ARO Ballast For VHO Lights?

tmoney

tmoney

Member
Hey Guys,
I made the mistake of ordering a product BEFORE asking if anyone knew of it. We just got the same one for my buddy, hooked everything up and it seems great, now all he needs to do is start cycling his 90.

Anyway, has anyone ever heard/own of the ARO 220 Watt VHO solid state electronic ballasts? I just ordered a DIY retro kit with 2x 220W ARO VHO ballasts to power my 4x URI 46.5" 110W VHO bulbs.
I went to a saltwater fish store today and they said these are not very good in giving the bulb full power but compared to theirs, (they had them hooked up to the IceCap 440?) the brightness was the same so I don't know if MY ballast would really be that bad or not..
Any ideas?
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
The ARO is fine. I prefer the IceCap myself but if you already have the ARO you might as well keep it.
 
tmoney

tmoney

Member
Alright, thanks for the comment, this made my night.

One more thing- The canopy my buddy and I built is pretty darn high, the bulbs are 15" above the water. We fired them up over his 55G tank and it wasn't too bright at all. Is this because the bulbs are way too high up or what?
The canopy itself is open in the back, and there is alot of light coming out the back. Would it help to close the back off with plywood or whatever? Also, since the URI bulbs come with a built-in reflector, would it benefit to add an extra reflector on the inside of the canopy?
 
salty cheese

salty cheese

Active Member
You can add a cross member to the canopy and lower the lights. IMO I would leave the canopy open in the back to promote oxygen exchange. Some people add reflectors and/or paint the inside of the canopy white. :happyfish
 
tmoney

tmoney

Member
This might a dumb question but what's a cross member? The canopy is painted white on the inside sicne we thought it would help reflect light better.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
When I use VHO I place the bulbs close to the water, 2 - 3" away. They are very easy to wipe down once a week with a rag soaked in vinegar.
An additional reflector will help a bit. It will help direct the light down so it doesn't just reflect off the water surface.
 
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