VHO vs. Metal Halide
- Thread starter wagirl81
- Start date
kdlbem
Member
VHO uses less energy if you use an electronic ballast(like Icecap). But halide is the best lighting for corals. Personally, I have VHO & PC, But I'd much rather have halides. I'll probably switch eventually, but I just bought a 65 gal. corner tank for the bedroom, so it'll be awhile(gotta spend $$$$$ on the new one. 
)
HTH,
B
)HTH,
B
steamboat1569
Member
metal halides are the best way to go. By looking around, they are cheaper, too.
slb243
New Member
I think metal halide gives a lot more light per watt but they have a huge drawback- they produce a lot more heat than VHO, which still produces a lot. If your tank doesn't have a chiller it can easily overheat with intense lighting. I know metal halide is best for SPS like acropora, but a lot of beautiful reefs use only VHO or power compact. I use VHO because of the metal halide heat problem (from experience).
steamboat1569
Member
One 175watt MH will give you 6 watts per gallon. Plenty of light. You will have to compensate for the heat though.
I run 175s in my 55 gallon. It is 18.5 inches high. All my corals are doing great. Check out this link. They sell a retro kit for 75 dollars. This is where I bought mine. I upgraded my light to a 12000k bulb for a little more. I was very pleased with it.
<a href="http://www.aquaticlight.com" target="_blank">www.aquaticlight.com</a>
I run 175s in my 55 gallon. It is 18.5 inches high. All my corals are doing great. Check out this link. They sell a retro kit for 75 dollars. This is where I bought mine. I upgraded my light to a 12000k bulb for a little more. I was very pleased with it.
<a href="http://www.aquaticlight.com" target="_blank">www.aquaticlight.com</a>