VHO baslast/kit choices...

bigmac

Member

Originally posted by rob1116
) I'm just genuinely interested in why I should spend so much more on them.

Here's a picture of my tank one month before I took it down (dated Feb 03) You could have 2000 watt's of VHO's and not come close to this tank using 3x400 watt MH's.
I don't know the exchange rate, can you tell me how much more you will have to pay?

I'm not saying you can't have a great tank using VHO's. I have seen lots of nice tanks with them. Bottom l
 

rob1116

Member
Bigmac: lol... if you haven't already, be sure to read my new thread entitled: "Odd sump/fuge design"
After alot of reading, and considering my acute fondness of clams... I've decided to go with MH :)
 

rob1116

Member
Oh... forgot the details:
I'll most likely go with the PFO 48" Retrofit kit. 2x175w Ushio 10k's, and 2x110w VHO's... most likely URI Super Actinic. Not sure about that though... from what I've gathered so far, the 10k MH's have a considerable amount of blue in them already. The PFO reflectors are supposed to be pretty good from what I've heard.
Anyway... opinions on this combination? I could go with the 150w, 10k HQI Ushio's... but it's alot more money of course. I could also go with the 250w for not too much more... but I'm really worried about heat. I'll be cutting at least two holes for some decent fans in my canopy... and the room will be a/ced in the summer. Room temp should be around 68-73°F all year round. I really can't fit/afford a chiller!
Comments?
 

bigmac

Member
How big is the room the tanks going in? If its a good size room with good ventilation then you shouldn't have to worry about a chiller, I'd go with the 250's. The problem for me was the room got too hot from the 3x400 watt MH's. During the cooler months I could open the windows and didn't have much problem. Its probably cooler where your at. I live in So Cal (the desert)
Rob, I'm not a big fan of fuges, any info you get from Bang Guy will be top notch. He probably knows more about them then anybody here. I am however a big fan of the ER skimmers. I would hold off on the ES6-1 and get the ES6-2 with the Sedra 5000 pump. Its a much better skimmer and will do a much better job then the skimmer running the Sedra 3500.
 

rob1116

Member
Ahh... I get the idea now.
The room is quite big... about 25'X20', with I believe 10' ceiling. (I'm buying a condo... hopefully soon) The tank won't be anywhere near a window, if that matters. It will be up against a wall, but otherwise open on all sides. It's a wood canopy... but as I said, I'll make sure to have at least two good fans built-in. I have to have a closed canopy. (cats:)
So you think 2x250w 10k Ushio's, and 2x110w VHO's is okay? I'm going to go to the LFS and measure the inside height of my canopy... but I'm sure I can't get the MH's more than 8" off the water surface... maybe less.
 

krux

Member
that would be a good setup. i have done a couple vho kits myself in the last month, not sure if those you mentioned above included the bulbs but here is what i paid for a dual 110 vho setup.
3 piece endcaps, 2 pair, 27.00
1 fulham workhorse 7 ballast 35.00
2 4' uri superactinic vho bulbs 44.00
wiring/connectors came in at about 5.00, including a wall plug
1 timer from walmart, 4.00
wiring is about as easy as tying your shoes once you figure out the wiring diagram (or have someone explain it to you). the only tools you need are a pair of wire cutters, a screwdriver, and some electrical tape.
total cost of 115.00 usd
i have seen better deals on endcaps and bulbs, but these are fairly common prices here at least.
as for the halides, i ran a pfo ballast on my last tank (switched to hamilton for this one) and it ran nice and cool, and i experienced no problems. the 10k ushio really didnt have any blue on my tank, all the blue came from the actinic. it depends on what type of bulb and what type of ballast, but for reference i was running ushios on a standard pfo.
hth
 
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