Let's see pics of VHO only tanks!

[Paul-sn]

As my nano-reef will be going to VHO-only lighting within the next month, I'd like to see pics of other people's tanks who choose to use VHO bulbs as their sole source of lighting.

[kozmo02]

i went to find my pics of my 30 gallon with VHO's and they are all gone, i have since torn the tank down to reset it up as a Zooanthid tank, i will post pics when i get it up.

but until that time, i will just look at everyone elses pics :D

[geofloors]

Here's a pic of my 55g softy tank. http://www.geofloors.com/images/55gallon.jpg


George

[Tcook]

George,

What combination of bulbs are you running. Looks very nice.

[geofloors]

Tom,

Thanks! I use 2 46.5 URI super actinic VHOs and 2 46.5" actinic white VHOs on an Ice Cap 660


George

[kozmo02]

GEOFLOORS WOW!!! thank tank is awesome!!! i cant even see your live rock things have grown so well. so what are you adding to your tank to maintain CA/ALK to get coralline like that?

what are the specs on your system? (skimmer, pumps, dosing, etc.)

thanks!

great tank

:thumbsup:

[geofloors]

kozmo,

Thanks! The tank is an AGA 55g. It uses an overflow box. Hagn 802 return pump. 3 maxi jet 1200's for circulation. All the rock is homemade rock except 2 top pieces I used to see it (10# fiji, 10# florida),4 " southdown sand bed. This tank is almost 3 years old. This tank is connected to a much larger system... a 120g sps tank, 100g rubbermaid stock tank refugium, and a 30g sump. The skimmer is a beckett2 knockoff and I use a homemade calcium reactor, The skimmer and reactor were both made by coralhound a few years ago. This system also has an auto top off.

Here's a pic of the whole system http://www.geofloors.com/coral/images/coral_4.jpg
Next to the Radiums the VHO's look really pink. I have since switched to 10000K Ushios on the 120. This pic is about 1 month old. The sump is behind the 120g


George

[Paul-sn]

Those are really beautiful tanks geofloors!
Great work!

Since you've changed the radiums to ushios, how does the lighting compare? Does the VHO tank still look very pink?

Let's see some more pics from anyone using VHO only!

[pi]

Side:
http://www.palmettoreefs.com/gallery/paul/paulrt_4997.jpg

Front:
http://www.palmettoreefs.com/gallery/paul/paulft_5023.jpg

[outprowllin]

heres a pic with one 96 watt uri aqua sun ,one 96watt coralife tricromatic and one 30 watt actinic 03 if it dont show i will post a link below.........jaime




http://www.geocities.com/outprowllin/pagenine

[outprowllin]

oh well try this ..it will work.......jaime




www.geocities.com/outprowllin/pagenine

[Paul-sn]

Wow, pi, your tank is incredible!
I'm personally not one for 100% acro tanks, so your mixed setup is simply amazing to me! Great job!

outprowllin, none of your pics are coming up... can't wait to see them!

Keep them coming everyone!

(hmmm... every sentence I wrote in this post ended in an exclamation point, except for this one...)

[kozmo02]

great pics everyone, some really sweet tanks!

:D

[chrixx]

Anyone else have 100% VHO lighting? Keep the pics coming!

[pbanda]

Here is a pic of my 55:
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/amalinow/FishTank/Images/FullTank.jpg

[Bomber]

pbanda

That's the color I'm looking for.

What combination of VHO's are you using??

GREAT TANKS HERE!

[pbanda]

I've got:
2 actinics
1 50/50
1 Aquasun
- all URI

I used the manual white balance on the camera and calibrated it using the top of the kalk jar. It is a little off, still better than auto.
-pbanda

[Leviathan]

Beautiful Tanks all.

[mantashrimpman]

how much did you all spend on your lights? if you could go back would you go mh?

[GARFVolunteer]

Here are 2 end shots of my tank 5 months apart using 4 VHO and 4 NO....

March 2002
http://www.garf.org/ScottCorals/End_Mar_2002.jpg

August 2002
http://www.garf.org/ScottCorals/End_Aug_2002.jpg

[chrixx]

GARFVolunteer:
Great growth pictures. I hope everyone sees how you can grow great looking SPS with VHO lighting. What is your photo period and what type of supplementation are you using? Thanks

[GARFVolunteer]

The actinics are on for 12 hours and the aquasuns and white actinics are on for 11 hours. The actinics come on 1/2 hour before and stay on 1/2 hour later.

The only thing I add to the tank is kalk as make-up water and fish food. I do a 15% water change monthly when I remember to....

[Paul-sn]

Wow! These tanks are all absolutely beautiful! They really speak for the usefulness of VHO bulbs, particularly GARFvolunteer's growth pics.
I feel 100% comfortable going VHO only. Cool.

[Bomber]

You guys are the ones I should ask this.

I can only use URI (46.5") bulbs and only four across.

Which VHO's or combination would you use to light a FO tank?

I was thinking about using only actinic/whites (4) because they would be brighter, but are the Aquasuns brighter than the 50/50's? Do the Aquasuns need actinic or 50/50 to make them look better?

I'm confused! :)

[geofloors]

The aquasuns are very pink IMO and need actinics to tone down the pink. FWIW, the actinic white are still pink but not as bad.

Nice tanks everyone!!!

Paul-sn
Since you've changed the radiums to ushios, how does the lighting compare? Does the VHO tank still look very pink?

It's too soon for me to comment on the Ushio to Radium comparison.

The tank still looks pink next to the Ushios but not like my above pic.


George

[GARFVolunteer]

Which VHO's or combination would you use to light a FO tank?

I would use the same as on a reef tank.

50% - URI Super Actinic
25% - URI White Actinic (50/50)
25% - URI Aquasun

The Super Actinic are too blue
The White Actinic are too yellow
The Aquasuns are a pinkish yellow but add brightness

The combination together is awesome.

Actinic Only
http://www.garf.org/dc240/320x240/wDcp_1864.jpg

Actinic White only
http://www.garf.org/dc240/320x240/wDcp_1867.jpg

Combination of the three
http://www.garf.org/dc240/320x240/wDcp_1860.jpg

Thanks,

Scott

[Bomber]

Scott, you wouldn't have a picture of just the actinic white and aquasuns, would you?

:)

[Paul-sn]

The picture with just the 50/50 bulb looks best to me. You get lots of colour out of all your corals.

[GARFVolunteer]

Originally posted by Bomber
Scott, you wouldn't have a picture of just the actinic white and aquasuns, would you?

:)

Sorry Bomber,

I don't have any of just the aquasuns. At the time I took the other pictures I had extra 50/50 bulbs so I could have 4 bulbs on a 660 ballast.

Scott

[Bomber]

Shoot, thanks anyway Scott.

I was just wondering, since the 50/50's tend to be a little yellow and the aquasuns people say are a little pink but brighter - how would a combination of the 50/50's and aquasuns be? Say two 50/50's and two aquasuns.

Sounds to me like that might be a good bright combination.

So far, I like the all 50/50 best too.

[GARFVolunteer]

Brighter yes, but the actinics will help bring out the colors in the fish.... :D

Scott

[giantxtc]

Here's a pic of my 60gal.w/uri bulbs.A total of 440watts.Not the best shot,sorry.:D

[giantxtc]

Here's a little bit older pic before I moved 4 months ago.Shows the light setup better.

[kozmo02]

im not a big fan of the aquasun bulbs on reefs although they work great on freshwater plant tanks.

[Paul-sn]

This is turning out to be quite a cool thread.
I like seeing all the vho reefs. They're all really great.
Even the most MH-devoted reefers gotta admit that these setups (even the acro ones) are looking great! (They might even be jealous that colour is sooo easy to play around with ;) )

[dlh5150]

I'm running an Icecap 660 powering four 46.5" bulbs. Two are URI actinic and two are URI 50/50. I really like the color. The biggest improvement I saw on my lighting was when I added polished aluminum reflectors in my hood. Even though the URI bulbs have 180 degree reflectors in the bulbs, I felt enough stray light was getting away from the tank. The reflectors really made all the light re-direct into the tank and brightened thing up. I ordered the cut-to fit reflectors from Champion Lighting and Supply.

dlh

[john76]

Anyone have a pic of a half aquasun half actinic combo? I'm getting my VHO's soon (4 bulb)and was thinking of 2 aquasuns, and 2 actinics.

[Wazzel]

Here is mine, complete with product model. It is not a great pic, it is much brighter in person. 2 48" URI 50/50 and 2 48" URI actinic

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=11913&papass=&sort=1&thecat=500

[wiliiam]

Wazzel
I know what you mean. Pictures look great but they never do the tank real justice. It always looks better in person.

[Wazzel]

Will

Part of the problem is I do not own a digital camera. I have to borrow one from work and we have 3 to choose from. It seems I never get the same camera enough to really learn to use it.

[outprowllin]

heres one of my tank. i use 1 aqua sun 1 tricromatic and 1 actinic 03

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/8796fulltankresize.jpg

[justgettinstarted]

here is my 100g with 3 110W aquasuns and 1 superactinic run off an icecap 660

http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~ggarner/tank1/tanks.JPG

[willra]

keep 'em comin'! These tanks are great and give us a good idea of the URI color combos. I agree with paul about the vho's, and this thread is inspiring me to go with vho (now the reason is not just the money :D ).
giantxtc - I really like the color your getting, and like how you have you vho out in the open (no heat problems!) Can you tell me how you mounted them? (it looks pretty simple, w/ acrylic, but want to make sure) BTW great tank!
Scott -wow, great color. All those sps, w/ just vho, WOW, all those mh'ers are jealous! -Will

[Nyxll]

I played around with a few bulb combos a few years back & settled on 3 uri actinic whites & 1 uri super actinic. I never tried the aquasun bulbs though. I use MH now except for my 1 bubble tip anemone tank which has 1 uri 50/50 & 1 uri super actinic.

Greg

[willra]

These are great comments. Does any one else have their VHO tank to share? :) -will

[epon]

2 x 10k URI , 2 x 03 URI , 48 " 55g

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/1390355g2.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/1390355g.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/13903xenia-digi.jpg

[epon]

Guess I should clarify , the URI bulbs I called 10K are super actinic white and the ones I called 03 are super actinic blue. :)

[john76]

epon, that's a great looking tank

[Frick-n-Frags]

When I redo my reef system this winter, my main display will be a 75 gal which I intend to put 8 4' VHO's over, 5 super actinics and 3 GE 6000K daylights which are NO but look like an arc welder when fired from an IceCap 660.

No MH and NO ENDCAPS :D

I will still have a prop tank with Iwasakis and VHO actinics on it.

[justgettinstarted]

no endcaps? are you going to solder the leads on?

[john76]

I think he meant normal output

[Ricordea.com]

http://www.palmettoreefs.com/images/DCP_1728_.JPG

http://www.palmettoreefs.com/images/DCP_1732.jpg

http://www.palmettoreefs.com/images/DCP_1733.jpg

[crab0000]

no endcaps? are you going to solder the leads on?
I think so. Frick had a thread a few days where one of his endcaps caught on fire. I think he is going to solder a pigtail onto the bulbs and then use wire nuts to connect to the ballast, but I am sure he will chime in and let you know.
Steve

[Tomzpc]

http://members.aol.com/TOMZPC/REEFSHOTS/TANK

The tank is lit with 4 x 110 URI actinic white and 2x110 URI super actinic. I'm considering switching to a 3 and 3 mix just because I prefer a bluer look.

Tom

[dsb1829]

I don't have any pictures at current. Maybe on my home pc. At any rate, over my FO tank I played around with a bunch of bulbs. I think we have already seen in the previous replies that mixing the bulbs will yeild the best colorations. I prefer to run URI lamps as they are the most reliable lamps I have come across. However I like to mix a true 10,000K lamp in to brighten the tank up. So I have to run a Coralife 10,000k vho lamp.

My favorite mix for coloration in a reef tank: URI actinic in front, URI 50/50 next, 10000K coralife, and if a fourth bulb is run it will be a URI 50/50 in the back.

Another nice mix for a FO tank is a three bulb setup: URI 50/50 in front, Triton or URI aquasun in middle (brings in the pink coloration), and a 10000K in the back. These three bulbs really display just about all fish colors exceptionally well and also give the tank a warm look as oposed to the hard blue look that just the 50/50-10000K tank.

[Algae Blenny]

Wow Nice

[corro]

Originally posted by dsb1829
I don't have any pictures at current. Maybe on my home pc. At any rate, over my FO tank I played around with a bunch of bulbs. I think we have already seen in the previous replies that mixing the bulbs will yeild the best colorations. I prefer to run URI lamps as they are the most reliable lamps I have come across. However I like to mix a true 10,000K lamp in to brighten the tank up. So I have to run a Coralife 10,000k vho lamp.

i agree with dsb1829, i also like the color of the coralife 10,000k bulb. I ended up running 1x50/50 (uri), 2xactinic03 (uri), 1x 10,000k (corallife). I did have 1 aquasun bulb, but i didnt really care for the pink color. drove me nuts actually. :eek1:

If anyone is interested i can take some pics of my tank and post this weekend. Its a pretty new tank ( 5 months ) ... So, its not SUPER stocked yet. :rollface:

[john76]

Please post pics

[SPC]

Here is a link to my tank pictures.http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=213423

4 Aqua sun and 2 50/50.

I just changed my bulbs and went with 5 Aqua sun and 1 50/50, I can't tell any difference from the old set up.
Steve

[willra]

epon - great tank!!, btw, I think the actinic whites are 12k, just FYI. You're getting great growth out of all your corals. ;)
SPC- looks really nice, that is a more yellower tint, just personal preference :)
Tomzpc- looks really nice!! Yeah I prefer a bluer look to, I think when I get my URI bulbs I will go: 50% super actinic, 50% actinic whites. I also might just order an extra aquasun bulb to try it out.

All these pics are sweet. -will

[willra]

Corro - I am also interested in that combo and really considered it for a while. Its wierd, because URI's are great bulbs, but ... I've heard the aquasun is too pink and the 50/50 is 12k -- no real 10k URI bulb! Pics would be appreciated -will

[corro]

Originally posted by willra
Corro - I am also interested in that combo and really considered it for a while. Its wierd, because URI's are great bulbs, but ... I've heard the aquasun is too pink and the 50/50 is 12k -- no real 10k URI bulb! Pics would be appreciated -will

NP... I'll get some pics up sometime in the next couple of days.

[Azurel]

Heres mine with 330 wats 220 03 tinic and 110 aquasun(all URI)

http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mediccdub1@sbcglobal.net/vwp?.dir=/My+Photos&.dnm=40g+long+reef.jpg&.view=t

[willra]

thanks corro

[SPC]

Originally posted by willra
Its wierd, because URI's are great bulbs, but ... I've heard the aquasun is too pink

You just said mine look yellow, willra, which is it, yellow or pink ;) ?
Steve

[willra]

Sorry, if my posts were confusing. I don't have aquasuns, but have heard they are too pink. This can come off looking a little yellow compared to other 10k bulbs, or without a lot of supplemental actinic lighting (this is what I have observed looking at many tank pics).
BTW, Your corals look Great, and I like your aquascaping. ;) -will

[willra]

Laurie - that reef is so beautiful it gives my shivers up my back :eek2: ! I love the mandarin, and all the corals! What combo of VHOs is that? I don't think it was specific on the site. Thanks! :)

[justgettinstarted]

pink? i think you guys are nuts....

I have 3 awuasuns and only 1 super actinic which is in the fron of the tank (acrylic) and mine looks anything but pink!!!!

I have a 250W DE USHIO 10k on my 30g next to the main tank... and i can see both tanks at the same time and it really does not apear pink or yellow to me at all...

jmo

[justgettinstarted]

are those green star polyps in that one pic?

[pi]

I have to say I do not see the pink either. I really like the AS and highly suggest them in a SPS dominated reef tank. I just replaced my bulbs from 2/2/2 to 3 AS and 3 actinic 03's. The tank is much brighter and the corals are responding well. Matter fact, one Acro has spawned twice after the switch...

[Azurel]

This tanks has 330 watts of VHO(220w of 03+110w od aquasun)

[SPC]

Originally posted by willra
Sorry, if my posts were confusing. I don't have aquasuns, but have heard they are too pink.

Yes I have heard this too, but I think my pictures prove that this is not true.

This can come off looking a little yellow compared to other 10k bulbs, or without a lot of supplemental actinic lighting (this is what I have observed looking at many tank pics).

Well I personally don't see the yellow either in my tank pics, I run them because they look white to me.

[/b]BTW, Your corals look Great, and I like your aquascaping. ;) -will[b]

Thanks will, I appreciate that.
Steve

[VinceC]

Here is a couple pictures of my tank before I moved run on VHO.

http://oceanencounter.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=OE&Category_Code=LS

Vince
www.oceanencounter.com

[ASH]

Vince,
Great picture, but it looked even better in person.

Andy

[pi]

ASH - What is your comment on the pink hue of the aquasun 10k bulbs? Like I said above, I do not see it and love the way my tanks responds to the AS bulb(s).

Has IceCap ever completed any spectral anaylsis on the aquasuns?

[corro]

Originally posted by SPC
Well I personally don't see the yellow either in my tank pics, I run them because they look white to me.

SPS - I do agree that your tank pics don't look at all pink. I think it also might be the combination of the 03 and the AS ( i say as i step out on the in-experience limb ). Its prob just a question of semantics when mixing up all that yellow/pink/purple/lavender/blue light :eek: ... i'll use Azurel's pic *which looks fantastic BTW* ( Attachment: whole shot of tank(40gal).jpg ) of as an example of a tank that feels a bit on the "pink" side, to me. This is very close to the way my tank looked. Either way, just a personal preference. :p

on that note -- i was thinking that it would be really cool to have a webpage that shows diff VHO bulb combinations. Perhaps even some sort of a side-by-side view (?) . If you guys are interested i'll throw something together with some of the pics from RC ( with permission of course ). I was REALLY wishing that there were something like this when i was getting my VHO setup and recently when i purchased a T5 setup.

[SPC]

Originally posted by corro
SPS - I do agree that your tank pics don't look at all pink. I think it also might be the combination of the 03 and the AS

It might be if I used any 03 bulbs:D .
Steve

[willra]

This is very interesting. I guess it just goes to show that it is all a matter of preference (as I said defore) and we all see lighting in tanks differently and prefer certain shades toward another. There have been many opposing opinions:

Quotes:
"The aquasuns are very pink IMO and need actinics to tone down the pink. FWIW, the actinic white are still pink but not as bad."

"Well I personally don't see the yellow either in my tank pics"

"I did have 1 aquasun bulb, but i didnt really care for the pink color. drove me nuts actually. "

"I have 3 awuasuns and only 1 super actinic which is in the front of the tank (acrylic) and mine looks anything but pink!!!!"

Also, tank pics don't neccessarily represent the actual color of the tank which is why an owner of a tank (who sees it in person) can disagree with a viewer of a tank pic. I don't think a picture can necessarily prove anything about a certain bulb weather it is a certain shade of yellow, pink, or white. Thanks, just my 2 cents.

Happy VHO'ing
:beer:

[Chris Clrk]

Hey Garf volunteer do you ever go to the Boise reef club?

[Critter]

With all thats been said over the last 4 pages... And the sum of the pics. Could anyone tell me which 2 bulb URI 46.5" 110w VHO bulb combo on a 55gal FOWLR (will be adding moderite light and easy to care for corals/sponges etc) would produce the best result for coraline (photosynthesis) etc growth but keep the color to a white or slight blue tint. No heavy pinks or blue color.
I was thinking 1 50/50 actinic white (to help with the photosynthesis) and 1 10k Aquasun. I'm hoping to order the hood today provided i can get over this stumbling block lol. Thanks in advance and have a sparkling day!
Chris

Ps. if someone had this combo listed already and I missed it, my apologies.

[pi]

Could anyone tell me which 2 bulb URI 46.5" 110w VHO bulb combo on a 55gal FOWLR (will be adding moderite light and easy to care for corals/sponges etc) would produce the best result for coraline (photosynthesis) etc growth but keep the color to a white or slight blue tint. No heavy pinks or blue color.

I would try two of the 50/50's.

[justgettinstarted]

i second that...

[Critter]

Thanks a bunch guys... That helps a bunch, wouldn't have thought of that combo. I still have to get the retro and build my own hood, but I will up picks if this thred is still going by then. Thanks again.
Chris

[willra]

2 50/50s sound good, a nice crisp white color (a hint of blue, but not noticable), good for corals.

[rstark33]

I am alittle late and with out pictures. But, I started my 75 gallon with 2 actinic and 2 aquasun and is was a little too pink. I switched one aquasun to a coralife 10,000 K that is much whiter to the eye and it balanced things out perfectly. Everyone that sees the tank comments on the lighting looking very good and natural. Just my $.02

[corro]

http://www.hivemind.com/fish/VHOtank_light_a.jpg
1xWhite (URI), 2x03 (URI), 1xAquaSun (URI)

http://www.hivemind.com/fish/VHOtank_light_b.jpg
1xWhite (URI), 2x03 (URI), 1x10,000k (Coralife)

[...Stoked!]

Great Pics everyone!
I have a canopy for a standard 55g for sale that comes complete with all new VHO bulbs. 440w TOTAL
1- 10k bulb
1- actinic white
2- actinic Rs
and an IceCap 660.
Its black, 6 months old and in perfect condition.

If you are interested, email RWOodin@cfl.rr.com

[hystrix]

here is my vho mixed tank

[hystrix]

left side

[hystrix]

rt

[willra]

nice tank hystrix. I like you scopas tang. I also like the color of your lighting, I think I might also go w/ 2 50/50s and 2 actinics.

[kenreef]

Great thread keep it going

[Paul-sn]

Yeah, it's kinda old, but good to see.
I actually ended up going with a halide fixture, after being told countless many times that I would eventually want one... well, I don't. I think I would much have preferred going with VHOs. I'll definitely use my halide, but I should have gone with the VHOs, or overdriven NOs. Much more control over colour, and I would have a better canopy design.

Oh well, we learn with our mistakes. There's a lot of things I now know I don't like about my system, but that's okay. When I get around to making a new one... it will be much better because of it!

So keep the pics coming!
Great tanks everyone!!!

[pi]

Thought I would post an update picture of the orange monti cap that can be seen in the center of the picture on the first page... Roughly 6 months elapsed time...

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3437monticapresize2.jpg

[Paul-sn]

Awesome!
And they say you NEED halides to keep SPS...

[Algae Blenny]

That Monti Cap is amazing, all the tanks look great.

[john76]

2 Actinics 1 aquasun 1 actinic/white

http://images.snapfish.com/33936%3A6723232%7Ffp46%3Dot%3E2328%3D338%3D825%3DXROQDF%3E2323476%3C55%3A%3C8ot1lsi

http://images.snapfish.com/33936%3A6723232%7Ffp45%3Dot%3E2328%3D338%3D825%3DXROQDF%3E2323476%3C55%3B44ot1lsi

http://images.snapfish.com/33936%3A6723232%7Ffp46%3Dot%3E2328%3D338%3D825%3DXROQDF%3E232347739%3B%3A37ot1lsi

http://images.snapfish.com/33936%3A6723232%7Ffp45%3Dot%3E2328%3D338%3D825%3DXROQDF%3E232347739%3B%3A55ot1lsi

[psycho_clown]

? how far away form the top of my water should i place the lights and just to say those tanks look great

[s13silvia]

an old pic 2 super actinic and 2 actinic white

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid90/p84d84a1c5e9afbddfac7904a8fc5261a/fa76c362.jpg

[valkrdr]

I have to say that all of these vho lit tanks look really great. I have been using custom sealife power compacts the last few years and I have never used vho lamps or halides , have used n.o. bulbs in the past. It seems to me that the pc lights never produce the same amount of coraline algea as the n.o. lamps did . The one thing that I see in these tanks is copius amounts of coraline algae , and I love seeing coraline covered live rock almost as much as I do the corals and fish.....I am in the process of setting up a 150 gallon tank and was considering using metal halides this time , but after seeing the pics of these beautiful tanks I will probably go with vho's instead , less money and very beautiful in my opinion.....thanks for the great pics and this is a very informative thread...............Steve

[XxDutchxX]

For FO i prob would just use some nice normal ouputs, or 2 VHO's. You'll prob find yourself wanting to add some coral though. So i would go half white half actinic. The actinic will accent the colors on your fish very nicley.

[epon]

took a few pics I was proud of:

http://www.cimaonline.us/members/epon/12.03.03.55/slides/acro.jpg

http://www.cimaonline.us/members/epon/12.03.03.55/slides/greenacro.jpg

http://www.cimaonline.us/members/epon/12.03.03.55/slides/greendigi.jpg

[Nammy]

epon

How do you post large file on the forum?
I don't know how.

[epon]

Click the IMG button when creating the post, paste the address where the picture is hosted into the text field. Helps to hit preview reply to see if it worked.

[corro]

i wanted to post this up... and say thanks to everyone who let me use the awesome pictures of their tanks! if anyone has any unusual bulb combos that i missed i'd love to include them.

when i initially setup my tank i kept wishing i was able to see what the color of diff VHO bulb combinations would look like. I set up a web page so that people could quickly select and compare VHO bulb color. I realize that these pics were all taken with different cameras, Etc ... hopefully people will find it a little helpful.

I pulled all the aquarium photos from this thread here on RC - hope you enjoy it. the only editing i did to the pics was to size and/or crop them ... some of the owners may have edited the pics.

feel free to give me some feedback. you can --> check it out here <-- (http://www.hivemind.com//fish/VHOBulb/) :rollface:

[canes218]

Originally posted by corro
i wanted to post this up... and say thanks to everyone who let me use the awesome pictures of their tanks! if anyone has any unusual bulb combos that i missed i'd love to include them.

when i initially setup my tank i kept wishing i was able to see what the color of diff VHO bulb combinations would look like. I set up a web page so that people could quickly select and compare VHO bulb color. I realize that these pics were all taken with different cameras, Etc ... hopefully people will find it a little helpful.

I pulled all the aquarium photos from this thread here on RC - hope you enjoy it. the only editing i did to the pics was to size and/or crop them ... some of the owners may have edited the pics.

feel free to give me some feedback. you can --> check it out here <-- (http://www.hivemind.com//fish/VHOBulb/) :rollface:


Hey thanks for the link and the work put into it. I'm in the process of choosing new lights and it was very helpful.

Andy

[corro]

Originally posted by canes218
Hey thanks for the link and the work put into it. I'm in the process of choosing new lights and it was very helpful.


fantastic! i'm glad it helped! :rollface:
what light combo did you go with?

[Chris Mu.]

pic

[Chris Mu.]

another pic .. the stupid light bar screwed things up for the tank pic lol

[canes218]

Originally posted by corro
fantastic! i'm glad it helped! :rollface:
what light combo did you go with?

I didnt order it yet but was planning on the 2x URI 03 / 1x URI 50/50 / 1x CoralLife 10k. But i couldnt find the corallife 10k for a 46.5 setup so Im most likely going with 2x URI 03 / 1x URI 50/50 / 1x Uri Aquasun. Just got to set up a canopy and then the fun can begin. :D

Andy

[grahxen]

I think youll be happier using 2 50/50 bulb and not the aqua sun. The aqua sun has alot of red in it, and doesnt look to apealing.

[Agent Powder Tang]

Nice pictures everyone!

I have actinic, 50/50, 10,000k, total of 90watts for a 75gallon. Is there anything that would be able to keep in there besides LR?

[grahxen]

Not much, mabey some shrooms. How did you get 90W total are u using standard NO bulbs?

[XxDutchxX]

you can prob keep some shroomz and zoos.

[Agent Powder Tang]

Originally posted by grahxen
Not much, mabey some shrooms. How did you get 90W total are u using standard NO bulbs?

Yeah, I got it as a gift. It came with 3 tubes only. "36inches" 30 watts per flourocent. :(

Thanks guys.

BTW, my rocks are stacked pretty high close to the lights, that wouldn't help either would it? :confused:

[willra]

I'm very happy with the color of my 2 super 03's and 2 50/50s. Crisp white, not too blue at all.

[Paul-sn]

Agent Powder Tang, while 3 NO tubes isn't very much, you can certainly keep more than shrooms. Easily.
A local fish store around my place is run by a man who's used nothing but normal output bulbs his whole time in reefing. Which is about 30 years. His tanks are beautiful... easily matching some of the nicer halide tanks on this site.

Now, he certainly can't and doesn't keep any SPS corals, but he has a nice selection of leathers, other softies and LPS. He uses only 2 normal output tubes.

It wouldn't hurt to try and add a few corals to your tank. However, you should keep a few things in mind.

1) Your water chemistry needs to be excellent. Be sure your calcium and alkalinity are right on, particularly.

2) You should probably feed your corals a little heavier than someone with brighter lights would.

3) Go slow when you add them, and do the corals a favor: pick just those that don't need extreme amounts of light! Most LPS and softies like shrooms and zoos will do fine, but don't even think about clams or SPS.

Basically, you can't deny that these animals will do well under your kind of lighting.
Just don't expect stellar growth... because you won't get it.

Lastly, you may consider getting a better ballast on which to run your bulbs.
I don't know what you're using right now, but an electronic ballast like an IceCap (although expensive) or a Workhorse will pump more light through your tubes, and then you won't have anything to worry about at all.
IceCaps in particular are able to overdrive NO bulbs at about VHO intensity. I'm not sure abour Workhorses, but it would allow you to upgrade to PC bulbs if you ever so chose (but so would the IC).

[wwwatcher1]

cool pics everyone. Does anyone know how to control a 660 to turn on at VHO at different times but not use the ice cap digital timer (being discontinued)?

[ASH]

From IceCap:
Champion Lighting makes and distributes the Solar Line of dimmers, the only one we have approved. They can be used on any IceCap Model 430 or 660 VHO electronic ballast. If dimming is choppy we can at n/c modify the ballast to dim smoother (if it wasn't originally purchased with the mod.) . Our digital timer was only good for turning all the lamps on or off, not dimming.
http://www.championlighting.com/e/env/00018gecnA1ER1cSs44M588/Products/Lighting/lighting.html?link=/Products/Controllers/solar.html

Andy

[Agent Powder Tang]

Paul-sn,

Thank you. I will try to add some shroms and zoos to see how it goes and then I'll try some more things.

About the ballast. I heard that if I get a stronger ballast, it will blow my lighting out. I read that 30 watt light must equal 30 watt ballast. I guess it has to be equal. :confused: I can't really change the ballast anyway because I have a custom canopy that came with the tank. I think I need to take a picture because its hard to describe. :p

[ASH]

From IceCap:
Please visit our site www.icecapinc.com or our forum on RC.
We have UL approved VHO ballasts for applications running NO lamps at VHO output and having been doing so safely for years.

Your hood may not be appropriate for the conversion due to heat issues and the endcaps in place.

Andy

[wwwatcher1]

thx ASH.

I was looking at that but thats higher than my appoved allowance.

I saw a digital ocean dimmer. Will that work also?

[wwwatcher1]

ASH

what do need to do to MOD my 660?

[dsb1829]

Great tanks all. Bump this one up for another round. BTW, couldn't find any pictures worth sharing of the tank I had vho only on. Sorry. That was back before I owned my own digital camera, so picture sessions were a bit more sparse than they are now.

[traveller7]

Originally posted by wwwatcher1
thx ASH.

I was looking at that but thats higher than my appoved allowance.

I saw a digital ocean dimmer. Will that work also?

As an owner of an IceCast and 2 Solar Dimmers: pass on the ice cast unless you can find someone to support it.

[corro]

Originally posted by traveller7
As an owner of an IceCast and 2 Solar Dimmers: pass on the ice cast unless you can find someone to support it.

what sort of problems have you had with the ice cast? support it how? i just picked one up on ebay and haven't even recieved it yet. :eek:

[Joe_Bui]

All the tanks look GREAT! Now can anyone show me maxima or crocea clams in their tanks? I love the colors available from them, but am worried that VHO's will not be enough even if I put them on the rocks, closer to the lights....


Thanks,


Joe

[epon]

Originally posted by Joe_Bui
All the tanks look GREAT! Now can anyone show me maxima or crocea clams in their tanks? I love the colors available from them, but am worried that VHO's will not be enough even if I put them on the rocks, closer to the lights....


I think most people in RC believe the crocea and maxima are best kept under MH. I might be wrong , but everything I'v ever read said MH as a minimum for those species.

[Obi-dad]

MH may be great for max and crocea, but not the only lighting that will allow them to thrive. Many are using T5 lighting, check out moonpod. Not sure about VHO, but T5s can cram more light under a given canopy space than VHO.

[GARFVolunteer]

This one is about 16 inches down in a VHO only tank...

http://myweb.cableone.net/smorell/8-31-02_Clam.jpg

[drock59]

more pics, more pics

[Joe_Bui]

Hey Scott,

I was thinking of you when I wrote my last post. Didn't remember you having a clam or not though....Good to know I can do it. Thanks for the pic....

BTW..NICE Maxima!


Joe

[kmu]

More VHO only tank pics... please...

[drock59]

bump^^^^

[magicreef]

Beautiful pics, I was looking at VHO's too for when my lighting gets completely replaced whenever that is.

[Chris Mu.]

few pics from my vho only tank ... more in my gallery

[kmu]

I want more pics of this beautiful tanks...

THX in advance...

Mario Camou

[GARFVolunteer]

Here is a link I made of my tank this weekend for the local reef tour: http://mta-boise.com/ReefTour2004/scottmorellslide/scott_morell.html

Thanks,

Scott

[john76]

Changed my bulb set up to 3x 50/50's and 1x 03..... I don't like the aquasuns.

I used to have 2x 03's 1x aquasun and 1x 50/50. I like my current setup better.

http://images.snapfish.com/339%3B489923232%7Ffp58%3Dot%3E2328%3D338%3D825%3DXROQDF%3E23234%3A%3B72363%3Aot1lsi

http://images.snapfish.com/339%3B489923232%7Ffp58%3Dot%3E2328%3D338%3D825%3DXROQDF%3E23234%3A%3B723642ot1lsi

http://images.snapfish.com/339%3B489923232%7Ffp58%3Dot%3E2328%3D338%3D825%3DXROQDF%3E23234%3B283%3B68%3Aot1lsi

http://images.snapfish.com/339%3B489923232%7Ffp54%3Dot%3E2328%3D338%3D825%3DXROQDF%3E23234%3B283%3B67%3Bot1lsi

http://images.snapfish.com/339%3B489923232%7Ffp54%3Dot%3E2328%3D338%3D825%3DXROQDF%3E23234%3A%3B72364%3Bot1lsi

[kmu]

Great looking tank.

I currently have a 20g with 4x75 VHO (2 White, 2 Blue)

Next year I will upgrade to a 60 cube, will keep my current set up and get an extra 4x24 T5 6,500k retro...

Will post a pic tonight...

[J19M]

Wow nice tanks. gives me an entire new hope for my all VHO setup

[hmoore]

All I have ever used was VHO (75G, 135G) at www.geocities.com/handlmoore

3 URI actinics
2 URI aquasuns

[john76]

wow, amazing tank

[achilles1]

here are some old pics of my 125 VHO tank. It looks like a totally different tank now. :) It has 3-50/50 and 3- actenics over it
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/31992zoos_hippo__Small_.JPG

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/31992left_monti_etc__Small_.JPG

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/31992tank__Small_.JPG

[Spider_Whistle]

I figured this would be the place to get some opinions on my new lighting setup :D

Later today I will be ordering a VHO retrofit from hellolights. I'm getting the 72" fixture that comes with 4 160W bulbs for 640W of VHOey goodness hehe.
Question is, does anyone think that might not be enough light? It will be going on a 135gal tank that is 24" deep. To me it sounds like it should be enough, but maybe it's not...
Any suggestions?

[pbanda]

For growth rate... Here is the first pic I posted back in June 2003:
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/amalinow/FishTank/Images/FullTank.jpg


And one from Dec 2003:
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/amalinow/smDec_27_2003.JPG

[hmoore]

Spider_whistle, are you sure that your 135G will have 24" of depth. I thought that at the standard length of 6' that the width would be 18" unless the height is shorter. If so, you can stuff another bulb under there even at the 18" depth. I have five under my 135G hood with 18" of space from front to back. You actually could probably stuff 6-8 tubes under there if you have 24". I have a moonlight setup on mine which limits the size of one more tube in mine. Four tubes would be fine though. If you are going to keep SPS, place light demanding acroporas right under the lamps. I have montiporas on the floor of the tank doing well. (JMO's)

[jimsta]

pbanda do you have a larger image of those growth rates that you could email me?

[john76]

pbanda, WOW, nice setup

What bulbs are you running? And is that one giant anemone in the bottom right?

(you might have already said this somewhere in this thread)

[Kirk_M]

2 Super Actinic 03 URI
1 AquaSun URI 10000K
1 Actinic White URI

http://bellsouthpwp.net/t/r/triax/reef%20march%202004.jpg

I don't have a digicam, so, this was scanned with my so-so scanner from a print.

[pbanda]

I run 2-03's, 1-50/50, and 1 AquaSun.
Yes that is my giant anemone... she just spawned eggs back in Feb. I have some pics in the Photography Forum. I had to cut back on feeding her cause she was getting too big!!

Jimsta - I took these using the "For Web" setting on my camera so those are the biggest ones I have. I might have some others... I will check when I get home.

[arinick]

Sorry for the blurry picture... need to use a tripod in the future. Some better shots in my gallery.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=31094&papass=&sort=1&thecat=500

[drock59]

arinick, great looking tank. what bulb is giving it that red look??? Maybe it is just the camera?

[arinick]

Drock, thanks! The bulbs are 3 URI 50/50s and 2 URI 03s.

This was a quickie since I wanted to get a recent full tank shot up there to show some people. I photoshop to get rid of the heavy blue, but on the full tank shots I seem to always lose something. Some of the shots in my gallery are better, although I'm still striving for something that really does it justice. I took some great closeups of individual SPS colonies lately that I hope to get up soon, too.

[s13silvia]

here are some recent pics of my VHO lit tank and will be my last vho pics since i should be setting up halides this weekend :D

http://img21.photobucket.com/albums/v62/tkblazer/tank%20pics/P1010030_copy.jpg

my lil clown and his new found home :p

http://img21.photobucket.com/albums/v62/tkblazer/tank%20pics/P1010015.jpg

[pbanda]

arinick - do you have manual white balance setting on your camera? Using it will help with the colors.

[arinick]

Pbanda- I've played around with the manual white balance, and am certainly going to work on it some more. Just wish I had more time to take pictures!

Wow- great looking purple monti in your gallery. Still looking for a nice one of those!

[Kirk_M]

Originally posted by arinick
Sorry for the blurry picture... need to use a tripod in the future. Some better shots in my gallery.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=31094&papass=&sort=1&thecat=500

What camera are you using?

[arinick]

Its a Nikon Coolpix 3100

Takes great shots, in general.

[naru]

Just out of curiousity, how often do you guys change your bulbs?
Seeing everyone's pictures I regret going with PC, but at the time I made my decision I heard that you needed to replace VHO bulbs every 6 month. Which can add up quickly.

naru

[GARFVolunteer]

Originally posted by naru
Just out of curiousity, how often do you guys change your bulbs?


I usually try to change bulbs anywhere from 6 months to a year. Kind of depends on the finances...

[drock59]

i use mine as actinic supplements so i will be changing the bulbs around 8 months.

[arinick]

My impression is that they last almost a year. I just changed out my 50/50 bulbs... I changed a single one first, and there was a very slight visible difference in spectrum between the old and new. However, the old bulbs didn't seem any less bright.

[Flatlander]

We experimented with some 4ft. vho bulbs, driven by an Icecap 660.

No way replacement at 6 months was necc. The 50/50 bulbs replaced at 2 yrs. seemed to be a fair bit brighter. So we decided on 18 months for 50/50. Actinics seemed to loose intensity much faster, so a year was the most for them.

This was on a 120, mixed tank that did have some sps.

[kmu]

Anyone know if old VHO bulbs draw more power? could old 2+years actinic bulbs cause algae blooms?

THX

[Devil Man]

wow now i want VHO i just have PC

[Devil Man]

see

[ASH]

From IceCap:
The old story about VHO lamp life being 6 months is based on fact, if you're running conventional VHO ballasts. After 6 months output could be down 30% but still consume the same amount of wattage. Electronic ballasts should put it over 1 year and I've tested lamps on our high frequency ballasts and show they're within 10% of new after 18 - 24 months, depending on the ambient temperature / venting of heat they receive. Color shift either doesn't occur or is a product of cheaply made lamps. Lamp-ends blackening is the build-up of filament particles on the glass which eventually causes the filament to break. We don't use the filament in that manner so the lamps should remain relatively clean and filament breakage a rarity. Rapid blackening could be a warning of a loose lamp pin or poor connection between the lamp and the endcap. Immediate inspection is called for to avoid serious problems.
The 'new lamp' effect is a new clean lamp always looks brighter because all fluorescent lamps, except HO T-5's, burn off excess phosphorus the first 100 hours until they settle down to their rated output. You don't detect with your eye the 1% drop in output per day for the first 10 days. Also, clean lamps and reflectors project more light.
Actinic lamps do depreciate faster but if they're only for aesthetics, they can also go 2 years. When running NO T-12 lamps at 2X or more normal output on an IceCap you get VHO typed performance but 12 months is usually time to shop for replacements.
Andy

[drock59]

great info andy!!

[corro]

great info andy... thanks.

so, are actinics for aesthetics only, or do they contribute to the health of corals?

[J19M]

So can I imply from what Andy said lamps run by the icecap 660 should make it 18-24 months?

[BigBird]

Great thread!!

After reading this thread & looking at all the great tanks something has become apparant: the whole "you absolutely must have MH" thing is clearly dogma & not based on any scientific fact. I've been told that MH is a must for clams & sps, yet here are examples of people successfully keeping clams & sps without halides.

As a group, we've got to get past the "pricier is better" attitude that haunts this hobby IMO.

[Obi-dad]

Many of the people who say you should only use MH for SPS and clams have invested a lot of money in halides. Many people who invest a lot of money in anything will tend to rationalize the expediture.

[arinick]

This is indeed a great thread.

Here's my 2 cents:

Nobody benefits from killing corals or clams (except maybe your LFS, which is a different topic altogether). Halides have a proven success rate in quickly growing many species of SPS and maintaining their healthy coloration. Certain clam species undoubtedly fair better under intense lighting.

But, there is always a tradeoff. Under halides, many LPS (and even certain SPS) lose coloration. Some can't survive and bleach, even at the bottom of the tank. Undesirable algae can thrive, while beneficial coralline algae can bleach and dissipate.

The only way to ensure being successful is to choose hardware and inhabitants that work well together. Understanding your system's limitations and working within them will result in a successful reef tank with no casualties. All systems have limitations. By taking the time to learn to choose appropriate species (based on facts, not the subjective postings by proponents of certain strategies) you can have success with VHO, MH or even PC (although I wouldn't personally choose this option).

There's my rant. The truth is that I have always thought that I would upgrade to MH at some point. But, as my tank progresses, I see less and less reason to. I still may some day, in order to keep some of the more difficult SPS species that I drool over.

This is in no way meant to burn anybody. My very favorite tanks I have ever seen have always been run on halides. I'm SPS crazy, and if I started over, would probably go entirely that way. But, I've got a mix that would be hard to achieve in any other way, and that is pretty cool too. :bum:

[pi]

These are not full tank shots, but....
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3437nobilis.jpg

Selling my orange cap that outgrew my tank <sniff sniff>
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3437monticapout2.jpg

crocea clam
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3437newclam.jpg

A. robusta (maybe)
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/3437aquarium_013.jpg

Sorry about the poor quality of the pics. I suck at taking pictures.

Paul

[corro]

pi: wow! very nice! awesome orange cap! what kind of flow do you have in your tank?

[arinick]

Pi- we're going to have to see that full tank shot from you. Looks fantastic! Nice cap!

How much growth have you seen with that Birdsnest (I think that's what I saw back there)? I've thought about one... do your pictures represent the coloration right? I've wondered whether they would keep their pink under the VHO?

[pi]

what kind of flow do you have in your tank?
Right now I have a Mag 18 as my return pump connected to a SQWD which come up through the RR returns. I also have a Blueline 40 HDX that is connected to a closed loop, through a chiller and back to a pair of seaswirls.

we're going to have to see that full tank shot from you
There is not much to look at right now as the tank is going through a bit of a transition. I have recently removed some LPS and softies to accommodate more SPS.

How much growth have you seen with that Birdsnest (I think that's what I saw back there)? I've thought about one... do your pictures represent the coloration right? I've wondered whether they would keep their pink under the VHO?
I used to get a LOT of growth, but recently it as slowed tremendously. A group of green-stripped mushrooms have taken up residence in the colony and really decimated it from the inside out. They definitely keep their colour and an excellent addition for VHO lit tanks including the lower light areas of the tank. This is true for all members of the pocilliporidae (sp) family.


Here is an older picture of the tank that shows a better picture of the birdnest. Also check out the orange cap in the background. The growth was over 9-10 months.

http://www.palmettoreefs.com/gallery/paul/paulrt_4997.jpg

[arinick]

Pi- thanks for the info... this is exactly what I meant by getting your info from trusted sources.

I guess I know what I'll be getting next! :p

[arinick]

Took a couple of new shots tonight... hopefully a little less blurry than the last one.

http://athousandmonkeys.com/tank_center_04072004.jpg

http://athousandmonkeys.com/tort_frag.jpg

[J19M]

Wow! Nice pics. That is what I am working tward.

[psycho_clown]

I must tell you all thanks i pretty neew to the saltwater game and the only good lfs told me that the only way to grow sps is in a tank with Metal Halide Lights and i'm glad to see he is wrong those pics all of you have posted have sold me those are the types of tanks i someday wish to be able to have. The colors are just outstanding and vivid. Thanks again and will be following the thread .


Kristopher

[psycho_clown]

P.S found my new favorite thread :rollface:

[jdsabin1]

Pi's tank has been an inspiration for me for a long, long while. I have been a nano-reefer for a while now and being bit by the bug, I had to have bigger. I am now finishing up my basement and setting my new 150 gallon (6 foot long) tank In-Wall. The tank should be up and cycling within three weeks or so (keeping my fingers crossed).

I am going with a six bulb VHO configuration (2 URI AquaSuns, 2 50/50's, and 2 super actinic). Less heat, more affordable, and I want to keep softies, LPS and some SPS in the tank so VHO's should fill the bill quite nicely. I am going to be ultra slective as far as corals are concerned to make this reef as colorful and aesthetically pleasing as I can and I am in no hurry so this hobby is perfect for me :).

I will post pics when I get the tank up. I am not going for the 'wall of rock' look but rather two separate islands as my focus on livestock will also be emphasized.

This thread needs to stay alive so others know you can build a beautiful mixed reef tank with just VHO's if you so desire. What I hope doesn't happen is that we get people who want to argue about why you should go with halides only or VHO only, etc. That's the cool thing about this hobby ... beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It's been proven you can keep a beautiful reef tank with all kinds of lighting options and have your animals thrive.

Great thread and Pi, you're my hero ;).

[Blazerdog]

You guys are making me jealous.

[spsfreak]

Just got a new camera and still trying to learn how to use it.
I have a 65g with 440w of URI VHO, 2 Actinic 03, 1 50/50, and 1 Aquasun. 46.5"

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/7020/DSC00092.JPG

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/4339/DSC00008.JPG

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/2172/DSC00009.JPG

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/5254/DSC00046.JPG

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/6768/DSC00064.JPG

[jdsabin1]

Originally posted by spsfreak
Just got a new camera and still trying to learn how to use it.
I have a 65g with 440w of URI VHO, 2 Actinic 03, 1 50/50, and 1 Aquasun. 46.5"
Hoo boy ... gorgeous tank! Were those pictures taken with all of your VHO's on then, or just actinic or ? Out of curiosity, how high above the water do you have your bulbs and how hot do the VHO's actually get? Any heat issues?

Thanks and again, beautiful tank! :)

[drock59]

absolutely stunning photos!

[spsfreak]

Thanks guys.
jdsabin1,
I had all the lights on with all pics except the above shot of the A. Millipora, it is hard to get the true color of the corals without usinf the flash... even then it is still not the best. That being said I just got my new camera last night and it has so many features that I really don't know where to begin. (Sony DCS-F828) As for the lighting, trhe lights sit around 5 inches above the water, and yes if I did not have a radio shack fan blowing cool air into the canopy I would have a heat problem, the tank already runs roughly 82 degrees all the time, so I cant allow it to get much higher. Now with the 125 I'm setting up with MH lighting I will have a chiller on it.

Matt:cool:

[JonK]

Hey guys,

I've been following the thread for a while. I'll post a couple pics of my tank. Mostly softies, some LPS a couple SPS and 2 clams.
I don't have the best camera. This was just before a huge frag swap so it's changed a bit but I haven't gotten around to taking new pics.

Left side:
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/5019Left_Side.JPG


Right side:
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/5019Right_Side.JPG

I think in those pics I was running 2 Super Actinics and 2 10K URI bulbs.

There are a lot of beautiful tanks in this thread. Keep up the great work everyone.

Jon

[Obi-dad]

I love all these photos of VHO tanks, you guys have some great tanks. The pink-and-purple look is cool, but doesn't replicate anything I have seen in nature, at least not in any of the places I have snorkeled. Beautiful, just not very realistic. :)

[jdsabin1]

Originally posted by Obi-dad
I love all these photos of VHO tanks, you guys have some great tanks. The pink-and-purple look is cool, but doesn't replicate anything I have seen in nature, at least not in any of the places I have snorkeled. Beautiful, just not very realistic. :) I won't argue that but do challenge the rationale of 'realisitic'.

Most reef hobbyists do not create their tanks with realism as a key driver. In other words, keeping corals and fish that belong to the same region together. It's a mix and match mentality in our hobby which I believe is fine.

With that said, I have a hard time believing that when someone comes into pi's place and takes a look at his tank they say 'That sure isn't very realistic!'. I would venture to guess the words 'Wow!' or 'Awesome!' or 'Beautiful!' come to mind instead.

http://www.jeffsabin.com/Personalpics/pi-vho.jpg

Again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Most reef tanks aren't truly very 'realistic' based on what the definition of reality actually is.

[Obi-dad]

And I used the word 'love' :)

jdsabin1, I think you missed most of my post, I also complimented the great tanks on this thread. I was just making a comment about the coloration compared to the reefs I have seen snorkeling - for all I know there are reef scenes in nature that really look like that.

No one should take offense (please).

[tacocat]

tagging along

[psycho_clown]

keep those pics coming getting some good plans from them

[lousybreed]

I know that 6500K NO bulbs are real cheap...and i know that you can run them with vho ballasts....does anyone have comments on doing this? do the bulbs need to be changed more often, any spectrum shifts when this is done? any weird algae growing...what kind of bulbs do you use?

[drock59]

lousy, i dont think that is the best idea. especially when you can get a 48" VHO setup from hello lights for under a 100 bucks. It will look a lot better. You can overdrive the NO bulbs but i wouldnt do it. Especially if you have a reef tank. If so, its time to invest in some proper lighting. Just my two cents.

[tacocat]

I did it. I ran two VHO actinics and two daylight deluxe bulbs on an icecap 660. I switched them out for some aquasuns, but the growth rate in my tank as since slowed down and I don't have polyp extension I used to. I think I may go back to them. I switched the NOs every 6 months because they were cheap.

[lousybreed]

havent set one up yet just throwing around ideas. at hello you can build your own 4 bulb setup for like 210 including bulbs....most likely your cheapest option that will still insure good results...thanks for the heads up

[drock59]

no problem

[corro]

checkout this nice article on the icecap website about running NO bulbs ... http://www.icecapinc.com/rev1.htm

tacocat: do you have any pics of your tank running w/ the NO bulbs?

[tacocat]

No, unfortunately, I didn't have a DC at the time. I wish I had because I grew some phenomenal corals at the time. The NOs burned just as bright as my Aquasuns. I'll try to post pics of some SPS I grew under those conditions.
FWIW, I have no Ca Reactor or Sump. I am currently running a SeaClear System II with a modified Berlin HOB. This will be changing very soon.

[corro]

just curious ... what color would you say your tank was w/ the NOs?

[tacocat]

I'll take a pic tomorrow. I'd say It looked white. I used 5500K, and that was yellow. It wasn't blue or purplish. I got that look when I ran 50/50 and actinic. I didn't like it.
I run 4 48" bulbs staggerd across a 60" tank. Another thing of note, was that I removed 40lbs of rock from my tank, and that has brightened things up quite a bit.

[veng68]

Anyone running T-8 or NO bulbs with the Ice cap? I'd like to see pictures before I decide what lighting to use.

Thanks.

Cheers,
Vic [veng68]

[lousybreed]

At my LFS they have a 660gal reef lit solely by vho, i am going there to ask what combo they use, it looks real good. and for all the vho nay-sayers the tank is easily 30" deep and everything is awsome. The have a frogspawn that is the size of 2 basketballs and it is reproducing like crazy. there are babies the size of softballs all around the tank. another nice coral in there is a bubble that is approx 18" across!!!!!!!

[tacocat]

VHO, or NO powered by an Icecap are very capable of keeping virtually all corals alive, but the general consensus is that to obtain bright colored SPS, halides are required. I have seen this phenomenon in my own tank. The critical elements for stony corals are light, chemistry, and flow.
Yes one can keep SPS with stable chemistry, flow, and moderate lighting, but under halides, the SPS corals keep their bright colors and polyp extensions. Mind you, you may be able to do this with gobs of VHO lbulbs, but halides (14K and below)are more efficient at doing this.
In my tank, I use 440 watts of VHO. This has allowed certain SPS to thrive, but all have deepened in color. My yellow scroll with yellow polyps is now a mustard scroll with green polyps.
The one area where halides do struggle in is in getting the corals to flouresce as. This is why you see many people running 20,000K bulbs in the 400 watt range. Typically the more blue the Kelvin, the less PAR the halides generate.

[tacocat]

Here's a Heliopora that has grown like gagnbusters under VHO

[tacocat]

A porite that grew from my liverock

[enomadra]

Does anyone have any pictures of a tank that is running VHO but NOT!! URI bulbs. I would like to see a tank that is running on only Coralife bubs, maybe 3 - 10,000K and 1 True Actinic 03. or 2 - 10,000K and 2 - True 03's.

I just purchased 2 URI 03's and 2 URI 50/50 and I hate the way it makes my tank look.:mad: I am use to the nice crisp white of the PC 10,000K lights with the true 03 Actinic. When I put on the URI bulbs it makes everything look pinkish/purpleish. Any pics would be great.

OH and what is the effective range (inches deep) of a VHO light?

[corro]

i don’t have any current pics, but i currently run 1 super actinic, 2 50/50, and one coral life 10,000K. i'm on my second 10,00K bulb and i have found that the coralife tend to be very strong at first and dim very quickly (at least this bulb did) i replaced it after 4.5 months ... well see how long the second lasts. i also tried the 6,500k bulb and it was a bit to yellow for my taste. if interested i can take a pic of my current combo.

[enomadra]

sure, and any other input on Croalife bulbs is welcome

[tacocat]

Try running Aquasuns (10,000K) or better yet Daylight Delux 40w(6500K). I couldn't stand the 50/50s. I lit them for two minutes, pulled them out and stuck the DDlx right back in. I ran those bulbs for over a year.

[corro]

i found an interesting chart that listed the lumen output of a few diff NO bulbs and was curious what the effect of a Philips Advantage 5000K (3600 lumens) bulb would be on corals vs a Philips Daylight Delux 6500k (2325 lumens) bulb -- Here is the page <-- (http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/2637/spectra.html)

i know this has been covered in this thread, but personally i find the aquasuns to be to pink for my taste.

[tacocat]

Another phenomenon that I have noticied with VHO, is that color of your tank is directly related to the color of the organisms. My tank looked pinkish (the photos don't don't do it justice). I wanted to rescape my tank so I pulled 40lbs of rock out that had substantial pink coraline algae growth. Guess what, my tank looked white again. VHO tends to grow coraline faster than halide, and coraline has a smooth reflective surface.

[enomadra]

Hummm.... I wounder if that is the issue. My tank has tons of pinkish/purpleish coraline alge, I swear every rock is completely covered in it. I wounder why my PC lights don't make that happen?

And does anyone know the effective depth of VHO lights a reef tank.

[tacocat]

That doesn't appear to be the case with T-5's either. Either way, IMO, VHO=tuxedo urchins.

[jdsabin1]

Originally posted by tacocat
VHO tends to grow coraline faster than halide, and coraline has a smooth reflective surface. Fantastic news. I am hoping all my live rock will be coated with the stuff sooner than later. I absolutely love the way that looks in a reef tank.

Thanks for the headsup! :)

[GARFVolunteer]

If I let the coraline algae build up on the back glass, the tank will take on a pinkish tone. I keep it scrapped fairly well so it does not look pink IMO. However if I use my Cannon digital recorder to take stills or video of the tank they are always much pinker than the tank really is.

When T5s first came out, a buddy of mine decided to switch. When he had VHOs, his lighting was the same as mine and his was the best looking tank I had ever seen. After the T5 conversion, his tank had kind of a pea green tint to it. He switched back to VHOs after trying out many different T5 lighting combinations. Over a 3 year period he went from 6500K MH to 10000K mh to URI VHOs (4-Aquasuns, 4-Super Actinic) to URI VHOs (2-Aquasuns, 2-Actinic White 4-Super Actinic) to many different T5 combinations. He ended up going back to the URI VHOs since they looked the best.

From personal experience, VHO tanks can have SPS corals just as vividly colored as MH and T5 tank, if not more. There are a lot of local tanks that have corals that came from my tank. Many of these corals have turned a dull brown color while others look the same as before. Since there are many tank parameters that affect SPS coloration, one can not say the corals color changed due to the light. My buddy that played musical lights ended up with the exact lighting combination that I use and had most of the same corals. Three of the corals had coloring so different between the canks one would not know they came from the same mother colony.

I perfer VHO tanks but I am collecting all the ingredients needed to set up a MH tank with DSB, live rock, and refugium. I figure that way I can say I was successful having two almost completely different tanks.

Thanks,

Scott

[jdsabin1]

Originally posted by GARFVolunteer
From personal experience, VHO tanks can have SPS corals just as vividly colored as MH and T5 tank, if not more. This thread has convinced me that my plan to put 960 watts of VHO's above my 150 gallon tank is the right one. Running on Icecap ballasts I should get plenty of life, heat shouldn't be an issue and it will *not* be an all SPS tank. I love the 'pink' hue that certain VHO combinations tend to produce (at least in pictures) and I look forward to getting the tank up and running now even more than before.

Thanks for your observations :).

[corro]

jdsabin1: i think your zoos will love you for it <g> :) post some pics when you get your tank up and running!

[robbergen]

I never realized how pink/purple my tank looked until I took a picture to show a friend the other day. I am not sure if I like it or not but I am use to it. Let me know what you think. I am running 2 actinic URI/1 50/50 and 1 aquasun. In addition, I have 110w PC all actinic for dusk/dawn, but they are also on during the regular lighting cycle.

[kmu]

lousybreed: please take pics of that 660 and also of the canopy, Im a firmly believer that VHO, PC, Halide and T5 can grow SPS...

THX

[tacocat]

Robber, that's definitely due to the coraline. Turn you rock over or pick up a few tuxedo urchins.
Jeff, that's plenty of light for anything, but you will still need fans. VHO bulbs do get pretty warm. flourescent lighting is fine for anything. It's just diffused compared to halides, which are focused. Halides burn, flouresents glow.

[tacocat]

FYI, that porite is at the bottom of my tank. It grew rapidly under DDX (almost too fast), but has slowed down considerably with the Aquasuns.

[lousybreed]

guys i will ask for pics of the tank but i dont have a camera or a scanner. maybe i will steal the dig camera from work.....

[Spider_Whistle]

If I ever get my hood done, I can post some pics of my setup, but that could be even longer now, cause I think I might have screwed up...

I just had the wood cut, and have begun to assemble my hood, but I just realized that the bulbs will only be 9" off the water...
It's a 135gal tank, and will have 4 160W VHO bulbs. I ordered 2 of the 4" Icecap fans, and will have a fan running on the sump, but even with both of those, will the tank get too hot? I've heard that bulbs should be at least 12" from the water, and that's what I planned for, but somewhere in my calculations I screwed up (what else is new).
What do you guys think? Is 9" just way too close, or will it not be a big deal?

P.S. The tank is in an air conditioned basement... for what it's worth.

[grahxen]

With VHO the closer to the water the better. Only with metal halide you should shoot for 6-12" above teh water. My VHOs are about 4" from the surface of the water, and the bulbs really have no effect on the tank temperture. They run cool, and i have an exhast fan.

I honestly think 9" is to high up for VHOS, especially in your size tank.

[jdsabin1]

What a great thread. You guys have been very helpful. I picked up two arctic ball bearing 4" AC fans for the sides of the canopy. I was also wondering how to build out the canopy and had planned to go approximately 5-ish inches from the surface. Hopefully with two fans and air vents I will be fine.

[tacocat]

Spider no sweat, you should probably lower them. I run 4-110s in a 6" hood, and I use two RadioShack 4" fans for ventillation. My tank stays at about 81 even during the 100+ days of summer. Because VHO bulbs diffuse their light across their whole lengh, they diffuse their heat across their whole length. You just need good circulation. Found that out the hard way. Another lighting factoid is for evberyone is to wipe your bulbs down. If you have an acrylic tank or glass/euro bracing, keep the bracing clean. light, especially flourescent light has a hard time punching through dirty glass/acrylic.

[Spider_Whistle]

grahxen: I can certainly make them closer to the water hehe, it's going the other way that was gonna be a problem. ;)
Thanks for the info!

[Spider_Whistle]

Thanx for the info tacocat, I must have sent my last reply seconds after you hehe.

[RicGio]

Here goes. Taken with fujifilm a205.

[tacocat]

Didn't go through

[bpd964]

I was wondering how well would a 2x 48w T8 48" flourecents work for my 55 gallon fowlr. And can I put ANY corals in there?

[tacocat]

I did that before going to VHO. even the mushrooms were pushing for more light.

[Obi-dad]

you can use those bulbs by overdriving. There are numerous threads, the monster of which you can find by searching on member reefburnaby. What you do to overdrive is connect up two or more circuits from the ballast to the same bulb. This gives more light per bulb, and I have seen a tank in Mass with many corals of all types, gorgeous tank. The only downside is that the bulbs wear out faster. I was going to go this route, but spent the bucks on T5s instead.

[tacocat]

Price wise, you cannot beat an Icecap ballast. Get one used if you can. You can run 2-48" no problem, and if you want to go to 3 or 4, the ballast will be able to run those as well.

[bpd964]

Thank you guys for the info. I think I will research T5's and custom make something to fit 4x.

[amcarrig]

Pics of my 90 gallon VHO tank and 55 gallon tank with PC's :)

http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/amcarrig/album?.dir=/9474&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/amcarrig/my_photos

[tacocat]

On a 55, I would consider running 4x46.5's two one actinic, two 50/50, and one aquasun. You can keep some of the nicer SPS with that setup. I realize you are trying to light a fowlr, but once you get your first coral, you will want more. I think for now, get an Icecap or something similar and run two 48" and go from there.

[GARFVolunteer]

The URI ballasts are made for URI by IceCap. The ballast is the same as the 660 ballast without the dimmer circuitry. They are quite a bit cheaper than the 660. If you don't care about thedimmer, it is a less expensive way to go.

[tacocat]

Where can you get URI ballasts? I didn't know they offered such. One thing I do like about Icecap is their customer service. I spilled saltwater into my ballast during a water change. They had it back to me within 3 days. It was a flat rate repair of $60, and they made it dimmable at the same time. They also contacted me by phone during the entire process. They called when they recieved it, what they did to fix it, and when they shipped it out.

[GARFVolunteer]

I bought one at Premium Aquatics (http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=PA&Product_Code=URI-A4&Category_Code=VHOballast). They seem to have the same warranty that the IceCap has. I traded the URI ballast to a buddy. When the ballast got wet and fried, he sent it back to URI and they sent it back fixed.

I fried one of my IceCap ballast about the same time and sent it to IceCap. The turn around difference between the two was one day.

Thanks,

Scott

[bpd964]

taco, you said 4x 46.5's where can i get a size like that?

[Azurel]

46.5 some shops carry them, you would have to check with you LFS or order on line.

[tacocat]

My LFS carries those bulbs, and they are the most common size in the store. I recommend them, because they will fit in any canopy designed for a 48" long tank (you lose some width inside the canopy). If I had to do it over again, I would make the endcaps adjsutable so that the width is adjustable.

[RicGio]

http://img21.photobucket.com/albums/v64/G7subs/tank2.jpg



Ok...lets try this again.

[tacocat]

This is the coloration of my tank. Less purple on the rock the less purple it will look.

[tacocat]

Bump