VHO Only

[ffighter17]

Is anyone still using VHO only? If so will you post a pic and list your tank info.

Thanks

 

[nemosworld]

Vho is an awesome source lighting, i only changed mine because of the cost of changing bulbs and my current tank is shorter than the fixture i had, i often think of adding vho to the led fixture i am building, sorry i don't have any pics to show you.
wait my 110:

 

[ffighter17]

Awesome tank how many bulbs did you have and what combination

 

[moondoggy4]

I ran two 75 watts VHO's bulbs on my sons 33 gallon tank, they worked like a charm.

 

[saltym3]

24" 150 watt retrofit VHO that i have been running the last 10 years on my 29 gallon. Tank was quite dirty when I took this pic.

 

[billdogg]

I ran 3x75W VHO on my 60 cube for close to 20 years. I switched to 1 AI Sol Blue about 1 1/2 years ago and was very happy with it, when the bulbs needed changing (again) and a couple of the endcaps were near the end. That tank (RIP) i tore down in early August to move into a 120. I use it as the fuge light for my 150DT/120fuge/50 sump setup that was setup with VHO's a year or so after the 60. It's become a softcoral forest since my 25yo eel died a couple months ago, even running 2+ yo bulbs.

I kept a little of everything in that tank over the years except SPS, But I'm certain I could have if there was a sump and upgraded filtration (no skimmer) The colors I would get from the corals was always amazing.

 

[grigsy]

VHO lighting is great for a reef tank. Great color. You will be able to keep any coral thriving well with enough VHO lighting.

Its often overlooked but still a great option for reef tank lighting.

 

[jda]

I don't have any pics, and I don't currently use them, but I will never sell my Icecap ballasts. VHO are still awesome lights with about 60% more par per bulb than T5... but also a more electrical cost. The color of the super actinic has never been duplicated that I have seen.

If somebody made one, I would buy a 4x VHO pendant instead of a 8 bulb T5 pendant, but VHOs mostly were around before the pendants really came out.

 

[Av8bluewater]

The UVL super actinic was the bulb to get for the lower spectrum pop. 420nm.
If going with tubes I would go with ATI type 5 because the reflectors are better. But nothing wrong with VHOs.

 

[jda]

A good parabolic reflector on a T12 will be just as effective as on a T5. The parabolic reflectors just were not as well developed until T5 came along.

T12 reflectors are also twice as wide, but you can also use half of them.