# new loigjt fixture. Catalina t5ho



## rick dale (Feb 26, 2014)

I just received my new Catalina t5 ho light fixture. I have been using an aquatic life t5ho dual lamp fixture. The Catalina 3 bulb fixture doesn't get near AS hot as the aquatic life dual bulb . I am wandering if the Catalina is actually a ho fixture with ho ballasts or regular ones. Do the ho bulbs get warmer than the no bulbs?


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## dalfed (Apr 8, 2012)

Not familiar with the fixture but they advertise a newly designed heat sink. If the bulbs have "HO" on them then they are high output, and if it feels cooler then their heat sink is doing it's job.


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## rick dale (Feb 26, 2014)

The bulbs do not have HO on them. They have CA on them and under that they have TL 54w 6500k. I called the dealer at Catalina and he assured me they are HO , but I don't think they are.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Being the same wattage as your other HO(54w) says the fixture and bulbs are HO to me.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

HO bulbs are all set wattages. Based on 54W they must be 48" HO. Not sure if CA deals in anything else for fl fixtures.


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## rick dale (Feb 26, 2014)

If they were high output wouldn't they say ho on the bulb. All my other ones do. Different brand though.


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## dalfed (Apr 8, 2012)

Go pick up a t5 ho bulb and try it in the fixture, if it lights you know they are t5ho. No waste as you can put it away for 6 months when you need to change the bulbs anyways.


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## rick dale (Feb 26, 2014)

I took a t5ho out of my other fixture and tried it in the new one and it worked. So you are saying that a ho bulb will not work in a no ballast/fixture?


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## dalfed (Apr 8, 2012)

Correct, you can buy ballasts that will run both but they are more expensive and I highly doubt any company would put them in a mass produced fixture.
Was the bulb that you transferred much brighter then the others?


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## rick dale (Feb 26, 2014)

Didn't appear to be.


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## dalfed (Apr 8, 2012)

The other bulbs must be HO. The one HO bulb would be brighter then the other two combined.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

IMO a HO ballast would light a NO bulb(and maybe burn it out quickly),but I don't think a NO ballast could light a HO bulb.
Eitherway no doubt that 54 watts in a 48 inch bulb is HO.


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