vho to t5 ?s

[vr697getta]

first my light set up not is 2X250 mh with 2 110 vhos actinic
my halides seem to wash out most if not all the light from the vhos
if i was to swap the vhos for 2 t5s would i see a difference in the lighting and i would put in good t5 reflectors.
also would the ballast i am using now a ice cap 430 power the t5s good
thanks roland

[mordibv]

What color are the halide bulbs ? Going by ur sig . ? U can but only run 2 t'5s 4 ft HO's . I have always seen vho's compliment the halides for accents . Sure they'll get sorta washed out but remember they are meant to compliment not compete with the halides .

[vr697getta]

i need to update that i haven't had that set up in a while
my lights are 6500k and i want to see more color out of my corals
i thought that a t5 actinic with a good reflector would add more color than the vhos. i wanted to make sure before i did it

[mordibv]

Nah it's a hard call . Sure the t-5's punch more @ 84 watts w icecap vs 110 per bulb it's a hard call .Yes The reflectors make a big difference. Are u using reflectors now ? I would think the crux is halide bulb color . Use a higher kelvin halide . I think that will solve ur issue . Less growth but way better eye candy . I wouldn't give up on the vho's just yet . UV's new 454 isn't a shabby actinic/ blue bulb .

[Ehaze]

t5 slaps the **** outta vho.

[mordibv]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14352611#post14352611 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ehaze
t5 slaps the **** outta vho.

Sure if your'e using 6 to 12 + . Using two for just accents isn't going to make much of a difference with 2 6500 k halides .

[horsefarm5]

I have 2x110 vho with 2x175 mh and the bulbs are 14 k and I get good color with the vho actinic

[horsefarm5]

I have 2x110 vho with 2x175 mh and the bulbs are 14 k and I get good color with the vho actinic

[vr697getta]

don't get me wrong i do like the 6500k the color isn't that bad. i know my vhos need replaced soon and i though that t5s might do a better job than the vhos because of the reflector.
one other reason i wanted to take out the vhos was i heard that they absorb some of the light from the halides

[Aj Flip]

go with 20k radiums

[vr697getta]

this was a question about vho to t5s and if the t5 would do a better job
i am not a fan of 20k and my ballast won't run radiums

[cindyreef]

IMO your 6500's are definatly the problem. Not the VHO. When you check alot of the TOTM winners, for their lighting they are using a higher kelvin MH with VHO.

[vr697getta]

ok i know i can word things pretty bad. but i understand that 6500k has is yellow/white i know this. i probally will go back to 10k i had 14k before and hated them way to much blue for me i know i know i am weird. all i was asking was would the t5 do a better job than the vhos i am not putting the blame on the vhos. all i wanted to know was if the t5s would be a better option. i also understand that this has to do alot with personal opinion.

[nikon187]

why not both? I've seen tanks with mh/T5/vho and they look pretty nice.

[cindyreef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14351945#post14351945 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by vr697getta
first my light set up not is 2X250 mh with 2 110 vhos actinic
my halides seem to wash out most if not all the light from the vhos
if i was to swap the vhos for 2 t5s would i see a difference in the lighting and i would put in good t5 reflectors.
also would the ballast i am using now a ice cap 430 power the t5s good
thanks roland

Maybe Im missing your question but by what you stated here Im understanding that your atinics (blue ) are being washed out by your halides right? Therefore the blue supplementation isnt there.
Your 6500's will do this.
Try a 10000 k. Not much blue in them compared to 14000.
Did you have VHO atinics when you tried the 14000?

[vr697getta]

nikon187 don't have enough room

cindyreef yes you are right they are being washed out. i won't replace the halides because i only have had them for a few months and i feel it will be a waste of the bulbs. i wandered since you can get a separate reflector for the t5s that the atinics would show up better over the vhos. i know it won't be a night and day difference i just thought they would be better. also i really don't like the look when just the vhos are on with no halides they just seem like a set of black lights, another reason i though t5s would be better

[mordibv]

Everyone is just trying to help . It seems very confusing .
Now this makes sense .
"i won't replace the halides because i only have had them for a few months and i feel it will be a waste of the bulbs"
But I got confused with this too .
"also i really don't like the look when just the vhos are on with no halides they just seem like a set of black lights, another reason i though t5s would be better"
So u don't like dawn and dusk with just the halides off .
U also don't like the look with the vho's on as u state they are washed out by the halides which started the reason to ask .
^
So what's missing with the actinic's and new halides on ? Blue, white ?
U never did answer about the vho's using reflectors or not .
T-5's take just as much room as vho's. the t-5 reflectors are like 2.5 inches wide .
So if u still wanna go t-5 . Use two Ice cap reflectors , water proof endcaps and mounts . Use Ati blue plus bulbs . U get get from the sponsor Premium Aquatics . Around 130 plus shipping .The shipping for two bulbs is the same as 6 so u get popped for that .
So if u had this stuff up u get ur t-5 's and still use the 6500's . U would still be very close to the price of replacing the halides to 10k .

Hope this helps .

[vr697getta]

i got the answer i was looking for from a local person
and will stick with the vhos i will replace them because i have had them for 7 months now and were used when i bought the fixture that was used so i am not sure how old they are
thanks to everyone that replied
now i need to figure out what 10k bulbs i want and the best for my ballast. but i will wait until they need replaced.

[caddydaddy]

Let us know how the new bulbs work out for you.

AJ :)