VHO baslast/kit choices...

rob1116

rob1116

Member
I will (eventually) be setting up a 72gal bowfront reef system.
Any opinions on lighting options would be greatly appreciated!
I'll be going with a VHO setup for sure. 4 bulbs, and I'd like to be able to operate them seperately, or at least 2 at a time. Do any ballasts offer this feature, or do I have to go with 2, two bulb ballasts instead of 1, 4bulb?
Questions:
Does the Coralife 48" VHO ballast kit allow you operate bulbs seperately? It's so damned expensive!
I've heard great things about Icecap ballasts... but I can't find a pre-wired kit. Do they make one? If not, how hard is it to wire end caps? Does the 660 allow you to operate the bulbs seperately?
Any other options, (VHO only) I should consider? Thanks in advance for your help guys/gals!
-Rob
 
jjgomillion

jjgomillion

Member
I am setting up at 75g right as we speak, came on to ask a question. Anyways, I went to Home Depot and bout 2 48' ballasts for 14.00 a peice. All you have to do is get a cord witha plug in 5.00 and connect the black to the black and white to the white of the cord and ballast. then connect the gren to the little screw on the ballast. the guy there told me how to do it. I am going to do it this afternoon hopefully.
 
shanev

shanev

Member
I love my IceCap. Its worth the money IMO.
If your looking to control 2 sets of 2 bulbs you will need 2 seperate ballasts. If you go this route you could use the 430 instead of the 660.
It is very easy to wire up and the have GREAT tech supporrt if you have any problems. Also with Icecap they seem to take safety REALLY seriously, and protect us from ourselves great.
IMO With the electronic ballast, the light output, lighting options, and bulb life will pay for itself overtime.
 
rob1116

rob1116

Member
Yeah, I'm sure they're just standard output ballasts... thanks anyway jjgomillion.
Thanks Shane.... are you sure noone makes a 4bulb VHO ballast that lets you control one or two bulbs seperately? It's just the price that sucks. I can get a 660 that will run my 4X48" VHOs for $250. The 430 is only $20 cheaper, and I'd have to buy two... bring the total to $460 for the same wattage :-(
Anyone know of any other ballast options? If not a 4bulb that allows independant control, then a cheaper 2bulb ballast?
Thanks again everyone!
 
shanev

shanev

Member
THats actually 2 ballasts in one box.(Notice the 2 plugs). Another option that are popular are the workhorse 5 and workhorse 7 by fulham. They are ALOT cheasper than the Icecap, and Ive heard a lot of good things about them.
As far as the J & L aquatics Ive never heard of them so I cant say one way or the other.
 
shanev

shanev

Member
Upon further searching those are PFO H4 Electronic Ballast
ballast they are using. Not a bad choice.
 
rob1116

rob1116

Member
Hmm... in that case, it looks like that's my best option thus far... especially considering that the LFS wants $499 for the Coralife 4bulb VHO kit that doesn't let you control them independently. The only difference is I don't think this kit is pre-wired. Is it really that hard to wire endcaps?
Not to go off topic here... but any thoughts on bulb selection? Links to good reading on lighting would be appreciated.
 
murray bmf

murray bmf

Member
I got a "Hello Lights" VHO 4-bulb 48" 440 watt set-up and it worked out very well. Basically ready to go right out of the box. Pre wired and came with a reflector for a reasonable price.
 
rob1116

rob1116

Member
Thanks for your input Murray. I looked at those first... great price for such a complete package. The only reason I didn't go with it is that you can't run the lights individually.
Shane: I emailed J&L. Despite the picture, he assured me it's a single, 4 bulb ballast... not two, 2 bulb ballasts. You can control the lights in pairs... which is perfect for me. And last but far from least: It IS pre-wired!
I think I've just made my choice! It'll be a while before I order it, (I like to plan FAR ahead) but when I get it I'll be sure to post and let you know how it works.
As for bulb selection... I was thinking about 2 URI Aquasun 10k, and 2 URI Super Actinics. 440w should be plenty!
 
bigmac

bigmac

Member
Rob,
My advice is to not buy Coralife stuff at all. I've been in this hobby a long time and for the most part everything with the Coralife name on its is junk. I'm not a big fan of IC MH ballast either but from what I have seen and read their VHO ballast is top notch. These are the ballast that made a name for that company.
Its really too bad you have your mind made up. Just to make things fun I'll bet you 10 bucks that in 16 months you'll want MH's :)
 
rob1116

rob1116

Member
Bigmac: Hello!
Thanks for your opinion on Coralife... as you can see above, I won't be going with any of their products anyway. I too have heard good things about Ice Cap VHO setups... unfortunately the cost for a similar setup with the same functions made by IC would be over double what I'm paying for the PFO H4 setup.
As I said, I've got a long time to decide on this... feel free to convert me to an MH guy yourself, or point me towards some reading that will do the same.
The main reasons I ruled out MH lighting are cost, and heat... a chiller is way out of the budget. I've heard wonderful things about the look of MH lighting on reef systems.... but I just haven't seen any solid reasons why I should pay so much more, and have to worry about heat and specially designed canopies, for so little gain.
It's my understanding that a 440w MH lighting system would give off alot of heat, no?
 
shanev

shanev

Member
Keep ion mind also if in the future you do decide to go with MH, youll probally want some VHO for actnic, so all will not be lost :)
 
bigmac

bigmac

Member

Originally posted by rob1116
Bigmac: Hello!
Thanks for your opinion on Coralife... as you can see above, I won't be going with any of their products anyway. I too have heard good things about Ice Cap VHO setups... unfortunately the cost for a similar setup with the same functions made by IC would be over double what I'm paying for the PFO H4 setup.
As I said, I've got a long time to decide on this... feel free to convert me to an MH guy yourself, or point me towards some reading that will do the same.
The main reasons I ruled out MH lighting are cost, and heat... a chiller is way out of the budget. I've heard wonderful things about the look of MH lighting on reef systems.... but I just haven't seen any solid reasons why I should pay so much more, and have to worry about heat and specially designed canopies, for so little gain.
It's my understanding that a 440w MH lighting system would give off alot of heat, no?
Rob,
Good choice, PFO makes quality stuff... I use 3 of their ballast. I know what you mean about the heat issue and cost. I don't know what your paying for your VHO's but I can tell you what MH's would cost, plus the heat from 4x110 VHO's will probaly be real close to 2x250 watt MH's.....watt per watt MH's, PC's and VHO's all give off about the same amount of heat. The reason people think they give off so much heat is because people who use them tend to have more watt's.
2x250 watt German bulbs @ 79.00 each
1x250 watt Dual pulse start ballast @ 182.00
2xReef-lector @ 21.95 each
2xMogul socket kit @ 22.95 each
So what is that total? about 430.00...plus the 10 bucks you'll owe me:D
 
rob1116

rob1116

Member
Wouldn't I need 2x250 watt Dual pulse start ballasts? If so, the total would be $612... and you're talkin' USD right?
Anywho, I'll be paying ~$450 CND for my 440w VHO setup. Again, if you could point out some valid reasons as to why I should go with Halide, then I might be willing to make the switch. I just don't see the purpose. Mind you, I have no personal experience with either! Just what I've read.
 
bigmac

bigmac

Member
Rob,
If you look at the price's I listed you will see the cost of 1 dual PFO pulse start ballast at 182.00. You only need one dual ballast...dual meaning double, a single ballast is 112.95...this is US dollars.
No need to point out any other valid reason. I have seen your reasons for NOT buying MH's posted a 1000 times.
 
rob1116

rob1116

Member
Oh okay then... $430USD isn't that bad then. I've seen people spend much more on VHO setups with similar wattage.
I'm still curious as to why you say I'm going to want them though! I'm not trying to say your choice of MH's is a bad one, (I'm new, you're obviously not) I'm just genuinely interested in why I should spend so much more on them. I'm still a long way away from buying my equipment, so this VHO setup isn't set in stone by any means.
As for the heat: Okay, assuming you're right about VHO's giving off as much heat as MH's of similar wattage, (although everything I've read suggests otherwise) ... Maybe it's just that the MH's heat is much more concentrated due to the small bulb size.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top