Let's see pics of VHO only tanks!

[GARFVolunteer]

Here is a link to a webcam on my tank: http://69.92.89.192:81/Jview.htm Use "guest" for both the login and password...

Thanks,

Scott

 

[corro]

very cool scott ... fast updates also.

 

[CH]

Here's my 29. Not too exciting yet, but it is all VHO, and I plan on keeping it that way. Currently it has 150W, with another 150W on the way this month.

(sorry for the poor quality image, I had to reduce the quality quite a bit to get down to 50k)

 

[Frick-n-Frags]

I love this thread so I'll spin it around again. A person really needs to own both types of lights to understand the pros and cons of each type (MH vs flour I mean) but if someone told me I could only have one, I would never part with the VHO's.

If anyone is just catching this last post, do yourself a favor and read the whole thread. There is info regarding overdriving NO lights, many bulb color combos, some awesome growth rate shots and comments regarding deep tanks and clams, etc under the VHO's (you know, the stuff the MH snobs say is impossible to grow) There are also a few nice tidbits from IceCap Andy too.

Also, if you notice, there is generally at least 50% super-actinic in almost every bulb mix. The actinic light is one of the secrets of growing coral as it is 100% useful light for photosynthesis and most accurately replicates the color of light down in the ocean which all that evolved on. They are not just for decoration.

coraldynamics(one of RC's sponsors) has his entire coralfarm under VHO's and that includes a boatload of Acros and maximas

I also can't stress enough that water quality and other aspects of husbandry really make a huge difference in the success of a tank. The lighting is not the real silver bullet, but rather water quality.

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

THEY are obviously wearing the blinders or as Obi-dad pointed out have to somehow justify an investment in MH by dissing VHO's.

Whatever! This thread should put a dent in the malarky often bandied about regarding the inadequacies of VHO lighting.

(If anyone is wondering about my no endcap comment early in this thread, I do solder on pigtails. The hidden advantages are that the bulb ends stay really cool and I can pack them tighter than with endcaps - oh yeah, and I don't have anything flammable attached to the bulbs anymore either )

 

[CH]

Here's an update of my tank. Still not a lot of stuff, but it looks better than the last pic.

 

[nitroxadvanced]

wow...

 

[reefhippie]

It's been a while since I've tried to post a picture on here but let me give this a shot.

This tank has a LONG way to go. It's only 4 months old and went through a few power outages with the recent hurricanes, one that lasted four days, but it's still doing surprisingly well. And after viewing the pictures on reefcentral and comparing them to mine, I've come to the conclusion that I need a new camera, so I'm afraid these pictures don't do it much justice but you get the idea.

 

[nitroxadvanced]

i see you use the sio's how are they?

 

[reefhippie]

I love them! I wasn't getting enough circulation to the sand bed and into the caves but they did the trick. I've been thinking of putting them on a wavemaker-type power strip but I'm not sure if it's necessary.

 

[Biscutz]

Just saw the thread....here is mine....

 

[Gerard Alba]

:eek1:

 

[reefhippie]

Sweet. Gimme a year.

 

[Biscutz]

This particular tank has been up and running for 9 months. It was a combo of two smaller ones though. Thanks

 

[The Big Tuna]

I just stumbled across this thread and I must say that it warms my heart. My tank started out 13 years ago as a 33 gal long wt 4 48" NO bulbs bare bottom wt a wet dry filter and no protien skimmer. Sounds crazy but that is the way all reef tanks were set up back then. PS were mainly available only to European aquarists and were rare in the states, not to mention pricey!! 3 years later the Berlin Setup was all the rage and people started pulling out the bio balls from their wet/drys and started adding PS(Mainly DYI, just like our wet/drys) Souds pretty tame by todays standards, but raised quite a bit of a fuss back then. It was at this time that I upgraded my lighting to VHO. Back then we all used solid tar ballasts wich were HOT to the touch, and you had to switch your bulbs every 6 months. 5 years ago I bought an Icecap electronic ballast, and have,not had a lick of trouble from it ever - GREAT PRODUCT- 3 years ago I bought my first production made skimmer- a used Red Sea Berlin Turbo. Before this my fellow reef keepers and I made all of our own skimmers. If I were to change anything on my tank it would be to add 2 more VHO bulbs and get a better skimmer. I have had a Carribean encrusting gorgonian(Erthropodium?) in the system for 13 years, it was my first coral. I have had my Kenyan Green tree coral for about 6 years and it was a frag who came from a friend who has had it in her tank for 12 years. Some of the zoas are 8-9 years old and I have had an Open Brain for 5 years, just to name a few. Over the last year I have added some SPS corals- Montis, Pocillapora, Acros and recently some Hydnaphora- all are doing great. It has been interesting to see the trends that come and go in this hobby over the years, some things change and some stay relativley the same, but most ideas come back full circle. Berlin sytems wt BB tanks are a prime example of this. VHO bulbs work and work well. I have been tempted to switch to MH several times over the years, but it seems that you gotta buy so much more stuff- Addtl fans, chillers, new canopy, etc. My tank is and always has been a low tech set up that is easy to maintain and relativley affordable, I just don't see the need to change it. One thing over the years that has NOT changed , is that there is always someone saying"You can only keep a reef tank this way or that way" or it will fail. Utter nonsense. There are so many different methods to keep marine systems that none can ever be definativley declared to be the "Best Way" Would you believe that I had sea horses spawn in a 10 gal tank wt nothing more complicated than an under gravel filter wt air stones and a dolomite gravel bed- that was 24 years ago when I was 8 years old- the sea horses were collected by me from the Chesapeake Bay, and the pair spawned several times!! This hobby should not have to be about spending thousands of dollars to have a "successful" reef aquarium. My tank is a testament to this. Next time my Brother in law comes over wt his mega sweet digital camera we will try to post some pics, as the only pictures of my tank are prints and I don't have a scanner...

Well I suppose that this is enough ranting and raving for one night, hope I wasn't too long winded for yall...
Joshua

 

[katchupoy]

big tuna, any images you can share with us..

 

[katchupoy]

What will probably be my last photo of this kind... since I have finally decided to give MH a shot.

So Arinick... what s the verdict... VHO or MH?

 

[jdsabin1]

I just stumbled across this thread and I must say that it warms my heart.
.........
Well I suppose that this is enough ranting and raving for one night, hope I wasn't too long winded for yall...
Joshua

Very well said indeed. Your post should be posted in the general reef forum as a separate topic other than VHOs IMO. I have seen so many beautiful marine tanks and they have all been different in one way or another. Just from a lighting perspective I have seen really nice setups with PC's, with T5's with VHO and with Halides (and combinations of any and all of the above). So many people get stuck on what constitues ultimate success and what is absolutely 'right' that they get lost in all the details! I'm with you. I have a 150 gallon VHO tank that I try to do more 'enjoying' than tinkering with and I believe I have come up with something that is very appealing to the naked eye, very interesting to visitors and very easy to maintain.

The ultimate mark of successs in this hobby is longevity, period. So many people come and go in this hobby when they realize it's more work than they realized it would be or make their setup over the top complicated and difficult to maintain. I love to hear about people being successful over the course of 'years' rather than months.

My new Canon Digital SLR is finally on it's way so I will post some pictures in a few weeks.

Anyway, thanks for your post Joshua. Good stuff .

 

[arinick]

katchupoy- honestly, I just finished building my new canopy :lol: I'm no speed demon. I'm going to switch some of my corals into a new 29G (which will be VHO) when I get the chance to set it up (most of the softies, some of the zoos) and make the 75 more SPS and some LPS and assorted with the halides and VHO actinics. It'll probably happen after the holidays.

I'll keep everyone informed. Maybe this week I'll get an updated tank shot, that one's several months old now.

 

[FastUno]

WOW, some really impressive VHO setups!!!!!!!!

 

[kenny77]

wow i was about to give a chance on MH to my dispaly but i think im going with VHO

just one question will a frag tank be ok with VHO?. im talking about a SPS & LPS frag tank.