Lenght of VHO bulbs

[hondo]

I am doing a DIY VHO lighting project in a 135g 72" long tank. What is the actual lenght of the 36" VHO bulbs. Are they 36" and then you need room for the end caps or are they shorter and measure 36" when the end caps are in place. I would like to go with 4 X 36" 95w VHO bulbs as apposed to 2 X 72" 160w bulbs so I get all the lighting power I can get. this tank will also have 3 X 250w MH bulbs.

 

[krusk]

I would go with 2x72" VHO bulbs just because of the bulbs cost. EndCap/Sockets costs
$$$ 4x36" > $$$ 2x72"
You also get more space

 

[lettheirberock]

another option would be to go with 4- 48in. bulbs at 110 watts each. 60 watts more than 4-36's and 120 watts more than 2-72in. bulbs.

 

[hondo]

thanks for the advice but I still need to know what the length of a 36" VHO bulb actually is. does anybody out there currently run 36" VHO bulbs.

 

[jester]

I can tell you that a 48' VHO is 47 1/8" without the prong contacts. With them it is 48". Hope this helps.

 

[shadow678]

With the endcaps in place, it will make them nearly exactly 36" The length of the bulbs is determined by the space they will occupy while in use using regular endcaps.