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RE: Pet Supply Liquidators Light



I setup my tank last night and didn't have time to post 
the review to my website, so this will have to do for now!

Scott H wrote:

>That's a shame about the edges of the exdtruded aluminum 
>being left sharp when you need to expose to install the 
>legs. Hopefully, they will corrrect this in the future 
>with a fews seconds of rubbing with emory cloth before 
>packaging. 

I agree -- but I think the cut was more due to my 
impatience -- I wanted to get the light installed so fast 
that I wasn't paying attention!

>Enclosing a sheet of instructions ought to be an easy 
>fix, too -- they only have to be written once. 

Yeah -- I told them I didn't receive instructions, but 
they didn't say anything about that...  

>The lights prove that you don't need to spend lots of 
>money for special "end caps" for any kind of flourescent -
>- heck, you could solder the wires on if you wanted. 

Yeah - my 60G hood uses the standard AHS endcaps with no 
problems or corrosion visible. 

>While not a necessity, sockets are handy, so you might 
>check Edwin Gaynor Co. (http://www.egaynor.com/ ) to see 
>if you can pick some up sockets -- or see if AH Supply 
>will see them ala carte -- They will sell most stuff that 
>way although there would be a bit of a sting in the irony 
>in this case. 

I bought endcaps from AHS ala cart -- no problem.  I also 
bought reflectors in the same order.  Since I doubt I will 
need to change the bulbs for 10 months, sockets don't seem 
needed at all.

>Are Miro reflectors included, or is the inside surface of 
>the hood polished to be the reflector? 

It isn't a "Miro reflector" per se -- it is the same 
material though.  It is included, but doesn't have as many 
facets as the Miro's do.  When I post the pics (hopefully 
tonight!) you'll be able to see the reflector.

>Can you tell us anything about the ballast? 

The ballasts (there looks like 1 for each bulb) are inside 
the AL shell.  When I removed the end-piece, I was able to 
see them, and I think they are like regular electronic 
ballasts (though I did see a coil) without the covers on. 
I tried to take a picture, so we'll see when I post it.  
The 1 power cord hooks up to a "switch bank" that allows 
it to cut off power to either of the ballasts so that the 
bulbs can be controlled independently.  

They also have an option for $5 more that would give 2 
cords -- thus allowing a sunrise effect.  ($40 more will 
give you fans too).  The whole unit doesn't get that hot --
 I think the AL allows enough cooling surface to keep 
things cool.  I probably would opt for the fans if I were 
going to use 55W or higher bulbs, and I would use them if 
I wanted to use the acrylic "shield" that comes with the 
unit. (I didn't use it cause it looked pretty flimsy, but 
I might get a piece of tempered glass cut to fit.)

>So far, on the whole, it sounds like this could develop >into competition for AHS, but it doesn't sound to me like >they have it all together yet -- but they've come a long >way from comic books, eh? 
>:-) 

I think the lights are certainly good enough for most 
folks, especially ones that don't want to build a DIY 
hood.  The quality doesn't seem as high as the JBJ lights 
I saw yesterday, but mine was WAY CHEAPER! When the unit 
is on it's legs (like mine) it does send a lot of light 
into the room.  It probably wouldn't if it were sitting 
directly on a cover class.  

As far as having it all together -- they're not bad.  
Customer service is great, and the prices are good.  They 
do need better shipping, and it would be nice to not need 
PayPal to pay via credit card.  I think they cater mainly 
to Ebay sales.  (The prices one their website are 
generally lower than what the auctions go for though).

Now that this tank is mostly planted, I will try to upload 
a review with pics to my website tonight, and will post 
the URL to the APD once done.

-Tony
PS -- Will SAEs try to jump out of this tank if I leave it open?
--