SPS with VHO's???????
- Thread starter ronj
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I am sure if you did a search, you would find alot of people who do.
Scooterman
Well-known member
I tried that once, I had the acro up top, way up top, did ok but replaced the lamps every 6 months, it wasn't great looking until I eventually upgraded to mh.
i've been talking with Bob (reefdaddy)..he said that Sally JO from GARF uses only VHO's for their corals and they do great..i just wanted to hear some experiences from people who have tried it...Scooter, i was thinking about the same thing..i wondered how the coloration and growth of the corals would be under only VHO's..i am thinking of trying it..i just want to hear everyone's opinions and experiences first!!
I think that having to replace the bulbs is eventually the killer. I would think that having to replace 6-8 vho bulbs every 6 months might be a little more costly than replacing 2 MH every 8-10 months. When I had my sps under PC's the bulb replacement 'bout killed me.
I don't think GARF uses vho's. I thought they were using NO bulbs!!
yeah..the bulb replacement for that many bulbs would suck!!!! i will definately keep that in mind.......i have 2-MH's that i was thinking of using...the tank is 72"..my VHO's that i have on it right now are only 60"..i like the look of the ends being a little bit dimmer...i was going to try the 2 MH's along with my VHO's and see how that looked....would the middle stand out way too bad????? there would only really be 1ft on each side of the halides..i have the VHO's..i need some opinions!!!!
I don't think that 1 foot on each side makes much difference. You could put some lower lite corals on either end. That would also give your fish a place to hide when they think they need a little nap.
I know what I would do, but I also understand your concerns with heat and your height limitations from the other thread.
I know what I would do, but I also understand your concerns with heat and your height limitations from the other thread.
SueT
Well-known member
Ron there are "some" sps corals that can do fair under vho's. The montipora caps, some better than others of this and the montipora digitata's. They will do fairly well under vho only. Keep in mind it's the intensity that sps need to thrive on. Like trying to keep some clams under less than optimum conditions. They have to have the intensity.
Scooterman
Well-known member
RON If your limited because with your hood & the mh would put you at 7" or less off the water then I would go with straight T5HO's DIY & stager them on the ends. I personally think you will have better growth with these, also you can go a little deeper. Other than that, I would replace or extend the height of the hood & put three 250w mh lights on it. If you can cut wood that would be your long term cheapest option because after the initial cost, you won't have to replace a bunch of lamps more often, that there will save you money.
Scooterman
Well-known member
after 9 inches you should be plenty clear for mh, if not we would here thousands of people complaining about bursting lamps!
Reefdaddy1
Reef Geek Jedi
Charlie, They use NO bulbs strictly to generate coraline growth in the beginning, after 6 months they upgrade to VHO, She has been doing this for long time and it seems to me its working .
Here are some Corals posted by Trevor who one of workers I believe that worked there..
Scooterman
Well-known member
Think ron wants SPS in there Bob!
Reefdaddy1
Reef Geek Jedi
There is Scott, Look at the photos there is alot Softies but there is SPS in that tank
http://www.garf.org/FRUGALREEFER/sps2/SPS2.html
that article with link shows and tells propagation techniques for sps and also about lighting.
http://www.garf.org/FRUGALREEFER/sps2/SPS2.html
that article with link shows and tells propagation techniques for sps and also about lighting.
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Scooterman
Well-known member
ahh yes I see now, they are way up top, cool deal!
reeftank1
Do you digiscope?
Fragman has a VHO only 75 with awesome SPS. Check out the for sale items thread he had in there. His tank has about 8 VHO's but again depth is the obvious limiter.
Scooterman
Well-known member
another thing about mixing softies with sps is you need to have experience & knowledge to make sure you don't poison them, this isn't a normal set-up, experienced plays a big part in tanks set-up like these so don't expect to duplicate something like this without experience. Even under VHO's you need to know how much light is needed for these corals, not all will fair well under suck low lumen's.
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