulbs and fixture are made by Odyssea. The fixture has no markings other than brand. There are two bulbs housed in it. The bulbs are 45" in length (not including the prongs), and three quarters of an inch in diameter, have two prongs on both sides where fixture clip pops on before putting bulb in fixture. Its a 54 watt bulb. The only other markings are 12000k daylight. The other light is an actinic. I have no clue if its a T5 or any other kind of bulb. Honestly, I have no idea what the difference is betwen a T5 or any other type of bulb except if it were a flourescent light or an incandescent. They do work, but he has had the tank for about 3-4 years now and they definitely need replacing. Any help identifying would be greatly appreciated. IF needed I can post a pic later tonight.


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## Narwhal72 (Sep 26, 2006)

It's a 54 watt HO T5 lamp. The lamp is actually 5/8" in diameter. The "T" number designates the lamp diameter in eighths of an inch.

54 watt is the standard wattage for a 48" HO T5 lamp. The lamp is not actually 48" long.

HO T5 lamps are readily available from a number of suppliers.

Andy


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## Jayse (Feb 15, 2012)

Narwhal72 said:


> It's a 54 watt HO T5 lamp. The lamp is actually 5/8" in diameter. The "T" number designates the lamp diameter in eighths of an inch.
> 
> 54 watt is the standard wattage for a 48" HO T5 lamp. The lamp is not actually 48" long.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the reply Andy. So they are considered 48" even though they only measure 45"? I have read some bad stuff on Odyssea lights, could you suggest a better brand bulb to go in this fixture? I'm more than likely going to set it up as a Peacock/ Hap tank. Thanks again for your help, still curious on the length though.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

One of the many "strange " things we find. Have you found that a 2X4 is actually 11/2 X 31/2 inches? For best bang per buck, I would try checking an electrical supply place for replacements. They can be very expensive.


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## Narwhal72 (Sep 26, 2006)

I use Coralife lights myself. 10K, 6700K, and Colormax. If you are looking for a blue light you want something like a Royal Blue and not an actinic. Zoomed and AquaticLife make good Royal Blues. Royal Blues are a lot brighter blue to the eye.

Andy


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## Sub-Mariner (Dec 7, 2011)

Since you have Peacocks you need a blue Actinic to really make the iridescent blues glow.

Coralife T5HO quad fixture
2x: 10,000K
1x: Power-Glo
1x: Actinic 420 (blue)


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

I also have a odyssea quad t5HO setup. I use one 10000k, one 6500k super daylight and two actinics. I love it.

On a side note....I would NEVER EVER go back and do business with that LFS and I would call him and give him a piece of my mind. That is outrageous.


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## Jayse (Feb 15, 2012)

Ok well I finally got some time to go look for lights for the new tank. I was told previously in this thread that they were T5 bulbs. Or T5HO.... but while at two different pet stores all the T5's that they had were different. the bulb looked somewhat the same (unfortunatley i didn't bring the bulb or a tape measure), but the pins on the ends were way to close together compared to mine.

I then looked at T8 bulbs. The bulb itself seemed a little thicker in diameter, and the pins seemed like they were just a bit farther apart.


light2 by jayse2011, on Flickr


light1 by jayse2011, on Flickr

If you could help identify what type of bulb this is I'd appreciate it. I'd rather not have to buy a whole new fixture when this one works.

On a side note....I did find very inexpensive T5 and T8 light bulbs at Lowes. one even said for aquariums, another said for aquarium plants.


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## dsouthworth (Sep 7, 2011)

We'll you defiantly have a T5 by that picture. although i'm not sure how to tell if it's HO or not...

Is there any printing on the bulb? that might determine if its HO or not. 
Odds are, if it's an old unit that it is just a normal T5


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

What is the wattage on the bulbs and if it is not on the bulbs what does the ballast say(if it is external)? Do you have a model # on the fixture itself? I will try and look it up for you.

PS....those bulbs look just like mine but the difference between t5NO(normal output) and t5HO(high output) is roughly double the wattage.


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## Jayse (Feb 15, 2012)

Just Odyssea 54watt and the k rating. The other one is the same except says actinic with its k rating. The pin spacing was off from all the bulbs I saw. As stated the T5's were waaay closer together than mine, the T8's were a bit further apart than mine.

I cannot recall if I found an HO bulb as I opened up a bunch of them.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Jayse said:


> Just Odyssea 54watt and the k rating. The other one is the same except says actinic with its k rating. The pin spacing was off from all the bulbs I saw. As stated the T5's were waaay closer together than mine, the T8's were a bit further apart than mine.
> 
> I cannot recall if I found an HO bulb as I opened up a bunch of them.


If it is a 4 foot 54w bulb it is HO. Does the light and the bulbs work? Again...the pins look just like mine. You should be able to fit any t5HO 54w bulb into that fixture.


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## dsouthworth (Sep 7, 2011)

13razorbackfan said:


> Jayse said:
> 
> 
> > Just Odyssea 54watt and the k rating. The other one is the same except says actinic with its k rating. The pin spacing was off from all the bulbs I saw. As stated the T5's were waaay closer together than mine, the T8's were a bit further apart than mine.
> ...


+1
You have a very nice fixture there! Cant wait to see it above some fishies!


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

We may be getting into a really bad spot on electronics like bulbs. I recently went to a wholesale shop to replcae a bulb for the really common little lights on 29 gallon tanks. Such a simple item that I never considered taking the bulb along but that almost trapped me. A lot of new bulbs now come from China and I'm finding they are close but not quite the same. I got home to find the bulb would not fit my fixture even though it was labeled the same.

The end caps on the glass tube had slightly more "dome" making the bulb fit very tight. I made it work but I had to bend the connections out slightly and used a mini-tool to cut the pins off 1/8 inch. I can see grief in the future!!


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## Jayse (Feb 15, 2012)

Well, I've gone over the internet looking through wikipedia and crossreferencing with google images. None of the pictures of any bulb look anything like mine as far as pin placement.

13Razorbackfan, yes both lights work. And the fixture works as well. Although the lights are in need of replacement. I wouln't mind getting another fixture if this one didn't work. I guess I will have to try and find a T5HO bulb and compare with mine, but everything I've seen online looks the same unless they're using generic pictures.

Even tried looking for a contact number for Odyssea... the only thing I could find was in China... if that is even the correct info.. But definitely not calling there.


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## Narwhal72 (Sep 26, 2006)

That is definitely a nonstandard lamp. The measurement of the lamp looks like it has a 5/8" diameter which would make it a T5. However the endcap and pin placement are wrong. The endcap is huge for a T5 and is ventilated which is not something you should see. The pins are also too far apart.

I think this may have been Odyssea not following IEC standards and trying to create a proprietary lamp for their fixtures. This would slave the owner of the fixture to only using their lamps as replacements.

IEC creates standards for lamp dimensions and electrical characteristics that are supposed to be followed by all manufacturers. That way when someone purchases a replacement lamp they are getting exactly the right lamp for the fixture.

However there is no rule that you can't create your own lamp and fixture to go with it unless you call it by the same name as another lamp that already has a standard associated with it.

Andy


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## Jayse (Feb 15, 2012)

Narwhal72 said:


> That is definitely a nonstandard lamp. The measurement of the lamp looks like it has a 5/8" diameter which would make it a T5. However the endcap and pin placement are wrong. The endcap is huge for a T5 and is ventilated which is not something you should see. The pins are also too far apart.
> 
> I think this may have been Odyssea not following IEC standards and trying to create a proprietary lamp for their fixtures. This would slave the owner of the fixture to only using their lamps as replacements.
> 
> ...


Ok, I knew I wasn't loosing my mind, and these pins were different. So Andy, do you think this can be purchased from anywhere? If I could find a contact number for Odyssea that was in America not China, I could at least find out what I have and if it's available anywhere.

On another note... Does anyone have an idea if I could rig the fixture to work with another bulb.. say a regular T5. The clips or caps that go over the pins are free moving with the wires coming out of them. It's not something that is part of the fixture and not able to be moved slightly. My thought is if I could just clip the wires and connect a clip that would fit a standard T5 pin. Does anyone think there would be problems with the ballast/ bulb compatability? As stated before the fixture works fine, so I'd hate to spend a couple hundred bucks when I could just change out the clips for a few bucks.


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## Narwhal72 (Sep 26, 2006)

Aquatraders is the importer for Odyssea. I would try contacting them. I have no idea whether there would be any ballast incompatibilities but if they are 54 watt lamps it seems unlikely. Adding new lampholders that are standard size should work.

Andy


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Jayse said:


> Narwhal72 said:
> 
> 
> > That is definitely a nonstandard lamp. The measurement of the lamp looks like it has a 5/8" diameter which would make it a T5. However the endcap and pin placement are wrong. The endcap is huge for a T5 and is ventilated which is not something you should see. The pins are also too far apart.
> ...


You can buy endcaps for t5 and I believe they are the same size whether it be t5 or t5HO. I would not use t5NO bulbs but 54w t5HO bulbs. Overdriving the bulbs will cause them to burn a lot faster and/or blow them.

You can get end caps online for $4 on up from there depending on which ones you want. Just wire them up.


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## Jayse (Feb 15, 2012)

Ok, I'm kinda new to the larger aquarium equipment... These end caps you're referring to, are they the white end of the bulb in my pics (i'm thinking prob not)? Or are they the clips that go on the bulb pins? And where do you find these at? If you can't post on here you can PM me. I guess when I get home I'll also load a pic up of the clip that attaches to the bulb... just to be safe if someone knows something on this that I don't.


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## Narwhal72 (Sep 26, 2006)

The terminology can sometimes be confusing.

In the lighting industry the "endcap" is the metal or ceramic cap on the lamp itself that the pins stick out of.

The "lampholder" is the part that the pins fit into and is wired to the ballast.

I am guilty of switching the terms back and forth myself. Mostly because of my background in aquariums and not the lighting industry.

You would need new lampholders that fit T5 (as Razor said, it will fit both HO and NO T5). They would need to be wired directly into the ballast which isn't hard to do.

Andy


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## Jayse (Feb 15, 2012)

Ok this is sounding promising..... could either one of you direct me to a site that sells these lampholders. Is there anything else I would need to be specific on with choosing one, or are they just standard holders for all T5 bulbs


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Jayse said:


> Ok this is sounding promising..... could either one of you direct me to a site that sells these lampholders. Is there anything else I would need to be specific on with choosing one, or are they just standard holders for all T5 bulbs


I just googled it and found MANY different ones. Just use t5 lamp holder in search and you should be good to go. How many do you need?


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## Jayse (Feb 15, 2012)

I need four. I did a search earlier, most of the sites that came up were overseas (a bunch in China...go figure) and you had to purchase in quantity. Also everything I saw was lamp holders that are fixed to the fixture, whereas mine are free hanging and the lamp is held in by retaining clips (lamp support is the correct lighting term) on either side.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Jayse said:


> I need four. I did a search earlier, most of the sites that came up were overseas (a bunch in China...go figure) and you had to purchase in quantity. Also everything I saw was lamp holders that are fixed to the fixture, whereas mine are free hanging and the lamp is held in by retaining clips (lamp support is the correct lighting term) on either side.


Yeah...mine are free hanging as well. I have never had to replace t5 endcaps/lamp holders/sockets so I am not sure if you can leave them free hanging as some part of the connections(depending on how they connect) may come in contact with the reflector or other metal inside the fixture.

Also...some of the prices seem to be pretty high when you throw in shipping..maybe around $20 total. Also...did you need bulbs? If so then they are around $20 each depending on manufacturer. At $60 give or take you could buy a new odyssea t5HO quad fixture with all 4 bulbs for under $100. That is what I have and I like it. Just another thought.

Maybe someone can chime in that has actually replaced their endcaps/lamp holders/sockets? I am not sure how these would mount inside a fixture not designed for fixed endcaps/lamp holders/sockets.


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## Jayse (Feb 15, 2012)

Hmm... What size is that light for price you're quoting? Sounds like it might be a better deal than what I found online. Could you tell me the site, if rules forbid it could you PM me. I'll still see if anyone else can chime in with a possible known site for T5 lamp holders that don't need to be bought in bulk or might be relatively cheap.


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## quentin8 (Sep 30, 2011)

look at ebay theres several. I just typed in "t 5 lamp holder"


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Jayse said:


> Hmm... What size is that light for price you're quoting? Sounds like it might be a better deal than what I found online. Could you tell me the site, if rules forbid it could you PM me. I'll still see if anyone else can chime in with a possible known site for T5 lamp holders that don't need to be bought in bulk or might be relatively cheap.


PM sent...


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## aykutex (Mar 7, 2012)

I think this may have been Odyssea not following IEC standards and trying to create a proprietary lamp for their fixtures. This would slave the owner of the fixture to only using their lamps as replacements.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

aykutex said:


> I think this may have been Odyssea not following IEC standards and trying to create a proprietary lamp for their fixtures. This would slave the owner of the fixture to only using their lamps as replacements.


Agreed...at first I thought they looked like mine so I went in the room to get another look...they are definitely different.


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