[Robbie Wilcox]

I want two vho actinics on my 36' l reef tank. I was wondering if a T5 or a T12 would be better and I also was wondering what ballasts to run. Please give me your opinion on what would suit me better.

 

[mtfatwork]

what do you want to keep Robbie? As in what kinds of corals. That will dictate which lighting is best suited for your tank.

 

[Loverotties]

T5 are better!

 

[hydroman]

Try to find an Icecap 430 or 660 ballast. They can be used to run either VHO or T5. That way if you go one direction and change your mind you won't have to buy a new ballast.

 

[latazyo]

is magnetic or electric ballast better?

 

[smeese]

you will need alot of them for a 36 foot tank I want to come and see this.

 

[HFG]

If your running Low-Medium light corals, I do not suggest the IceCap, there just is no need to overdrive these bulbs (If you have good parabolic individual reflectors). If you are running high-light corals or have a very deep tank, the Ice Caps are great ballasts.

VHO and T-5 will work fine. I think you have more room for growth and defiantly get more Par per Watt and space used with the T-5. Personally, I like the light of the Blue + vs full actinic.

 

[Robbie Wilcox]

what do you want to keep Robbie? As in what kinds of corals. That will dictate which lighting is best suited for your tank.

I want to keep mostly sps hard coral, but with a mix of lps.

 

[rihanssu]

robbie, i know i'm hitting on a sore subject but ditch the T5s and get metal halides! most of the prettiest tanks i have seen on RC run MH+VHO actually if you can find me any that run MH+T5 i would like to see what they look like. iv seen a few that run T5 only but in my mind MH is the way to go! oldie but a goodie!

 

[mtfatwork]

for sps I would definitley go mh for your main lighting.

 

[Robbie Wilcox]

kinds of coral

I already have two frags of sps coral and a large frag of frogspawn.(soon to get more) I figured it's time to get some actinics to complement the 250w MH I have right now.

 

[Robbie Wilcox]

robbie, i know i'm hitting on a sore subject but ditch the T5s and get metal halides! most of the prettiest tanks i have seen on RC run MH+VHO actually if you can find me any that run MH+T5 i would like to see what they look like. iv seen a few that run T5 only but in my mind MH is the way to go! oldie but a goodie!

I already have a 250W MN running.

 

[mtfatwork]

ahh, ok making much more sense. I would just go with vho if you are just using it as supplimental light.


On my 220 I run 3- 400w mh, and 4 160w vho's. Makes for a nice look IMO.

 

[Robbie Wilcox]

where to buy?

Where would you recomend I by my vho light/ballast? I am willing to buy a used ballast. Does two sound right for my 58g tank?

 

[HFG]

For that tank, with MH as your main light, an IC 430 is actually a good idea. You can run VHO or T-5.

 

[Robbie Wilcox]

1 or 2

Should I go with one vho actinic or two? Also my tank is 36' long. Should I get a 24" or a 36' bulb, and what end caps should I get?

 

[mtfatwork]

I would go with 2. As far as endcaps, I have extra's if you are interested in used ones (used=cheaper). PM me about them if you are interested. IMO any endcaps are fine as long as they are waterproof. But I like the 3 piece.

 

[mtfatwork]

Oh, and I would go with 36 inch bulbs. I also have an extra Icecap 660 if you are interested.

 

[jdbassin]

hellolights.com sells an ARO electronic ballast for a good price, Never had any problems with them at all. Much cheaper than the Ice cap and gets the job wonderfully.


jd

 

[Sea monkey]

i run the normal ballast on my t5's and keep LPS , SPS , clams , zoos, rics .... all of them seem to thrive under the light. I think the normally driven t5's are like the perfect all around solution : )