lighting a 6 foot tank.......

waverz

waverz

Slave to the reef!
As most of you know I am going to be upgrading from a 75 gallon to a 125. I am planning on running 3 400 watt MH's which I already have (thanks mom) and was wondering about getting some actinic as well. Being I have always used Outer Orbit fixtures in the past I really don't know what I should get to light this tank. I was looking at reflectors and found PFO Parallel Reflector the hold a MH and 2- 2' VHO's but buy the time I buy all the ballasts, caps, and bulbs it gets too damn pricey.

Any suggestions?
 
Okay have been doing some research, apparently its not gonna be as expensive as i thought. Heres what im thinking.

3 - PFO Parallel Reflectors $90
1 - IceCap 660 Electronic VHO Ballast $150
6 pairs - VHO (T-12) Moisture-Proof Endcaps $66
6 URI 2' VHO Lamps $100

Or

1 - IceCap 660 Electronic VHO Ballast $150
2 pair VHO (T-12) Moisture-Proof Endcaps $22
2 URI 72" VHO Lamps $70

I'm thinking option 2 is a lot more affordable....



So it's looking like its gonna be like $400 just to get some VHOs on this tank, i might just stick with the 400watt 20k XM's and learn to live with it.
 
fwiw
I don't use reflectors for my VHOs. I just let them hang down from the wires that go to the endcaps. I run them pretty close to the water as well. [vhos have internal reflectors in most cases]

I would ask one question...

can you get luminarcs? :) even just the center one :)
 
Hi Jeremy, I used to run that combo on my 210. You might remember what it looked like. The XM 20K and VHO was the best lighting combo I've ever had on any of my tanks.
 
where are you shopping?......i think you should call me, i found a set that will run 5' bulbs for less that $200 with bulbs
 
If your going to use a canopy I would just get 2-48" bulbs and stagger them.. That runs about $100 from hellolights for bulbs/ballast/wiring/endcaps/standoffs. I'm sure you could still use the same reflectors too and just have a little part of them not in the reflector.... I honestly don't think you need reflectors for actinics.... and if you want to spend the extra couple bucks you can get the VHO bulbs with the reflectors built in.

I've seen some pretty good VHO deals on the selling forum too...so you could probably find a used setup for even less.

I think the 6-2' bulbs would cost quite a bit more in bulb replacement... I would either go with the 6' or 4' footers
 
Use Lumenarcs if you can and youd only need two halides, go with the 6 ft VHOs, they dont need reflectors. JMO
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10413499#post10413499 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Coralfreak
Use Lumenarcs if you can and youd only need two halides, go with the 6 ft VHOs, they dont need reflectors. JMO
Click to expand...

I think i like this idea the best, it will save me from having too much heat issues and be somewhat affordable....
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10413239#post10413239 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by glaspie69
where are you shopping?......i think you should call me, i found a set that will run 5' bulbs for less that $200 with bulbs
Click to expand...

Ditto. I just bought a PFO VHO retrofit kit that will run 2 110's for $129. Include ballast, endcaps, and prewired harness. I would think 2-4' bullbs would be fine for your tank since you are likely using them mostly for the aesthetic purpose rather then for the wattage.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10414536#post10414536 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bgreenlee
Ditto. I just bought a PFO VHO retrofit kit that will run 2 110's for $129. Include ballast, endcaps, and prewired harness. I would think 2-4' bullbs would be fine for your tank since you are likely using them mostly for the aesthetic purpose rather then for the wattage.
Click to expand...

Good point Billy, i think ill go that route and spend the money i save on Lumenarcs.
 
Don't forget about the braces on your tank. The All-Glass Tanks have 2 braces, so they work best with 3 halides. Some of the other tanks only have 1 brace so 2 MH's might work better over them.
 
was just thinking about that, i am wondering if will be an issue with the lumenarcs though, i would really like to only have the 2 mh's, 3 would just be a major heat issue....let alone more of a utility bill.
 
Lee, thats what i was thinking.....

I think i will call the lumenarc ppl tomoroow and find out what the best option would be....
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10420725#post10420725 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by leeweber85
I've heard the lumenarcs hide the shadows from the bracing... Never seen it in person to know if it's true though.

I'm telling you, hellolights.com has the best deals:


2-110w retro:
http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=184

URI bulbs for $15.50:
http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1282
Click to expand...

That is a good price.

I liked the PFO ballast though since it has two ballasts in a small box, dual power cords, dual switches, and a nice harness. I have them come on and off at different times from the aquacontroller. I didnt have to mess dick with wiring or anything either which was a plus (read I am getting lazier by the minute).
 
Thanks for the link. That's the best price I've seen yet.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10420725#post10420725 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by leeweber85
I've heard the lumenarcs hide the shadows from the bracing... Never seen it in person to know if it's true though.

I'm telling you, hellolights.com has the best deals:


2-110w retro:
http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=184

URI bulbs for $15.50:
http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1282
Click to expand...
 
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