Lifecycle of a Coralife Ballast (?)

[yellow submarine]

Okay I just dropped some serious cash down to light my 48inch tank from coast-to-coast using Coralife lights that looks like this one:



IN TOTAL, I've got: two 24inch (2x65w) all-actinic bulbs scretched along the back of the tank..... then two 20inch (96w) all-10k quad bulbs upfront.

QUESTION.....(SINCE MY WIFE HAS THREATENED MY LIFE IF THESE THINGS DONT LAST ATLEAST 10YEARS):

I know you are to change bulbs out once a year, but how long do the ballasts last in these Coralife lights and how expensive are they to replace?

....just trying to plan for the future and know when to pack my bags for the weekend to sleep in the doghouse...ruff, ruff

[Wiskey]

The balasts should last a few years, frankly they should last the life of the fixture. I have a 65W fixture by coralife that is a good 4 years old now with no problems. I would always replace PC bulbs every 6 months. They can last as long as 9 months, but I don't wait that long.

HTH,
Whiskey

Whiskey

[Twitterbait]

I agree... but when the ballast dies you can always just replace it instead of getting a new fixture. Replace the bulbs every 6 months because they will go redder and lose power over time.

[Loverotties]

I change my bulbs 6 months too!

[skeety]

ditto on the 6 months thing.

After 6 months, the spectrum of light produces shifts from lighting that promotes coral growth to lighting that promotes algal growth.

[VWD]

The fixture will last many years in most cases , But Things can fail once in awhile.

[afbengochea]

do you have to get the same ballast, or can you swap it for a better one?

[Wiskey]

If you are replacing the ballast, you can go with any ballast you want, provided it fits, or you are willing to run it external.

Whiskey