Which VHO Bulbs???

[jessicarabit]

1st I need to make certain that VHO (T-12) will fit the NO (T-12) sockets??? They are basically a stronger watt bulb, but have the same connection as 'standard' fuorescent tubes??? Would I need to replace the fuse on the hoods???
Here is the list of the 3 VHO fuorescent tubes I can choose from;
1.AquaSun 75 watt (Tri-Brand phosphors 180° internal reflector. 10,000°K)
2.Actinic White 75 watt (50/50 tri-band & actinic phosphors 12,000°K)
3.Actinic "03" 75 watt (180° internal reflector)
Wouldn't 1 be the stronger version of 3??? Since I have 2 double hoods & the bulbs are 75 watts, that would be a total combination of 300 watts. I have a 55 gallon, so if the rate is 2 to 3 watts per gallon & taking 3wattsx55=165 watts, then would 300 watts be well over perfect for having soft coral, mushrooms, leathers & Anemones???
I really don't wanna start adding till I know I've done as much as I can in my power, besides using Halide fixtures.

 

[plum70rt]

VHO are much hotter bulbs that NO, change the ballasts, dont want to use tank water to put out a fire

 

[slothy]

Nice font hehe (hurts my eyes), Yes a VHO is a T12, but a standard NO ballast isnt gonna work (that i know of) , you will need a vho ballast... i just got myself a pair of uri actinics (with reflector) , and very happy with them

 

[eng50]

Yes the end caps will work. As stated, you will need to replace the balast, not a very big deal though...You can do it, or have a friend do it.
As far as bulbs, you have others to choose from, URI Bulbs are awesome, I use them as well, they are 110watt and have 10k, super whites, and super actinics, all with internal reflectors, so all the light goes down. They are widely available on the net, if they are not at your LFS, sounds like they only have Coralife bulbs...The aquasun supposedly puts out a pink hue if thats what you want...most I have talked to don't like it.
HTH

 

[saltyrich]

I don't even recommend the end caps. If you want to swap out to vho, I'd get a complete kit. Some places online sell retrofit kits that come with german end caps, the bulbs, the ballast and wiring, and a polished aluminum reflector. All you do is screw it into an existing hood/canopy. That is my recommendation. Is it a 55 tall? I have the 75 watt vho bubls on my 30 tall which is 24 inches wide. If you went with a retro kit, I believe that you can put 4x95 watt vho bulbs, not certain though. I had a combo of 2 super actinics, 1 50/50 white actinic, and 1 aquasun (all URI of coarse). Bang Guy has convinced me to go with 2 actinics and 2 aquasuns and I think it looks great. I would not necessarily say it has a pink hue IMO. I think it looks very bright yet natural. My pc lighting on my 20 gallon is nice, but a bit brighter than natural conditions. I think 2 actinics and 2 aquasuns would look great. If not then go with 2 actinics, 1 50/50, and 1 aquasun.

 

[slothy]

i just got a vho kit from hellolights.com, 120 bucks with ballast/harness/endcaps, plug 'n lights lol took me 5 mins to hook them up

 

[mg1197]

URI bulbs are great!!! And, you do need VHO ballasts. You should buy "electronic" ballasts while you are at it - they generate far less heat.

 

[benj420]

I don't think anyone has said this yet, so I will throw this in:
IceCap ballasts (and probably others) will run NO (Normal Output) or VHO (Very High Output), or any combination of the two. This is nice for starting a tank with NO, and then gradually changing over to VHO without changing the ballast.
For about $250 mail order you can get an IceCap 660, 4 NO bulbs and 4 VHO bulbs.

 

[slothy]

vhos are like a few bucks more than NO lights a bulb.. so i dont know why someone would get NO lights when they have a vho ballast in there hands.. ?

 

[saltyrich]

I agree. I can get vho bulbs online cheaper than I can buy the same length of NO bulb at the lfs. If you got the power, JACK IT UP! IMO.

 

[jessicarabit]

I'm confused...ballasts=fuses??? Can I get these at the hardware store??? If the wattage is gonna be 75+ then I should get ballasts/fuses for what sizes??? What is 'electronic ballasts'??? How do they connect??? Where can I get URI's??? I shop at http://www.**************.com/ & http://www.thatpetplace.com/
Are there any other places online that can be recommended for URI's???
Again though, If I have a 55 gal (long) & you only need 2-3 watts per gallon, adding 4 VHO at 75 watts each would be almost 5 watts gallon. Isn't this enough for those greedy shrooms??? BTW, can you ingest these shrooms & have a 'hippy convention' ???