Good place to buy Ricordeas

[nonstophoops]

Wow. If you get that premium ricordea package...I dont even know. Ill be expecting a tip or something the next time we hang out.

That is ridiculously expensive. At the very least I will be expecting a couple free ricci's ha.

I will take care of you when I let em grow out a bit. It isn't really expensive actually. Under 8 bucks a polyp compared to the 15 plus everywhere else.

I am going to take down my 75 after I get everything I can into my 210. Don't want 2 systems. Want it all in 1 system if possible.

I have more problems today though besides my dead male flame wrasse.....one of my halides plug ins melted the timer it was on and now won't turn on. I think there was too much power going thru it and now I will have to have that fixed. AHHHHHHHH, what a day!

 

[Heathd]

I will take care of you when I let em grow out a bit. It isn't really expensive actually. Under 8 bucks a polyp compared to the 15 plus everywhere else.

I am going to take down my 75 after I get everything I can into my 210. Don't want 2 systems. Want it all in 1 system if possible.

I have more problems today though besides my dead male flame wrasse.....one of my halides plug ins melted the timer it was on and now won't turn on. I think there was too much power going thru it and now I will have to have that fixed. AHHHHHHHH, what a day!

Pull the ballast box apart and check where the power cord ties into the electronics. Also check for spots int he cords insulation. It could be a very easy fix. Definitely sounds like there was too much current for the timer.

Save yourself some trouble and dont touch any capacitors.

 

[nonstophoops]

Pull the ballast box apart and check where the power cord ties into the electronics. Also check for spots int he cords insulation. It could be a very easy fix. Definitely sounds like there was too much current for the timer.

Save yourself some trouble and dont touch any capacitors.

I will have to look at it. I assume they make timers for higher current applications. Where can I get one economically??

 

[Heathd]

I will have to look at it. I assume they make timers for higher current applications. Where can I get one economically??

Home Depot, Lowes, Ace, maybe even walmart. I think a standard household 110v outlet is rated for 15 amps. You ballast shouldnt be pulling anymore then that, but check the ballast box, it should say what the max is.

 

[nonstophoops]

Home Depot, Lowes, Ace, maybe even walmart. I think a standard household 110v outlet is rated for 15 amps. You ballast shouldnt be pulling anymore then that, but check the ballast box, it should say what the max is.

It says 115 volt and doesn't say anything about amps that I see. It is the less than ideal variety where 3 250 watters are running off one cord. Definitely not the way I would do it, but I got the unit very cheap and it works well when not melting the plug. The plug itself melted down into the plug from one of the prongs(sorry for the very layman's terms, I am not good at all with this stuff.).

The timer I was using was rated for 15 amps and 125 volts(I think?, Vac.?). It also says 1750 watt tungsten on it. It is an outdoor timer with 2 outlets.

 

[Heathd]

It says 115 volt and doesn't say anything about amps that I see. It is the less than ideal variety where 3 250 watters are running off one cord. Definitely not the way I would do it, but I got the unit very cheap and it works well when not melting the plug. The plug itself melted down into the plug from one of the prongs(sorry for the very layman's terms, I am not good at all with this stuff.).

The timer I was using was rated for 15 amps and 125 volts(I think?, Vac.?). It also says 1750 watt tungsten on it. It is an outdoor timer with 2 outlets.

Power=(Current)*(Voltage)
(Power/Voltage)=Current
((3*250W)/115V)=6.52A

So your fixture, in a perfect world, consumes 6.52 amps.

Thats less the 50% of timers rating, and even in the worst of circumstances, I dont think the ballast alone should cause it to over heat like that unless there is a manufacturing issues.

Do you have anything else running off the same outlet, like pumps, heaters, etc?

 

[nonstophoops]

Power=(Current)*(Voltage)
(Power/Voltage)=Current
((3*250W)/115V)=6.52A

So your fixture, in a perfect world, consumes 6.52 amps.

Thats less the 50% of timers rating, and even in the worst of circumstances, I dont think the ballast alone should cause it to over heat like that unless there is a manufacturing issues.

Do you have anything else running off the same outlet, like pumps, heaters, etc?

First off, thank you for your help. You seem very knowledgeable with electrical.

The fixture is plugged into the timer and the timer is plugged into an orange outdoor extension cord. It is the only thing on the circuit. I had to run the extension cord because the other circuits have other stuff like a tv, heaters, pumps, frig, etc.

 

[Heathd]

First off, thank you for your help. You seem very knowledgeable with electrical.

The fixture is plugged into the timer and the timer is plugged into an orange outdoor extension cord. It is the only thing on the circuit. I had to run the extension cord because the other circuits have other stuff like a tv, heaters, pumps, frig, etc.

Extension cords are typically very restrictive. They have an inherent resistance due to the (typical) small gauge wire and the long length the electricity has to travel. They can get really hot, and most extension cords are only rated for light duty use.

You can custom build an extension cord using romex and male/female plug ends from a hardware store, if you must do it this way. Avoiding an extension cord is a best case scenario.

Making your own extension cord is really easy. You have three wires that are typically marked white, black, and green. White and Black are your switched hots (because its AC current), and Green is your ground. A copper wire with no insulation can also be ground.

For the record though, I am pretty amaturish when it comes to electrical. There are a lot of aspects I still havent learned.

 

[nonstophoops]

Extension cords are typically very restrictive. They have an inherent resistance due to the (typical) small gauge wire and the long length the electricity has to travel. They can get really hot, and most extension cords are only rated for light duty use.

You can custom build an extension cord using romex and male/female plug ends from a hardware store, if you must do it this way. Avoiding an extension cord is a best case scenario.

Making your own extension cord is really easy. You have three wires that are typically marked white, black, and green. White and Black are your switched hots (because its AC current), and Green is your ground. A copper wire with no insulation can also be ground.

For the record though, I am pretty amaturish when it comes to electrical. There are a lot of aspects I still havent learned.

I figured that the extension cord was a bad idea, but I don't have any other way to do it. The only place I can put them on a circuit that doesn't have multiple other things on it is that way. Not a whole lot of space in my house. The kitchen is basically on the back side of the tank and the living room on the front side. I have played with the circuits some to try to get everything in a good spot, but haven't found a way to get the lights on their own circuit.

If I were to build my own extension cord(wouldn't be easy for me, ha), how would it be better than a normal extension cord?

Since I have to fix the plug that is attached to the unit anyway, should I just make it all one cord and make it longer??

Your amateur-ness is way more knowledge than I have so I still am glad you are helping out. I think I will most likely have someone knowledgeable help me with this.

 

[Heathd]

I figured that the extension cord was a bad idea, but I don't have any other way to do it. The only place I can put them on a circuit that doesn't have multiple other things on it is that way. Not a whole lot of space in my house. The kitchen is basically on the back side of the tank and the living room on the front side. I have played with the circuits some to try to get everything in a good spot, but haven't found a way to get the lights on their own circuit.

If I were to build my own extension cord(wouldn't be easy for me, ha), how would it be better than a normal extension cord?

Since I have to fix the plug that is attached to the unit anyway, should I just make it all one cord and make it longer??

Your amateur-ness is way more knowledge than I have so I still am glad you are helping out. I think I will most likely have someone knowledgeable help me with this.

Building your own allows you to select what wire gauge to use, which will help a lot.

For example, over a four foot length, I can use eight gauge wire to supply a 600 watt RMS audio amp. But, if the length is eight feet, I need to use 4 gauge wire.

Length and current draw are what determine the gauge wire you need to use to supply a particular device.

So here is a chart, which may not be all inclusive or entirely accurate... http://electrical.about.com/od/wiringcircuitry/a/electwiresizes.htm

Another good general info page:
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...ce-_-Electrical-_-Subcat-_-Wires_Cable-_-Hero


They say that extension cords are rated for 13 amps on the about.com site, which I think is a load of crap. I think 12 gauge is an appropriate choice. Some wire you can buy will not always have the choice of a ground wire, I think spending the extra coins would be a wise choice if you build your own.

But you may be able to find an extension cord built with 12 gauge wire as well, I havent shopped for an extension cord in long time. It will be beefier, and more expensive then the standard 16 gauge extension cord. Also, try to only buy the length you need, the extra length isn't going to necessarily be good here.

And while you could build the extension cord into the ballast box, I wouldnt do it. I dont know if it is a good or a bad idea, which is why I am saying I wouldnt... wish I could be more help there.

Are you running magnetic or electronic ballast?