I just installed VHO lighting on my tank on Feb 10.
I noticed today that the bulbs are showing signs of blackening on the ends already. Is this normal?
Thanks
Interesting reading. It never did mention whether the blackening was good/bad or whether it would diminish lamp life.
My ballast wiring diagram doesn't show anything about a starter and the bulbs light fine so I don't think that's an issue.
The blackening is an accumulation of mercury. It's not a good thing.
Can you list the VHO ballast you have and the brand of the bulbs? If you have black ends so quick you might have a ballast that's not cycling fast enough or bad bulbs.
It won't affect the spectrum but the bulbs will get dim pretty quick.
Unless you have a bottomless pit of money you need to get an electronic VHO ballast. Bulbs are expensive and an IceCap 660 will run bulbs over a year while the ballast you have chosen will make bulbs degrade over a mere 6 months.
Thanks Bang.
I guess that's what I get for trying to go cheap on the ballast.
I was planning on replacing the bulbs every 6 months. I was under the impression that they began to lose their spectrum after that amount of time. Is that not true?
Do you know anything about the ARO ballasts?
Thanks Bang.
The AROs are less expensive than the Icecaps. I've got 2 ballasts, I may replace one and see what happens.
FWIW, I've noticed the worst blackening on 1 end of 1 bulb. Could a bad connection cause that?