vho bulb question

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Edmonton Eskimo

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
Aug 14, 2004
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Location
edmonton
So what is the deal with vho flourescent bulbs? Can I use one on a regular canopy or do you need a special fixture?
 
They need a VHO ballast to fire them.other than that they can be mounted anywhere.
 
No. Typically you need to get these from suppliers that supply VHO systems. Many on-line retailers (Aquarium) sotck them, one of the most popular brands being IceCap. Recommend that you go with only electronic ballasts, as it runs cooler, uses less juice and seem to last longer. You can do a search here for VHO bulbs to also get a sense of which brand works best for members. If you are interested, I actually have a two bulb VHO hood, with icecap ballast and URI bulbs (50/50 - actinic/white) with cooling fan and lens etc. I used it for like a month and them upgraded to brighter lighting. It is in a 48" canopy. Don't know what size or how much lighting you need, but if interested, I can let you have it for a reasonable price. HTH 8)
 
Not a Problem. You will probably have to go with a 24" bulb set up and again, depending on the size of the tank and what you want to keep in it, have one or two or a combination of bulbs. Only if you are planning a reef aquarium would you need the extra lighting. HTH
 
You can buy VHO ballasts at Home Depot. They sell them. At least by me they do. VHO stands for Very High Output...and Darin is right, you need a VHO ballast to make them work. Typically a 4 foot VHO will put out 110 watt as opposed to a standard output tube that only puts out 40 watts. There is also an intermediate buld between them called HO (High Output).

Hope this helps. Just remember to check the specs on the ballast you buy for the type of bulb you are using. T-8, T-10, T-12, some ballasts will accomodate all of them and some will be specific.


Mike
 
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