Best Electronic Ballast Kit

Hey Everyone, I think for my purposes that the best route would be for me to use VHOs for my 55 gallon. I am looking at going for a reef and am looking mostly at soft corals and SPSs (maybe?). Since I am an electrical engineer, I figured that I can conquer a DIY lighting project fairly easily. Any suggestions on Electronic Ballast Kits for VHO lighting?

Thanks, any tips if you have done a DIY lighting project would also be greatly appreciated!

Also, I figured, with the tank being 48", I will need 4 bulbs (2 for each 24" of tank). I figured that 2 - 24" URI Aquasun VHO 75W Bulbs and 2 - 24" URI 75W Actinic White 50-50 VHOs would do the trick. Any other suggestions?

Thanks a lot!
-Mike

 

Well, this is well beyond my scope of understanding, but....it has been rumored that VHO bulbs will be discontinued in the near future. The push has been towards T-5HO bulbs....or...alternately, to set up a DIY semi VHO by overdriving NO bulbs....that is the jist of it any ways....search around here and see if you can find any threads regarding that. They supposedly give the same output of VHO....

Perhaps someone in the know can post here as well....anyone??? ;D

 

The T-5HO bulbs are the up and coming bulbs? Are they more expensive? Is all the lingo still the same, just with T-5HO bulbs? Does T-5HO just stand for the T-5 width tube High Output bulb? I know a lot of questions, but this is the first I have heard of VHO's being discontinued.

Thanks again,
Mike

 

I havn't heard about VHO's being discontinued so I can't comment on that.

The first thing I want to mention is run the bulb the whole length of the tank. The difference in price between a 24" and 48" bulb is a couple dollars. You will save alot of money in bulb costs if you can use half as many.

T-5 HO's are just what you think they are. I am considering up grading to these bulbs myself. They're not very cheap though as the bulbs are about $20-$25 a piece and you will need about 6-8 bulbs. These seem to preform almost as well as metal halide but run cooler and cheaper. T-5's also require a parabolic reflector for them to work to their potential.

As far as ballast I would say Ice Cap seem to be the prefered ballast although I have never used them.

 

I would assume that I would have to get a ballast that is designed for T5HO's. So, I have been doing research and found that a proper reflector is a pretty necessary component (increases effficiency of the bulbs by up to 300%). I noticed some websites that sell just reflectors...but I'm not sure if it would be cheaper for me to just buy a retrofit kit instead of fiddling around with making my own bulb housings (out of house gutters as recommended) and fooling around with proper reflectors.

I will do some more research...anyone who has more tips...keep em coming, I am enjoying this learning experience!

-Mike

 

I found this online...though I haven't done all that much research and price comparison...this looks to be a decent deal...

http://www.specialty-lights.com/960090.html

The only problem is that I could only get 2 54W T5 bulbs in that (which isnt nearly enough for my 55 gallon). I guess I would need to buy two kits then and thats just a pain in the butt...I assume they make retrofit kits with ballasts for 4 lamps, but again, I'm still researching and will keep ya'll posted.

-Mike

 

OK All,

What do you think about this kit: http://www.reefgeek.com/products/categories/lighting/104068.html

(The Triad Ballast that comes with that one is a Programmed Start ;D ...no Instant Start crap!)
Has anybody had any success or even experience with it?
Do you think that the 4x54W would be sufficient for my 55 gallon tank, thats about 4 WPG?

Or maybe the IceCap one (even though it's $100 more, would it be worth it?):
http://www.reefgeek.com/products/categories/lighting/104434.html

Thanks,
Mike

 

If I were you, I would consider Power Compacts instead. The prices are way down, and you can get 4-packs on eBay very inexpensively. It is also a little easier to mount PC's in your hood.

You can get very nice retro kits at Aquarium Hobbiest Supply. They come with Fulham Workhorse ballasts (very dependable) and excellent reflectors. If you need to build a hood, they will even give you plans!

 

Are PCs OK for corals? I have heard mixed reviews about them. I currently have a PC fixture on my 37 gallon...but wasn't planning on having any corals in there.
I have heard better things about T-5HO for coral growth.

Thanks,
Mike

 

I bought one of these:

http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=22

And like it very much. I do find the 12000k bulb a little too white for my taste and may change it out to a 6500k bulb from a site I can't remember right now. ( I am at lunch at work). I have heard of complaints about the bulbs shipped with them, but I have no complaints and my tank is flourishing. Although you only have 2 bulbs in the reflector, it is so narrow that two units side by side are still only about 11" wide. Even if you are thinking about retrofitting an existing canopy, the units construction lends itself nicely to being disassembled and remounted in your canopy. I will post the bulb supply site when I find it.

Mike