using NO bulbs with Icecap660

[acer]

HI- read this article , by Sandy Cohen ( don't know who he is) on using NO regular t12 bulbs with an Icecap 660 VHO ballast. Article states this works well and you get good spectrum and good Par.

Check it out and give me some input/opinions. Has anybody tried this out?

Article found at:

www.icecapinc.com_rev1.htm.pdf(application/pdfobject)

You never know- wouldn't it be great to buy a $5 bulbs and get good par and spectrum and have it last 2-3 years.

Ted

 

[acer]

try this link instead

http://www.icecapinc.com/01/www.icecapinc.com_rev1.htm.pdf

 

[acer]

WOW_ nobody has any thoughts- dangerous, blow up the ballast,etc.

 

[Steven Pro]

Back in the day, a lot of people used to do this.

 

[Adam]

Ted,

My old 225 basement tank had 48" lamps run this way.

In theory, the lightweight electrodes in the NO lamps won't last as long, but I ran mine for over a year with no trouble. I never measured PAR, but the corals grew, even on the bottom of the tank.

As Steve pointed out, this is not a revolutionary idea. Icecap's specs used to (and may still) discuss the use of NO lamps. Way back in a cob web ridden corner of my mind, I seem to remember someone testing the PAR provided by overdriving NO's and finding that it was about 80% of what you got from VHO's, but the PAR fell faster with the NO's.

The biggest sacrifice seems to be in choice of spectra. However, I mixed daylight lamps from home depot (chose the once with the hightest initial lumens and were at rated at least 5000 kelvin) and a couple of actinics and the appearance was fine.

Adam

 

[acer]

I am afraid the VHO bulbs may not be available with the popularity of T5 now. Also the costs of the bulbs are pricey.