Ready for new lighting, please help!

[lu]

I am ready to get a new lighting system for my tank and have decided on VHO. Right now I have 3, 36" single tube NO strip lights and running 2 50-50 actinic and one marine blue tube. I have a 125 gallon tank and want to have some of the more brilliant corals ( have easy keepers right now). I'm not sure this matters but I have about 75 #'s lr and a dsb. This is such a confusing issue to me so any help you could give would be greatly appreciated....thanks!

 

[lu]

Also, do I need to ditch the single strip light thing and get new ones? Doubles? Do I go retrofit?? Geez, so confusing!!

 

[wamp]

If you want VHO you will have to go retrofit. To my knowledge they do not make a vho striplight..

 

[lu]

Retrofit....does that include it's own fixture to put it in?? I don't have a hood.
Ok, if I bought a retrofit, could I just take it out of the box, set it on top of my glass on my tank and plug it in? Am I the only one who feels totally ignorent about lights? LOL

 

[old hermit]

i had trouble too and the stupid lights still dont work right. if you get retro fit you will need to wire it yourself. you will need a canopy build or buy one what ever you choose. try to get one 4 inches off the water. the retro fit will come with a ballast (ice cap seems to be the best) you will want the 660 model for the lights you will need with that big of a tank. it comes with the wires, end caps (make sure there water proof), and bulbs. the arcylic rack is sold separatly. you may want some stand offs they will help alot. you may want to get a reflector for them but uri vho tubes come with a built in reflector. i just used a little foil for a reflector didnt feel like spending any more money. check this out to get some ideas on what you want <a href="http://www.championlighting.com/cgi-bin/catalog.cgi?page=Products/Lighting/vho.html&cart_id=6069866.31390" target="_blank">http://www.championlighting.com/cgi-bin/catalog.cgi?page=Products/Lighting/vho.html&cart_id=6069866.31390</a> hth

 

[wamp]

You can get retrofit lights already wired. You just have to screw the endcaps to something. You can build your own canopy or buy one from your LFS and install the lights in there.
What size tank is it? Is it a bow?