VHO in a 24" strip light

[seabass]

Help, I'm having problems finding this information. I’m thinking about getting a 15-gallon tank that is 24” long. I also want to use VHO lighting that is installed in a standard light fixture.

 

I've seen Coralife's VHO Ballast Kit for all 24" 75W and 21.5" 75W Spacesaver bulbs. I've also looked at ARO's VHO Ballast Kit. Which one is better, or should I be looking at getting an IceCap ballast instead?

 

I assume that I need a 24” strip light for the 24” tank, but do 24” tubes fit in a 24” hood? Could I use 24" tubes in a twin-tube fluorescent light strip like this?

Or would I need to use the 21.5" Coralife Spacesaver tubes?

 

Also:

• Do I need a reflector? I haven’t seen them sold for these VHO kits, where do I get them?

• How hot do these lamps get? Should I install a fan in the strip light?

• Are all 24" 75W VHO bulbs T12? Does anybody know if the Coralife Spacesaver tubes are T12?

 

??? Will this work? Thanks ahead of time!

[MrConclusion]

To answer your questions in no particular order...

 

Issue 1 - The Strip. You can use the strip light, as long as it will hold T12's; and almost all 24" strips should. You'll also need to be willing to remove the existing wiring, ballast, etc., and take the responsability for the DIY wiring of your custom VHO job. Do Not Do This If You Are Not 100% Confident! There is a risk of ruining all the equipment, damaging your tank, and even serious property damage... namely the risk of fire.

 

Issue 2 - Heat. You will need to either add a fan, or drill a bunch of holes to allow for very free air circulation. If not, VHO's will overheat this strip, and even if they don't malt something, the heat will greatly shorten the life of the bulbs and plastic parts.

 

Issue 3 - Ballast. IceCap ballasts are a huge waste of money, IMO. You can get the same performance out of a WorkHorse ballast for 1/3 of the cost. The same instant start, the same over-driven output, the same no-flicker operation. A WorkHorse "7" will run 2x75 watt VHO and costs less than $50.

 

A decent ballast source is: http://www.aqualuxlighting.com/workhorse7.html

 

Issue 4 - Reflector. You will not be able to fit any decent reflector into that strip light. You would need to bend and contort it until it wasn't doing much good, and it would add greatly to the overheating problem. I say skip it. You could spraypaint the entire inside of the strip white to help reflect more light, and use URI VHO bulbs, which have an internal reflector that's somewhat effective at directing more light downwards.

 

However, If you are not 100% comfortable with doing the retrofit, I would strongly suggest the following:

 

http://www.hellolights.com/242xcoraqpch1.html

 

This is a pre-made hood, with everything including two 65-watt bulbs. This is ready-to-go for less than $140 including shipping. I seriously doubt that you can complete the VHO project for less than that... with $50 - $150 for the ballast alone!

[seabass]

Thanks Mr. C, great feedback!

 

I’d love to buy a complete hood like that Coralife Compact Fluorescent hood that you linked to; however, I’m trying to get some of my corals that are in my 7-gallon Mini-Bow to fluoresce better than they currently do under my 32W PC Smart Lite retro. I’ve seen VHOs cause some corals to fluoresce beautifully, so I’m looking into VHOs.

 

The idea of a VHO retro doesn’t really bother me, and I realize that everything in this hobby is pretty expensive. Would 24” tubes fit in a 24” strip light?

 

This is at my office, so a fire would be actually be OK. Is the risk of fire due to incorrect wiring or because of the heat generated? I could put a couple of Ultra-Quiet 50mm case fans on either end to help cool the strip.

 

Thanks again.