When do I know if bulb is bad?

[moganman]

Got another tank last night and the light isn't working. Wanted to know of there's an indicator on the actual bulb to know of the bulb is out? I know regular lights rattle when you shake them but I hear nothing with this one. Wanna go to LFS to buy another bulb but don't wanna waste my money is its the light fixture instead of the bulb. Thanks

[CRUSHER]

take it to an LFS and ask them if you could test it

[moganman]

Thanks

[Totenkampf]

yeah i would take it to a LFS. if its fluorescent and the glass around the endcaps is really black then its prolly done

[mnemenoi]

Yeah, without knowing it can be difficult to troubleshoot bulbs or ballasts. If you had another fixture you could swap or even a household fixture with the same length if it was T8 or T12. In T8 or T12 there is a small fuse that does occasionally go out and easily replaced on some fixtures, not sure what type of fixture you have. Any additional info would help in troubleshooting...

[moganman]

Light is good. Guess its the ballast, but I have no clue where to get them. This isn't a fancy light so I might just have to buy another

[eklikewhoa]

got a picture of the light fixture?

[eklikewhoa]

or more info on it?

[moganman]

30" Fluorescent aquarium reflector

[eklikewhoa]

the basic light that comes with the tank? Does it have the small starter(cylinder) deal underneath?

[moganman]

Yeah it's the basic light. Doesn't have a starter. I'm gonna try to post pictures soon. Plan on posting some of my demasoni tank

[mnemenoi]

I'll need a photo or a type of bulb you are working with. It could be quite a few different things depending on what you have. Most T8 & T12 bulbs do not have a ballast per se', but your connections or wiring could be corroded. PC & T5 have ballasts and you can find an equivilant one at Home Depot, Lowes, or a lighting supply store for very little (think my last ran me $15 on a PC sealed unit). If it is a T8 I'd suggest unplugging it and removing it from the hood itself and inspecting all the wire connections. If they look good see if you can inspect the connections (where they touch the 2 prongs of the bulb itself) and if they are corroded a long pair of scissors opened can clean the copper to allow a better connection. You can rewire the drop connections with new ones, any hardware store will carry them. If you had a multimeter having it plugged in and verifying voltage on your connections and wires will dramatically help in troubleshooting your break in electrical flow.

[moganman]

Well I have another light I can use but I bought a tank last night, just put water in it and it's leaking bad. Can't get in touch with the guy now.

[Ca Nguyen]

i just use the bulb until it burn out. i don't notice anything dying off or doing worse.

i used to measure the color output every few weeks though. if you're into photography back in the film day, you probably own a light meter anyways.

[eklikewhoa]

Well I have another light I can use but I bought a tank last night, just put water in it and it's leaking bad. Can't get in touch with the guy now.

Yeah, a non working light is probably the least of your worries now.