lenght of vho bulbs for 48inch tank?

[bbreaux1]

im about to order a retro for my 55 that is 48inches long is it better to order the 46.5 inch bulbs that will fit with endcaps inside the canopy or go with 48inch bulbs that with endcaps is 48 5/8 and make the canopy alittle wider. also i havent made my canopy as of yet. do i need any spacing behind the light reflctor and the top of the canopy?

 

[reaper10]

as a DIY'er you work with with what you have or what you can buy cheaply, I use 2 Fulham Workhorse 7 ballasts (bought a pair for under $70.00) with 2 36" VHO URI daylight lamps and 2 URI 36" VHO actinics lamps.
The reason for using the 36" lamps is the WorkHorse 7 ballasts can only power 220 watts not enough wattage for 2 48" VHO's unless you would like to underdrive them, the good side of this is the lamps will last longer
Reaper10

 

[temple2101]

I use the workhorse 7 ballasts on 4 46.5" URI bulbs, each 110W. I would go with the 46.5". Same wattage as the 48", and you don't have to mess with making the canopy stick out a little further. HTH

 

[bbreaux1]

ok thanks how about spacing from water to bulb? and if light is past about say 5 inches off water do i still need to put some sort of spalsh shield

 

[temple2101]

will you ever go metal halide? If so, you may want to account for that in your canopy size, height wise. MH needs a good 10" or more off the water surface so that it doesn't affect the tank temperature as much. Otherwise, I run my VHO's about 8" off the water. I would go closer than that if I were you, maybe 4 - 6". You wouldn't need a splash guard, just make sure your endcaps and connections are waterproof. The bulbs can be wiped down if they get water on them. If you would like pics, or more info on the canopy I built for my 55, email me at joe@xtremepcservices.com ... Good luck!

 

[tarhull87]

I was thinking about buying the Workhorse 7's. My tank is 75 gallons and I want to be able to keep shrooms, polyps, and anemones. What bulbs do I need If I get 2 workhorse 7's and what else to I need to buy besides the "Workhorse 7" ballast.