VHO questions for those that are familiar with them

[reefkprz]

ok so my ballast blew on my PC's I called a friend and he brought me over a set of four 110W VHO t-12 10k self reflected bulbs in a rectangle canopy, he told me to try them out for a couple months and If Iliked them he would sell them to me. I am probably going to get a couple actinic bulbs because it looks very pink to me, need to be bluer, but definatly far more intense in lighting than the PCs were,
now for the questions, what is the difference between t-12 and t-5? are they interchangable if one is better as long as they are the same wattage?
whats your take on Icecap electronic ballasts?

 

[trippkid]

The Icecap ballast works great, have been using mine for about41/2 yrs, no problems, you can even wire up PC's to it, if you don't like the VHO. I use a combo of VHO and MH. If you want a more blue look I would go with 2 10K and 2 Actinic. I use URI bulbs, I think a little better bulb than Coralife, comes with internal reflector and no extra cost, at least where I shop. The "T" rating has to do with the diameter of the bulb. A T-12 is 1 1/2" in diameter, a T-5 is 5/8" in diameter. I don't know much about the T5's, but I would put the VHO's up against them anytime. Hope this is helpful.
Matt

 

[reefkprz]

information in the form of personal expirience is always helpfull, I think this fixture ran about 800$ new. these are the selfreflected bulbs and they are sharp, they still have about 6months of life left in them before they need to be swapped out, so I am probably going to buy two actinics and save two of the 10ks untill swap out time and get the rest of their life out of them to save a few pennies.
anyone elses input would be appreciated.

 

[tx reef]

I have VHO actinics on my tank. All VHO bulbs that I have ever seen have the reflector built in.
They are definately far more intense than PCs. You will be able to keep Acros, staghorns, etc.... in the upper part of the tank with these lights.
You can't run T5s on that ballast, though.
If you pay shipping, I will send you a 4" acro to try out for free.

 

[reefkprz]

ouch! I cant have to catch up on some bills the last shipping spurt depleted my coral funds plus the two brains and the meat coral I got, if I buy any more coral right now the GF is gonna be a little more than ticked (even if its just shipping). I had to order salt this week too. Thank you for the generous offer though. I appreciate it.

 

[jlem]

When you buy new bulbs I would suggest 2 Coralife 10K bulbs and 2 Actinics. The URI bulbs are pretty pink unlike the Coralife bulbs that are a nice crisp white.

 

[scsinet]

Originally Posted by reefkprZ
what is the difference between t-12 and t-5?
Diameter and efficiency. T12's are 1.5" in diameter, T5's are 0.5" in diameter.
T5s are more efficient. A 48" T12 VHO is 110 watts, a 48" T5 HO is 54 watts. The light output is not quite equal, but it's close. T5s are not available in VHO, but you can overdrive them with an Icecap ballast and squeeze a few more lumens out of them in exchange for an abbreviated lifespan.
Originally Posted by reefkprZ
are they interchangable if one is better as long as they are the same wattage?
If you have an Icecap 660 (which is what I'm betting given your setup), it can drive T5s, but you'll have to replace your endcaps and possibly change your wiring (give Andy at Icecap a call and ask him). Normally they are not interchangeable, but Icecap ballasts are universal so they can drive, and in fact overdrive, T5s.
T5s IMO are better because their operational cost is very low compared to T12. T12 lamps cost about the same as T5s, but have to be replaced 2-4 times as often.
Originally Posted by reefkprZ
whats your take on Icecap electronic ballasts?
I love them to death. I own a handful and none have given me a lick of trouble.

 

[reefkprz]

good guess its a 660-009 icecap.

 

[reefkprz]

So overall its a decent set up for a sudden "oh crap my ballast blew" and one of my buddies came to the rescue.

 

[ibew]

if you rewire the endcaps and ballast config to supply T5s your setup will be awsome