To VHO or not to VHO??

[Bcollins111900]

I am running dual 250 watt 14K XM metal halides over my 90 gallon tank which is 95 percent LPS. The person I got the setup from has the hood wired for VHO which came with the tank just not the Ice Cap Ballast. I was wondering is it really worth getting an icecap ballst to run the 4 VHO's? All 4 bulbs are super actinics so the tank would be flooded with blue if I am correct?

[slief]

I had eight 4' VHO on my system along with my 400 watt MH's. Personally, I hated the VHO's. The endcaps would melt over time or become brittle, the bulbs burnt out frequently etc. My lighting system is very well ventilated with a large 12" fan that draws from my enclosed canopy and blows the air out the side of the house via ducting.. I will be adding flourescent lights in the near future to fill some poorly lit spots on my tank but I think I will end up going with t5's instead.

http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo347/shleif/Tanks/DSC00436.jpg

http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo347/shleif/Tanks/DSC00431.jpg

[Bcollins111900]

Yeah I think after reading your experience I will pass on them as well. They are in an enclosed hood with a PC fan blowing over the metal halide bulbs and they VHO's not even being on are pretty darn hot. Also I have really good light coverage so I can't complain. Thanks for your input!

[hammmerhead]

Yeah I think after reading your experience I will pass on them as well. They are in an enclosed hood with a PC fan blowing over the metal halide bulbs and they VHO's not even being on are pretty darn hot. Also I have really good light coverage so I can't complain. Thanks for your input!

Personally I couldnt live without my VHO's as an actinic supplement. I tried the 12,14 and 20K Halides and lost growth and that shimmering, shallow reef look. Went back to the 10K Halides and 4 actinic bulbs and its perfect. My end caps are 6 years old and still fine. I do have lots of air flow and you will need it also.

[mfinn]

I have 3x250 watt 14k Hamiltons and 4x160 VHO on my 240.
3 of the bulbs are actinic and one is a 50/50 bulb. The combination gives me a color I love.
FWIW, my VHO end caps are 12 years old and still fine. I use good quality bulbs last a full year before I change them out. Never had a problem with VHO's.

I use 3 120mm 12v Vantec Stealth fans in my canopy.

[dj9264]

I like the VHOs when they are new (very bright) but after 3-4 weeks they are nowhere near as bright. This is true of most bulbs but the HO bulbs seems to stay bright longer.

There was an article at ReefKeeping Magazine on this.

[Eric the half-bee]

I've got 4 -36" vho bulbs in the front of my 400 gal and 4- 400 watt mh 12K over the center. The vhos don't flood the tank w/blue but add a nice tint. Your setup may look more blue since its a smaller tank. I can't say the actinics add much in the way of growth but more of an aesthetic effect. Mine don't really get hot as slief commented but my vhos are not in an enclosure.
My bulbs typically last 6-8 months and the end caps look fine after 2 years. I'll consider t5s down the line.

[PSU REEFER]

Love my VHO's and will be putting 4x160 on my 300 w/ 400MH. Can't beat them for aesthetic like Eric said.