I'm switching to VHO

[Aggie05]

Well I finally did it. I went and bought a VHO retro for my 20 long. I know, yall are gonna say you should have gone with halides, but the reality is that I don't really care that much for SPS right now, and even so, the tank is shallow enough that 150 watts of VHO will support almost anything anyways. Plus, the coloration is just amazing IMO with VHO. The lights should be in tomorrow, I ordered two 24" bulbs with a 2 lamp ballast with intentions to strip my 30" CSL PC hood of its lamps and ballast and to put the VHO in it. By my measurements it is going to be tight but i think it will fit. I will take pics of the process when I do it. Oh, and all the parts cost me 104 bucks with shipping. Thats for two URI bulbs, two pairs of endcaps, the ballast, and a power cord. Not too bad.

 

On a side note. Would anyone like to make an estimate of what two 65 watt PC ballast and endcaps could fetch me? I am planning on selling the stuff out of the hood, but am not sure what to ask.

[KrackerG]

oooOOOOOO..... good idea!!! I was gonna do something like that w/ my hood but continue using MH too:P

 

cant wait to see pictures... what about the glass?? vho's get hot, dont they? you may want to consider some cheap Lowe's glass and might as well do the fan upgrade while your in there. do you plan to keep using the moons? if i were you, i would buy a new 12v transformer capable of running both fans and moons...run all off of 1 single power source. they keep the the vhos on their own power cords

 

Krack

 

oh, not sure how much you could get but i would sell the ballasts, caps, and bulbs separately

[Aggie05]

I am going to keep the moonlights since I haven't been using them as of late. Heat is something I am just going to have to see about. The fixture has those legs on it and there is no top on the tank so I'm not sure if it will become a problem. If so, I have a glass top for the tank or that acrylic piece for the fixture. But we will see.

[matt the fiddler]

I's give you $2 for em ... j/k

 

 

"don't care that much for SPS right now"

 

you just answered your question.... good luck wiht that- and post pics so you can make all PC people drool...

 

"right now"

 

lol

 

 

j/k

[Aggie05]

Actually, I have gotten two frags of SPS from a friend that has hers under VHO as well. Just to see what happens, but I really enjoy soft and LPS corals, especially since I have a constant flow of people who see my tank. SPS corals have no movement and aren't nearly as impressive as softies.

[tinyreef]

get the URI bulbs. (championlighting.com)

 

are you going to use the aquasun or the act/white with your actinics (best on the market imo)? the aquasun may look weird but i've had very good results from it.

 

i agree with the softies being more dynamic. most people still ask if everything's fake in the tank. i get really insulted then. trying to convince them that fluorescent tipped sps ain't fake would be even harder. dumbasses.

 

if it's too tight in there (and you can get your money back) you may want to try the T5's. i've been oogling the retro kit in doc fosters.

[Aggie05]

I am getting one 50/50 URI and one full actinic. It is basically the combo that my friend has and her tank looks great. I ordered from hello lights.

[matt the fiddler]

shaw on RC- a very well known guy near me raises sps on VHO only 8" deep though. [tank is 8 -10 feet long though- to make up for the height]] just keep em shallow, dircetly under the bulb

[seabass]

Aggie05, here was my VHO retrofit for my 15L.

[Aggie05]

Looks good Seabass, That is basically what I have in mind.

[KrackerG]

good good work, seabass! nice, neat wiring...signs of a good working lighting system. i love the comparison pics of the first one in stock condition, then as you scroll down...you got the "fatties" BAM!

[seabass]

Thanks, I’ve been running them for a little over 5 months now. Certain corals really fluoresce under them. I think you’ll like them.

 

You might want to experiment with some different bulb combinations until you find one that makes your corals stand out. Although the actinic and 50/50 combination made some of my green corals really fluoresce, I like the look of my Zoos under actinic and 10,000K better. Since I’m stuck with Coralife 21.5” SpaceSaver bulbs, I don’t have all the possibilities that you will.

[Aggie05]

Well I just got everything wired up and running. The tank looks exremely pink right now, but I expected that. I'm hoping as the lights burn in they will become whiter. The actinics definitely help the greens come out. But they don't seem as bright as the PCs, its kinda strange. But oh well. So far so good. Ill post pics later.

[seabass]

I kind of felt the same way when I installed a 50/50 with an actinic bulb. I replaced the 50/50 with a 10,000°K, which I like better. Two 50/50 bulbs give a totally different look; there are lots of combinations.

[apophis924]

just tagging along, I am in the process of "regrading from MH to VHO MH looks to "hard' and strile. i like the softer look of vho and thewider options in bulb selection.

[matt the fiddler]

apophis924, wh ynot a combo between the 2?

[apophis924]

Not happy with the MH look, and space only lets me have one or the other. I would love to be able to do boht but for now i have to choose one. Good thing is if i do not like the VHO i still hav emy MH set up i can swapp it out with. That is if i am able to resist the urge to set up an all sps/clam tank since i do have the "photo- power" to do just about anything.