how many and what size VHOs?

[edgerat]

I am in the planning phase on my new tank for the new house(building a house around the tank) Tentative dimensions right now are 72x48x26 with 4 lumenarc III's over them with 250w XM's. My quandry right now is 4 48" VHO's or 3 or 4 72" VHO's. I can't decide, the 72" are going to give me more wattage but I can't decide. Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Isaac

 

[mfinn]

If you are using the VHO's for actinic, I would try 3x60" at first. You can use one IceCap 660 ballast. If that wasn't enought you can always add ballast and go with 4x72".

 

[Elmo18]

Just my opinion, but I would use 60", and stagger them 6" apart like this:

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you can scoot the halides in between two of them or such. I'm sure 72" will work, but very little extra light output will probably do nothing....actually im sure it will do nothing...

Your halides will be the main lighting anyway...

Best,
Ilham

 

[CarlaW]

You could stagger your 48" the same way as Elmo had them configured!!!

 

[edgerat]

you guys are great! Hey martin how's my old coral beauty doing? I miss that fish. Anywhos, Elmo is that from the front of the tank to the back or side to side? Not that it probably matters but just wondering. I like the growth I can get from the 10k halides but I like a bluish tint that i can get from the VHO actinics.

 

[mfinn]

The coral beauty is doing fine. He's buddies with a purple tang. You see one, the other is close behind.
Another thought on the lights is 2x72" in front and 2x72" in back with the mh's in the middle.
When I put mh's on my 180, I experimented with different combination of vho's and now I have 3x20k mh's, 2x160 watt 50/50, and 2x160 watt actinic.
I really like the combination of all the different colors.

 

[Elmo18]

Another thought on the lights is 2x72" in front and 2x72" in back with the mh's in the middle.

Yup, just what I meant up above, the metal halides will run in the middle of the two bulbs.

Now the orientation (staggering) of the bulbs, I think would be up to you. Unlike most Japanese style tanks, we .... Americans normally look from Left to Right....so I normally would place the actinic on the left (the actinic closest to the front pane of the tank)...whereas people in japan and elsewhere (where they read books back to front, etc), look at their tanks from Right to Left.

Again, staggering is something you can fool around with. Lots of varieties, especially also when you get your rockwork done.

Best,

ilham

 

[fishermann]

If you don't have your MH's already I would go with 400's in that deep of water. MIne is 24" high and I changed out my 250's for 400 x 14,000K Hamiltons and the corals love it, and so do I.

 

[edgerat]

nah I am going to go with the 250's I just dont need the punch with the starboard on the bottom reflecting the light back. With 10k 250w's I should be fine. I can't justify the additional 600watts with the 400's