light ends

[silvershark]

does anyone know where (online preferably) i can get some new ends for the lights in my tank? i like the ones that come with the fluval tank setups but cant seem to find them anywhere

 

[Lateral Line]

Ends? Are we talking two pin fluorescent connectors, some kind of compact fitting, a GLS type fitting, ES or BC. I presume you've looked in whatever DIY shop you have nearby, Wickes, HomeBase, DoItAll etc.

 

[silvershark]

i'm on about the waterproof bits where you fix the pins of the light in.

i live in a very small town that has only one diy shop and they dont sell them, however i found a site that sells them for about £15-£20 with the starter box unit. is this over priced?

 

[The-Wolf]

not over priced at all, that is about std price for ballast, new.
try ebay there are a few on there you should get one for around a fiver.
here is a tip
you can have a 40w balast run a 15w tube but you cant have a 15w balast run a 40w tube. ergo buy the biggest balast you can find, then when you upgrade your tank you already have the correct ballast for longer tubes

 

[Lateral Line]

I'd of thought you'd be able to get a standard fluorescent lamp starter for less then that, UK Aquatics have them for £12 for example.

I'll tell you what I do, but would not advocate it unless you are handy with a soldering iron. I dont use "ends", I use an heavy duty soldering iron to solder the wires to the pins, (you need a lot of heat to get a good connection, but you need to be careful not to let the heat damage the end caps/electrodes). I then smear the job with aquarium sealant. When it is time to change the lamp, I simply cut the wire, strip it and solder it onto the next lamp. When the wire is too short, I replace the wire.