CF or VHO lights??? need advise

[BigDog54]

For a 240 [acronym:eab36ba98e="Fish only with live rock"]FOWLR[/acronym:eab36ba98e], 96x25x25, whats better, [acronym:eab36ba98e="Very high output fluorescent"]VHO[/acronym:eab36ba98e] or [acronym:eab36ba98e="Compact Flourescent"]CF[/acronym:eab36ba98e]? What kind of set-up will give me coverage over the entire tank (ie. no dark spots).

[malkore]

for a tank that size, I'd say metal halide, with either [acronym:c50c926d9e="Compact Flourescent"]CF[/acronym:c50c926d9e] or [acronym:c50c926d9e="Very high output fluorescent"]VHO[/acronym:c50c926d9e] for the actinics ([acronym:c50c926d9e="Very high output fluorescent"]VHO[/acronym:c50c926d9e] seems a little more popular, I think because teh bulbs are a bit cheaper and last just as long as [acronym:c50c926d9e="Compact Flourescent"]CF[/acronym:c50c926d9e].

*edit*

this is assuming you wanted a full reef, able to keep a wide variety of corals, clams and/or anemones.

[BigDog54]

thanks for the reply.

anyone else got an opion?

[seaham358]

for a [acronym:9b2818a62d="Fish only with live rock"]fowlr[/acronym:9b2818a62d] I would go with [acronym:9b2818a62d="Very high output fluorescent"]VHO[/acronym:9b2818a62d]... I use them on my reef and they are great.
2 Icecap ballasts and 4x 140 or 160watt [acronym:9b2818a62d="Very high output fluorescent"]vho[/acronym:9b2818a62d] bulbs
URI bulbs 60" are 140 and 72" are 160
get 2 super actinic and 2 super white, on a reef I need to replace them about every 6-8 months but for a [acronym:9b2818a62d="Fish only with live rock"]fowlr[/acronym:9b2818a62d] you could easily get 12 months out of them.

[BigDog54]

would i have dark spots at the ends of my tank with 60" or 72" bulbs? The over all tank is 96" long.

What is your eventual goal with this tank? Strictly [acronym:02884971da="Fish only with live rock"]FOWLR[/acronym:02884971da] or will you want corals eventually? That will help in your lighting decision.

165w [acronym:02884971da="Very high output fluorescent"]VHO[/acronym:02884971da] is only 72" long so you will have "dead spots" at each end. If you went with end to end 48" 110w, you would have no issues with coverage.

4x250w [acronym:02884971da="Metal halide light"]MH[/acronym:02884971da] with some 165w [acronym:02884971da="Very high output fluorescent"]VHO[/acronym:02884971da] actinics would be the minimal I would suggest if you want corals eventually.

Cheers
Steve

[seaham358]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh I did not read the 96"... Duhhh..
You could stager the 72" giving you coverage on both ends. If your going to do reef then you would want a different bulb setup and [acronym:8b45d7812a="Metal halide light"]MH[/acronym:8b45d7812a] proably would be the way to go.

[BigDog54]

Well i'm not looking for a full blown reef, it's mainly going to be a [acronym:19f0d30342="Fish only with live rock"]FOWLR[/acronym:19f0d30342] but i may want to try some easy stuff someday and i'd like to get the lights for it now so that if i wanted to i could. Kinda a wishy washy answer but it's what i've got right now.

Originally Posted by BigDog54

i may want to try some easy stuff someday and i'd like to get the lights for it now so that if i wanted to i could.

Then I would suggest some sort of retrofit kit. That would allow you to integrate an upgrade if you so choose without alot of extra cost later on down the road. 2x165 [acronym:3cb4da9fbe="Very high output fluorescent"]VHO[/acronym:3cb4da9fbe] (staggard as seaham358 suggested) would get you started at least although wouldn't be all that great. If you went 4x165w, you'll have less issues though and you'd be able to get the actinics so the tank would "sparkle" at night..

Cheers
Steve