lighting

[reefaddict]

ok, i have spent the last couple weeks reading every bit of reef info i can get my hands on. last night i bought "the conscientious marine aquarist", and read most of it. i have read several threads on lighting so i am slowly becoming a little more knowlegable.
before i take the plunge (pun intended) one more question, i can get about 7.5 watts per gallon with vho. is that enough to grow hard and soft coral vs 7.5 watts via mh? (125 gal) i am concerned about and can't afford a chiller right now so vho is the most economical way to go for me.
thanks for your response in advance.

 

[Katchupoy]

REEFADDICT

WELCOME TO REEFFRONTIERS!!!!

A lot of people nowadays doen't use the watt per gallon method because they said that it is not very efficient way of computing coral needs...

Now, they use the depth of the tank or how close the corals to the light.

Now tell me, what tank dimensions do you want to use and what kind of VHO's do you want (in terms of wattage). VHO's have 75, 110 and many more configuration.

oops!! I did not see that you have 125 g... now the question is how many bulbs...

 

[reefaddict]

i was planning on six 160 watt 72" bulbs ran by three ice cap 430
or 2 660 ballast's. the 125 is only 20 inches deep so i thought mh would'nt be much of an advantage? i know for starting out this much wattage might be considered overkill but, i don't want to have to upgrade later because i skimped now.

 

[Katchupoy]

I dont think its an overkill.... I think youre good with the softies and some LPS... also consider that 6 vho's will also generate a lot of heat.

try also to check prices on mh bulbs...

6 x VHO = ? 20 each plus shipping = 120 +
and maybe
3 x 250 watt MH = ? 50 each (not sure) = 150 +

honestly, i like vho+mh... glitter plus the brightness of vhos. realy good color rendition.

also you need to change vho's more frequently than mh's

xm bulbs are really cheap nowadays

 

[reefaddict]

i was concerned about heat with mh. expense wise that many bulbs/ballasts for vho isn't much cheaper than 3 250 watt mh w/2 vho. i should just take a chance with the heat. my basement family room where this is going is about 68 degrees in the summer, 64 in the winter.
there is no comparison in regards to the color and "shimmer" that mh produces in a tank vs vho (imho) i get the impression from the books that i am reading that vho's are easier to work with and less likely to cause overheating and overlighting problems than mh.

 

[MINIATUS]

Reefer Addict ,If it helps at all, I run 6 110 watt lamps over a 90gal and keep mostly LPS and softies. I can still keep some of the SPSs and clams as well. Check and see if Workhorse has ballast to fit you needs. I run 2 actinics of the WH7 with great results and they are a lot cheaper than Ice caps.

MINIATUS:exclaim:

 

[acropora]

I also think it is a mistake to run that many VHO bulbs. As stated above they will also emit alot of heat.More importantly,no matter how many you place over your tank,you will still be limited as to what you can keep in your tank,now and in the future.Only Metal Halides concentrate the light reaching deeper into your tank. I have to admit that when I first started with a marine tank some 25 years ago, I had the same concerns as you.I had multiple set ups of VHO's that were later changed to PC's and the heat was tremendous.I was not acheiving the results I desired.I eventually upgraded to M.H. with VHO supplementation.
If you are not interesed in SPS and clams at this time; then one VHO ballast with four 4' 50/50 bulbs staggered is one possibility to start with.This way if you decide at a later date that you want more light demanding corals, you can use the VHO ballast to run actinics to supplement M.H. bulbs.

 

[MINIATUS]

I run 4 small fans at the back of the canopy which blow across the lights and out the top. Summer time I run Central Air and temp never goes over 80 degrees.

MINIATUS

PS Halides are in the works when I set up my new tank.

 

[jmaxwell]

for what it is worth, I run 4 vho plus 250w metal halide on my 125...I used to run vho's only for years and have found my current combination to be superior both in appearance and the ability to grow whatever I want...you should be fine as far as heat goes if you run a couple of fans in your hood. I believe that if you run VHO's now you are just going to want to switch later and will end up spending more money.

Jim

 

[reefaddict]

thanks for all the replys,
you have confirmed what i was concerned about. even though it will slow down my purchasing of livestock, i am gonna spend some of my livestock budget on upgrading to a mh/vho combo.
does hamilton make a good system?
thanks
mike l.