VHO Ballast from hellolights.

kslay · 04-27-2004, 09:43 PM

I'm looking at the retro kits at hellolights.com and trying to plan what im going to buy, so then after i buy my ballast i will build my hood to fit it. my tank is a 48" 75g. I am looking at either the 2 lamp retro kit, or 4 lamp retro kit, if i get the 2 i will later add 2 MH's but im leaning towards the 4 lamp kit cuz i think its a little cheaper than adding 2 MH's.

Next is what bulbs should i get that they have available, or if i should even get the bulbs from hellolights, and what they have avaliable.

I want to keep hardy corals and inverts, probably no clams for a couple years atleast, or stony corals.

heres the link ive been looking at...

http://store.yahoo.com/lamps-now/4lamvhoretki2.html

kslay · 04-27-2004, 10:10 PM

k, i found some suggestions at premium aquatics for what to have, but whats the difference between a "reef Mixed" tank and "SPS Coral" tank, im such a newbie!!

motorslave · 04-27-2004, 11:29 PM

Hi Kslay,
I recently received my set up from Hellolights. Its two 220 watt ballasts, reflector, moisture proof end caps, two actinic and two daylight bulbs plus two timers for about $320.00. The reflector is already drilled so when I upgrade to MH I can basically bolt the mogil sockets right in. Seemed like a good deal to me. I got the Corallife bulbs both the actinics and the daylights are 10000 k and 110 watt The timers will allow me to "ramp up and down" the light intensisty. The SPS coral is very light hungry compared to all the other coral, you can grow them without MH but the growth rate may be slower and the colors probably wont be quite as intense and maybe even brown. This is what Ive learned in the short time Ive been here so hang on and some of the more experianced wizards will have the truly informative answers! Good luck!

Robert

kslay · 04-27-2004, 11:50 PM

so does that mean if im gonna want some "big time" corals, i'll have to get MH's?? This is fine, but i dont want to get a ballast that wont allow me to do this if i am planning on it in the future.

Imaexpat2 · 04-28-2004, 12:14 AM

Just wanna piggyback on whatmotorslave said.

For softies and a majory of LPS you will be okay with 2 VHO's but 4 would be better. If you go with 4 you can keep SPS corals but the growth rates will be very slooow, colors will be lacking and more drab in appearance. But none the less it would be doable, you just wouldnt be overly impressed in many cases.

For SPS and Maximas/Croceas...Halides are by far the best way to go in my opinion. I did my best to avoid halides but in the end and after numerous light upgrades I finally broke down and got some. Wished I would have do that from the start.

For bulb selection...I like 1 daylight and 1 Actinic 03 for every two bulbs in the set up.

Just my thoughts on this subject.....

motorslave · 04-28-2004, 09:59 AM

Also, the balasts between VHO and MH are different critters. From what I understand, the best is to have your MH setup and also have one or two actinic VHOs also. The actinics supply the "blue" spectum of light wich is what penetrates the water in nature so most coral have adapted to it. The actinics also will help the color in the coral to floresce(sp?) and realy stand out. Just keep asking and reading and even check into the archives here. You can find what you need here!

Robert

David Grigor · 04-28-2004, 02:19 PM

IMO: 2 VHOs on a 75g tank is not an option. 4 would be the minimum ...... get an icecap and you could use 4 now and reconfigure with just 2 in future. Not for sure how flexible the hellolights setups are.....

VHO bulbs URI brand sets the standard. I wouldn't use any other brand.....

You might get by with pocillipora, birdsnest, hynophora, and other low light sps but definately no acropora.

kslay · 04-28-2004, 02:54 PM

im thinkin two super actinic 03 and 2 mh's but what wattage should i get?

OodleyBoodely · 04-28-2004, 03:19 PM

If you are thinking sps and clams in your future, you should seriously consider 250w halides at least. Do visit the lighting archive here, I checked it out just yesterday and it is full of info that will help you out. There is a lot to learn with halides to make an informed discision, including PAR rating, intensity comparisons between differant kelvin ratings of the same brand/wattage bulbs, color differance between brands, and more. The more you can learn now the happier you will be with your discision later on.

Imaexpat2 · 04-28-2004, 10:27 PM

250's without doubt. They cost very little more than 175's but give you a good bit more watts. If you use a bulb over 10K, intensity will drop as the light become bluer and you might find that you need a higher wattage set up if you start out with 175's.

400's would be over kill in a 75 gallon tank unless your using a 14k-20k bulb in my opinion, but they sure look great over my 135 gallon tank full of SPS's and Clams! They really suck down the Kilowatts too and pull really hard on that electrical circuit

The 250's in my opinion will give you the most bang for the dollar and give a good amount a flexibility should you move to a bigger tank a year or two down the road. There is only a 10-30 dollar difference in fixture price and a few dollars difference in bulb price when compared to 175's in most cases. At anyrate, do conduct some research and check out some systems and see what exactly it is that pleases your eye and your critters needs. There is a big difference in bulbs from one brand to the other and you wanna make sure that your making the right choice before you invest!