# [Wet Thumb Forum]-AHS lights for keen Australians



## imported_Brett (Jul 23, 2003)

Hi Guys,

I'm seriously considering getting some lights sent out to Australia from ahsupply.com after reading how everyone here recommends them so much. It is VERY hard to find any equivalent lights here, I can only find 1 example after 12 months (on/off) looking and can only get Catalina 50/50 globes which no-one seems to be very happy with.

And strangely enough even with the shipping costs the AHS lights are around the same price as the local ones (let's not even start with the price of substrate: Seachem Onyx Active Sand 21 kg ( = AUD$210 (USD$150))

Anyway, back to my point, I have a 36" tank ~35G (36"x14"18"), I currently have 2 x 30W standard flourescents and the plant growth is ok'ish. I am considering the 2 x 55W AHS kit as this seems to be the standard recommendation for this size tank.

Given that these globes are only 24" long will this give me "dark zones" on the ends of the tank? The other option I am considering is the 2 x 36W end-to-end kit with the 34.5" reflector to overcome the "dark zone" ends, although I think that I might be disappointed in the long run that I didn't get more light.

What are your thought?


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

i think you should get the 1x96 watt kit (the beast)







i am running it on my 36" long 30 gallon tank, and it works well. i see no problem running it over a 35 gallon tank.


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## imported_azfish1 (May 21, 2005)

Ever consider overdriving the 30 watt bulbs? I dont know what prices are like there at all but in the states you can get an electronic ballast from a hardware store and overdrive your current stuff. There are lots of articles on the web on the subject.


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

azfish, i don't think that would be enough lighting. even id you did get it overdriven to 100 watts, it would not have the penetration power of cf lighting.

but, if brett wanted to try it, i would not tell it was impossible.


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## imported_Brett (Jul 23, 2003)

You could be onto something there Russell, I didn't even look at the 96W kit. That looks like exactly what I was after









azfish1: I have looking into overdriving etc but the electronic ballasts required are pretty expensive in Australia. Given what it would cost me to overdrive I don't think that the result would be worth the expense, when there is something as nice as the AHS kits available. Besides I like shiny things, and an overdriven old crappy fixture just doesn't do it for me









Thanks guys, 1 x 96W for me!


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## tinman (May 11, 2004)

Hey Brett, I'm from Australia too. What are you going to do about the voltage difference?


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## imported_Brett (Jul 23, 2003)

Hi Tinman, they have international kits available:

A H Supply offers an international version of the following Bright Kits that will accept any input voltage between 210V AC and 250V AC at 50-60Hz

none of that crazy American voltage crap


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

lol


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## jastormont (Apr 13, 2005)

Brett I am from Australia too and looking at getting a 3x of the kitt that is 2x55watt for my 6 Foot tank.

Do you know how much it will cost to send them to Australia?
And the bulbs we get here in Australia will they be all right to use in there kits?


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## imported_Brett (Jul 23, 2003)

I just ordered mine (1 x 96W) and it was US$44 for the shipping. I ordered a couple of globes with the kit, as I haven't been able to find any decent globes here. All up for the kit including 2 globes (1 spare globe just in case) and shipping comes to around AUD$250 - depending on the current exchange rate.

The only comparable lights that I could find in Australia are at http://www.aquaria.com.au/catalog/product_info.php/cPat...315/products_id/7249 (4 x 36W) which is AUD$245 and that price doesn't include globes which are $28 each (the only globes that they have available are the Catalina 50/50 ones which I have heard some bad reports about)

If you follow the instructions on the ahsupply.com website http://ahsupply.com/inter.htm you can calculate the exact shiiping costs for any of their kits.

NOTE: the guys at the above website (aquaria.com.au) are great to deal with, I order a lot of stuff from them, plants included, they have a good range. Orders over $60 include free shipping, so you can order online and the goods / plants arrive at your door a couple of days later.


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## tinman (May 11, 2004)

Good luck with it.
Do you need an adapter for the plug?
Keep us updated on how it goes.


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## imported_Brett (Jul 23, 2003)

Tinman: I don't plan on using the power lead or plug that comes with it (as it's the American plug) The lead is seperate, plug on one end, three loose wires on the other end to attached to the ballast (well 2 to the ballast and one earth), so I'm just going to get a 2 meter extension cord from Kmart ($4) and cut the female end off and use that as the lead.

Got an email from Kim yesterday saying that the kit was on it's way







I'll take some before and after pics of the tank so that you can see the results.


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## tinman (May 11, 2004)

Sweeeet


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## jastormont (Apr 13, 2005)

Tinman and Brett do you guys know where you can buy ORSAM Light Ballist online in Australia?

I just bought 2 T5 light fittings that are ar present only 3x21 watt each but I can get a better ballist that will allow me to HO them to 39watts x 3.


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## tinman (May 11, 2004)

Hey jastermont, i think this is what you are looking for:
http://www.reefculture.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?...3fb39480d778c6b48db3

Are they normal output T5s?
Where did you get them and for how much?


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## imported_Brett (Jul 23, 2003)

I bought my lights from the states 'cause it was easier than trying to find anything here.


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## davo (Jun 11, 2004)

Gday Brett,

I bought 6 x AH Supply reflectors for my 4x2x2 planted discus tank. They are unreal. The service from Kim was first class and he even threw in a free 6700k tube.

I bought the rest of the set-up over here. The only problem was that you cannot get decent CF tubes over here. The only ones that I could get were Osram 55w 5000k tubes and I have not been impressed by them. My plant growth has diminished since switching to the CF.

I am about to order 3 x GE 9325k tubes and 3 x 6500k tubes from a supplier called http://www.1000bulbs.com in the US. Both tubes are highly rated and the price is $24.50 (US$18.95) each. The shipping is $55 (US$42).

Dave.


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## tinman (May 11, 2004)

I think the price is pretty decent but finding a local source for the lamps is the hard part. Calculating the price per lamp and shipping costs, in Australia, metal halides sounds like a better option. I think T5s might catch on better here then PCs though. But the prices I've seen, so far, are pretty high.


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## davo (Jun 11, 2004)

tinman,

I would love to have MH but the only problem is that you have to have a huge hood or suspend the lights from the ceiling over an open tank.

Also when you look at the price of top end 40w planted tank fluoros in Australia you pay around $55 each. 

Dave.


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## tinman (May 11, 2004)

True that, regarding the MH. 
However, with fluoros, a $10 NEC triphosphors tube will do just as good a job at growing plants as a $55 "specialised" tube. So I don't think it's really fair to compare prices of the top end fluoros with the prices of MH and PC bulbs.


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## imported_Brett (Jul 23, 2003)

> Originally posted by Dave.:
> Gday Brett,
> 
> I bought 6 x AH Supply reflectors for my 4x2x2 planted discus tank. They are unreal. The service from Kim was first class and he even threw in a free 6700k tube.
> ...


Dave, I've read good things about the GE 9325k tubes, if you do end up getting them let us know how they go. I ordered my tubes from AHS with the light kit.

Just out of interest you can get the Dupla 55W tubes ($37) here in Aust (although they would work out to be roughly what you'd be paying for the tubes from the US)
http://www.aquaria.com.au/catalog/product_info.php/cPat...315/products_id/5771


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## jastormont (Apr 13, 2005)

Yea that is them cheers.

I got them from a Pet shop here in Brisbane called Pet City. I think there web site is http://www.petcity.net.au

I bought the standard T5 light fitting in a 3 foot for $99.95 and that comes with 3x21 watt 10000K bulbs. But they can arrange for them to have the new ballists installed and sell the T5 39watt light tubes for $23.95 for a 3 foot tube.

I can get the ballists from them a lot cheapper then that but was hopping to find them even cheaper. They where selling the 2x55 watt (I think this was it) for the 4 foot version for $64.00. And the 3 foot what I am after I think was about $50.00.


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## awrieger (May 20, 2005)

> The only comparable lights that I could find in Australia are at http://www.aquaria.com.au/catalog/product_info.php/cPat...315/products_id/7249 (4 x 36W) which is AUD$245 and that price doesn't include globes which are $28 each (the only globes that they have available are the Catalina 50/50 ones which I have heard some bad reports about)


Hi Brett. I actually have a couple of those Aqua Life fixtures. They look pretty sleek on top of the tank. I actually got them from my lfs who've just begun stocking them the last month or two. But they're really designed for sale as marine tank lights I think as the total wattage they come with is pretty high.

The 3' fixture with 4x36w tubes was giving me over 4 watts/gal, and similarly the 2' version with 2x55w tubes was giving an even higher 4.6 watts/gal. Very bright to look at too!

So I switched the ballasts last week. I put the 2x55w tubes into the 3' fixture (one in each row so they slightly overlap in the centre) and it's a much more ideal 3.14 watts/gal. Ditto 2 of the 36w tubes went into the 2' fixture (again overlapping in the middle) and I now have a pefect 3 watts/gal on that tank.

But now I also have 2x36w tubes and ballast left over, which I suppose I never eally needed or wanted in the first place. But I've since found out the guy who makes them can actually do what I just did as a special order as it's pretty simple to do (I'm no electrician!).

These fixtures have the square reflector 








as opposed to the AH Supplies curved reflector 








so I guess even at the same wattage they aren't as efficient at delivering the light.

Also despite having their range of tubes actually illustrated on the tube pack itself showing an all-pink plant tube, the only Catalina 'plant tube' they sell here are just straight 6500/10000K splits which to me look very cold and bluish/greenish.

So I'd love to get some of those warmer GE 9325Ks everyone's raving about. I did find them here on Light Bulbs Direct, but their sales dept hasn't responded to any of my three emails to them asking about shipping to Aust, so f*** them.

So, Dave, I just tried the 1000bulbs.com site you linked to, but I can't find them listed anywhere on their site. Do you have a direct link to the specific product page?

Thanks!


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## davo (Jun 11, 2004)

Awrieger,

Send an email to [email protected] and he will help you out, his service is first class. If you do do buisness with him can you tell him that I am about to order the 3 x 9325k and 3 x 6500k bulbs from him.

Regards,
Dave.


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## awrieger (May 20, 2005)

Thanks Dave. I'll email Tim right now!


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## imported_Brett (Jul 23, 2003)

Well the light arrived yesterday and I was anxious to try it out. I'm building a new hood but it's not ready yet so I wired everything up and just sat the tube on top of two pencils which sat on the cover glass. The I sat the reflector over the tube to see how things looked. The reflector did touch the glass on both sides so the tube was fairly enclosed (only the ends where open)

The light is amazing, I love the colour it puts out, and ALL of the plants started pearling like crazy within 30 mins and I'm a happy chappy









I decided to leave it the way it was until I finished my hood. Anyway, I got home from work today and sat on the lounge and admired the tank across the room. 5 mins later I hear a strange noise and one of the cover glasses cracks in half and drops into the tank.


















For a moment there I had a vision of the whole light fitting going into the tank, but there's a cross brace and the other cover glass was in place, so everything stayed up.

When I grabbed the tube off it was pretty hot but would it be hot enough to crack the glass? The glass is 6 years old and has been bashed around a bit.

What do you think, too hot or coincidence?


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## Hawkeye (Aug 20, 2004)

I've had glass turn a foggy white from heat but never had one crack. I believe heat from CF could build up and crack glass. Cheap tops that come with aquarium kits are just 1/8" and may not be tempered glass. The thicker 1/4" glass tops are made to withstand more heat and are tempered glass. You have the hinge and handle from your broken top. Go to a glass shop and get a tempered glass cut to replace it. I don't use tops any more. IT got to be a big pain cleaning them all the time plus the taking on and off was the real pain.

Hawk


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

ok, i'll admit it, i have broken 2 glass tops with my ahs kit. the glass is 36"x12", so it's a large unstable piece to begin with.

first one to break was regular 1/8 inch window glass.

second i added 1/4" plexyglass, but it melted and bowed within 3 weeks.

thirdly i added double pane window glass and broke it.

i finally got some spacers to put between the hood and the light, and havn't broken any glass since.

moral of the story is.....AHS lights are AWESOME!!!!


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## tinman (May 11, 2004)

Post some tank pics dude!


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## imported_Brett (Jul 23, 2003)

> Originally posted by tinman:
> Post some tank pics dude!


Oh, I couldn't.... well if you insist









I've posted some pics and a video over in the aquascape area


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## Hawkeye (Aug 20, 2004)

You have to use temper glass to with stand heat. Glass comes in all kinds of specs. Window glass is not a tempered glass. Window glass will fog over too. 

Hawk


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## imported_Brett (Jul 23, 2003)

Thanks Guys, I'm off to find some tempered glass on the weekend then.


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## awrieger (May 20, 2005)

> I am about to order 3 x GE 9325k tubes and 3 x 6500k tubes from a supplier called http://www.1000bulbs.com in the US. Both tubes are highly rated and the price is $24.50 (US$18.95) each. The shipping is $55 (US$42).
> 
> Dave.


I just received my quote from him - US$35.85 each and shipping for 6 tubes (like yourself) at US$165.62 by UPS.

That's twice as much for each tube, and four times as much for the same shipping of 6 tubes to the same destination as he quoted you.

What's his game then?

I wrote him back and asked him if he had perhaps made an error with the prices he quoted me.


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## awrieger (May 20, 2005)

Well, just got a reply from him saying the price and shipping is actually the same as yours, Dave. No explanation whatsoever though as to why he quoted me so much higher in the first place.

I dunno... it doesn't really sound like someone I want to be doing business with, thinking they could take advantage of me like that, but I can't find anywhere else to buy them who ship to Australia.


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