# DIY T5HO supplies?



## Jane in Upton (Aug 10, 2005)

Hi folks,

I apologize if this has already been answered (please don't hesitate to send links to other theads!) but I've tried to comb through this DIY forum to find the answers to my questions, but to no avail.

I am looking to do some DIY High Output T5 lights. This is actually re-vamping an old fixture which housed three T8's, with funky spring-loaded endcaps, one of which started to smoke (eeeek!). Yes, they were odd, but it made putting in new lamps very easy, as it was just the slide-and-turn-90-degrees thing, without needing lamp clips. Anyhow, I'm scared to use them, and want to ditch the guts of the fixture now.

I want to strip out the endcaps and wiring, and probably switch out the ballast for a dedicated T5HO ballast (unless you think this isn't necessary), while keeping the reflector/structure.

I recently purchased a secondhand T5HO Catalina fixture (for a smaller tank) and was VERY impressed with the cool endcaps they use - it slips over the two prongs of the lamp itself, and then the plugged-in lamp is clipped into place. There is a little play in the wires of the endcaps, which allows for a bit of wiggle room to get them onto the lamps (bulbs) and then clip them in. The metal contact prongs are completely in the socket/endcap thing, so protected from moisture. Its a little similar to kitchen appliance power cords. WHERE can I get some of these? 

Hubby is really good with all things electrical (even though the whole-house speaker system still hasn't gotten past the holes-in-the wall-stage in the kitchen, hrmph!) and he is often called upon to help friends run wiring through their houses, etc, and he will help me to re-do this fixture, but I have to source the parts, and get some good DIY guidance for the project.

So where do you guys like to shop for these parts? And I know the pin width of T5's is different than T8's, but (potentially doofus question) are the T5HO lamp pins of a different gauge than, say, the T5 Normal Output ones? Will I have to find T5HO specific parts?

THANK you very much for your assistance!
-Jane


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## ROZDAB (Oct 15, 2011)

Indoor/hydroponic garden stores will have anything you need in terms of lighting and different parts for them. I live in Chicago and there are tons of places locally. I know you can find em online too. Hopefully this helps get you started somewhere.


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## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

you could get a ice cap, or work horse ballast. they can do t4,t5,t6,t8,t10, and t12. i'm about to do a t5 4 bulb over my 40g cube i'll do a write up on it. got to see if my neighbor can help since he is a electrician.


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## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

try this the sell convertion kits, where you can use a t5 and plug it in to there end caps, then plug there in caps in to a t8/t10/t12 end cap. and all the good stuff you want to do.

http://www.kojininc.com/Products.aspx


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## Tomoko Schum (Apr 7, 2005)

I used Hellolights.com for DIY parts in the past as well as Amazon.com. Amazingly, Amazon beats other places frequently on prices and services.

Try this page for DIY parts:
http://www.hellolights.com/t5fluorescentdiyparts.aspx

You should also check their retrofit system page as well:

http://www.hellolights.com/t5-retrofitkits.aspx

It's often cheaper and easier to assemble an electrical fixture when you buy parts together. You can use the information on one site to check how much Amazon charges for the same thing.

Tomoko


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## Newt (Apr 1, 2004)

Natural Lighting in most cases but recently found Amazon had some items cheaper such as Fulham ballasts. Reef Geek and AquaCave are others I've used.


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## DaTrueDave (Dec 28, 2003)

http://ahsupply.com/ sponsors a lot of aquatic plant events and has some great retrofit kits. If you only need certain parts, I bet you could give them a call and they would give you a quote.

I purchased their 54watt kit that has endcaps and clips that are like the ones described in the OP.


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## kimcadmus (Nov 23, 2008)

Not sure of the size of your tank/fixture but if it is 48" long or less you might look into the Hagen GLO T5 HO kits. There is one model that will drive 2 @54w, and one for [email protected] or [email protected] The come wired with power cord, ballast w/ switch, 4 endcaps pre wired, and clips. The ballast is a bit large but is designed to be mounted remotely in cabinet or other location rather than the fixture. I have had several of these for 2 years and have been very happy at <$50 per set. They can be found at many of the online aqua shops as well as on amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Electronic-Ballast-Fluorescent-Bulbs-Fits/dp/B0002AQLQA


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