Coral Tank Emergency

[HappyGuppy]

I don't know what to do.  My tank, an "Ai.M Back To Nature" 21g cube tank, fizzled a light last night.  Today I bought a new one at Marine Scape, but it doesn't fit.  Went to Big Als and a girl who works there (Tamara, she was EXTREMELY helpful) helped me to realize that the damn tank I have uses non-standard sized tubes.  They tank 23.5" T8 tubes, not the commonly available 24" inch kinds.  She hunted suppliers, and googled.  I googled too - not much help.  Went to Home Depot looking at various light fixtures and contemplating how to MacGuiver something fast.

How long can corals survive without decent light?  I have mainly softies, but also a few easier LSP.

A new lighting system is extremely expensive, and I am currently debating what the heck to do with that tank.  My hobby budget was saving up for a new tank... and now this is just blowing it.  Trying to think of a cheap & quick stop-gap solution, and later get something more decent.  Also the thought has been crossing my mind whether to make a fire-sale on the corals to get them to better homes until I can get my lights fixed up. 

I am feeling a bit depressed at the moment

[Hookup]

Your good for a few days... I'd say 4-7 in a good healthy system you're fine...  However corals on the edge can go fast from changes in conditions... And of course there is no science to the hobby... So no guarantees..

I'd think your ok for a few days to a week.. If you cannot find a suitable replacement by then... Time for a fire sale

[HappyGuppy]

Thank you Hookup for your encouraging tips & timeline.

I have a clamp on lamp, and a large 40w CFL bulb.  I think in the morning I'll hang it over the tank for some light.

Dan2x3 sent me a great link to a store which I'll be calling to see if they have the tubes in stock.  If they do then I'll buy the bulb and be done with it, but if not then I think I'll get some glass cut and just put a new T8 lamp on top of it.

I am beginning to feel optimism growing again and I think that this tank will be ok in the end.  It may take a few days to get things "fixed", but it is turning out to be a lot huger hassle than I thought it would be; who would have imagined that less than half an inch would be such a big deal.

[SeahorseGuyetGal]

Thank you Hookup for your encouraging tips & timeline.

I have a clamp on lamp, and a large 40w CFL bulb.  I think in the morning I'll hang it over the tank for some light.

Dan2x3 sent me a great link to a store which I'll be calling to see if they have the tubes in stock.  If they do then I'll buy the bulb and be done with it, but if not then I think I'll get some glass cut and just put a new T8 lamp on top of it.

I am beginning to feel optimism growing again and I think that this tank will be ok in the end.  It may take a few days to get things "fixed", but it is turning out to be a lot huger hassle than I thought it would be; who would have imagined that less than half an inch would be such a big deal.

Had a similar problem some time ago with a Current USA fixture.  If you keep the tank, my suggestion is to ditch the fixture and get a 24" fixture with adjustable legs or hanging kit.  LEDs are expensive still but there are some nice T5 fixtures out there and the prices are dropping like rocks b/c a lot of hobbyists are going to the LED option.

Corals alright under the CFL?

[magnosis]

Didn't I see a post in the DIY section about this lately ?  Someone modified a 24" strip to accept 23.5".  Could have been on PlantedTank.net though... I'll search a bit more, as I'm 100% sure I've read about this and someone figured it out :-)


EDIT: oh .. wait.  Just realized you probably want to go the other way: extend your 23.5" to a 24".  Should be a similar mod, though.