my adventures with odno

[Oqsy]

hello everyone...

i apologize for the lengthy post, and i promise subsequent posts will be very concise...

this is my first post to a forum on this website, and i'm happy to say that i'm writing a response / compliment to the advice found in this particular section as well as others on this site. i have a planted 10 that is getting a bit overpopulated so i decided it was time i converted my 29 into a planted tank. (had been housing comets and white clouds that are now outside for the summer). i knew that the standard 24" t8 bulb that came with it wouldn't cut it for my current plant species, so i was facing buying a new fixture, bulbs, etc... do a pc retrofit, or cook up something else. the article and posts about odno lighting, as well as this site filled me in on a technique i'd never imagined. i'm very happy to report that i purchased a 4 lamp sylvania electronic ballast from home depot for around $25 and began work on my first odno fixture. once i got home with my new ballast, endcaps, and 2nd 24" t8 bulb, i began dismantling my factory AGA striplight. after studying the diagrams and reading all the articles and forum suggestions carefully a few times, i pieced my moster together a bit at a time. i opted to remove the white plastic reflector and just keep the original black shell for the strip. i removed the starter and wired in the new endcaps and ballast as described for a 2 - 2x OD setup with a 4 lamp ballast. i work at a hospital and was given some mylar with plastic bubble wrap sandwiched inside (used for insulating medications being shipped that have to stay cold). i used this as a crude reflector, basically attaching it on top everything inside the fixture other than the bulbs and endcaps. i drilled a few new holes to facilitate ventilation as well as places to attach the endcaps, ballast, etc. the ballast had to be attached to the back on the outside of the strip due to lack of space inside. once i finally powered it up (after several dismantlings to tweak something here or there) i ended up with a relatively clean looking, cheap, and effective lighting alternative for my setup. i was shocked at the difference in the intensity of the colors in the tank with the new rig. it looks 10x brighter than the NO setup that preceded it. thanks to everyone on this site for all the info and great questions/answers on this and pretty much every other topic.

i'm curious, does anyone have any idea how many lux/lumens i would have in this unit now? 2 - 24" T8s overdriven at 2x. should it be sufficient for sunset hygro and a red rubin sword in a standard 29 (other plants are all medium light)? I will be doubling my diy co2 setup from a single 2 liter bottle to at least 2 to keep up with the upsize in conditions

thanks again,

Oqsy

[John P.]

Thanks for the link in your post. I hadn't seen that page yet, and it should be helpful.

[GulfCoastAquarian]

Every bulb is different, so find out what the standard lux output of the bulb is and increase it by 50% to get an idea of how much they are not producing at 2x ODNO. For Hygro and Swords, I think you've got just enough light with this setup on that 29g.

Oh, and welcome to plantedtank dot net!

[Oqsy]

Originally Posted by GulfCoastAquarian

how much they are not producing at 2x ODNO.

i'm not quite sure how this sentence is intended, but i'm taking it you're saying that although they're wired for 2x, they're really only producing 1.5x due to the losses inherent in overdriving NO tubes... right?

Originally Posted by GulfCoastAquarian

Oh, and welcome to plantedtank dot net!

Thanks! Your posts on ODNO were the reason I decided to try it in the first place. Very informative and enjoyable. I do have one question regarding wiring that has popped up since I put the fixture together... I've read some places that wiring 2 blues to one bulb and 2 reds to the other is the same as one of each to each bulb, and I've read the opposite. I'm pretty sure I put one of each color to each bulb on the "HOT" side and put a yellow return on each cap on the opposite side of the tubes. Is there indeed a difference in performance with the wiring option one chooses when using the 4 bulb ballast with 2-24" tubes?

Thanks again!

Oqsy

P.S. Male blue and female gold ramirezi spawned in the 29 today! My first ram spawning (pH 6.6, very soft water, peat filtering, nitrates ~ 5, temp 82F.)
I'm so proud... this tank is really working out great.

[ninoboy]

Oqsy,

Did you overdrive each bulb one by one or connect them in series? I may be wrong but I tried wiring one by one (bulbs shorter than 48") and the output increment was not really noticeable. But when I overdrive them in series, I could tell easily. Even the fixture gets a lot hotter.

Maybe GF can clear it up but I think it's something like OD 2x = 1.5x output increment and 4x = 2.7x increment.

[fishyboy]

Owsy, do you have a goldfish 55 gallon? I reconize your name and wondered how your goldy's are doing...

[Oqsy]

fishyboy: yes, that's me. my 55 is now a mbuna tank, as i kept having problems with my goldfish. i now have 5 comets and some white clouds that summer outside in a pond and will probably get tupperware tubs for wintering... or a pond heater. still havent decided.

back to odno...

nino: that's exactly what i was getting at with my question i think... i'm not entirely sure what is "in series" or "parallel" with this wiring. is it the colors or is there yet another variable that i'm missing? this stuff is confusing.

rams have eaten their eggs... they're still guarding they're nest, so i'm expecting another spawn in the next few weeks.

Oqsy

[ninoboy]

Oqsy,

That's what I thought your question was but it wasn't clear and didn't want to insult you. If you look at the diagram in ODNO article, the second one is 2 bulbs connected in series and overdriven 4x. The bulbs don't have to be placed one after another. They can be placed side by side as long as connected in series. This method, you don't overdrive the bulb one by one. Instead, you splice the 2 blues and reds all together and connect it to one side and the yellow to the other side. Imagine like you're overdriving a very long bulb 4x. Some how this way gives more obvious result than doing it one by one for bulbs less than 48".

I'm not that good in explaining, maybe gulf can further explain it in more detail.

[Oqsy]

GCA, I just sent you an email with an image attached to clarify the wiring of each socket. If I knew how I would post it here for all to see. Does the image have to have a URL to post it? no way it can be uploaded to the site and saved?

Oqsy

[GulfCoastAquarian]

Here's the image with the correct wiring.

[Oqsy]

thanks so much! i'll give that a shot

Oqsy

[ninoboy]

Aaah, GCA, that's much clearer. You should have included that in the ODNO article and saved me time from experimenting

[GulfCoastAquarian]

We'll see what we can do about adding a new diagram to the ODNO article since quite a few people have asked for clarification on endcap wiring.

[Oqsy]

GCA: should i be able to tell a big difference between that and the way i had it wired (according to the original diagram i sent you) ? I now have it wired like the diagram, and while it is quite bright, i don't feel that it's too much, if any brighter than the 2 or 3 other ways I've tried so far. the bulbs and ballast also don't seem to be getting any hotter than the previous wirings... (still much hotter than NO).

Oqsy

[GulfCoastAquarian]

I don't know if it will be brighter, but it will be a lot safer. Just stick with the diagram.