VHO people, 46.5" vs 48" help.....

[dahenley]

Hello,
Im new to the VHO world, and i would like to add some actinic lighting to my reef tank. currently, i run 3- 400W MH and am looking into adding VHO's

my question is this,
what is the difference between the 48" VHO bulbs, and the 46.5" VHO bulbs??

i understand there is length difference, but why would you need 46.5 bulbs on a 4ft tank?


i plan on running 4-UVI VHO bulbs off my IC 660.
any insite would be great! thanks

[shifty51008]

AFAIK the length is the only diff. and that is due to people haveing a canopy that can't support a 48" bulb along with the extra length the endcaps add to it.

[ksc]

They are 46.5 so they will fit in a 48" canopy. Most waterproof endcaps will add an inch or so to the total length.

[dahenley]

thanks KSC

( i was wondering if they measure bulbs by the actual bulb length or by the bulb endcap combo)

so that answers my question on that!!