Hi everyone, Need to know how far are your VHO bulbs kept from water surface and if it is a must to have fans. I have 206 watts of pc's right on the glass top which is just above the water line no fans and marginal temp rise. I was planning on placing the new VHO bulbs maybe 4" above the glass. Tell me your thoughts on this matter thanks

With glass tops you can really place the lights as close as you want to. Even if you decide to remove the glass tops you can mount them a few inches above the water line and be fine. They don't get hot enough to explode if you get a little water splashed on them.

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Follow me and we'll see just how deep the rabbit hole goes.

The recommended norm is around 4 inches from water surface

Chuck

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Omegatron's Reefs

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but do I have to use a fan

i have a set of vhos that are about 2 inches above the water and i use 2 fans and their is no problem with the het(55 gal with 4 vhos)

I use 315 watt VHO 0n my 72. The bulbs sit about 2-3" from the water. I took the glass tops off and made some slotted acrylic tops to lay the VHO's on. This helps keep the water temp around 75-78 degrees. With the glass tops on it would build up and retain more heat than I wanted. As for the fans its not a bad idea but isn't a must have. Hope this helps. [img]/ubb/eyemouth.gif[/img]
SHOG

I let my VHOs resst on the center/end braces of the tank.(no tops). You will need fans if your temp climbs to high (84+) but odds are, VHOs alone will not heat the water too high, but its possible, depending on the circumstances

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Rod Buehler
http://www.rodsreef.com

I have 420watts of VHO houvering 4" above the water line. No heat problems but I will be adding 2 4" fans in a couple of weeks to prepare for summer temps.

I have 440 watts of VHOs 8" above the tank. They could be closer with no problems at all. I removed the glass top because it was retaining too much heat. I also added a fan--probably not really necessary but I'm allowing for future MH additions.

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-Todd
Mistakes--It could be that your purpose in life is only to serve as a warning to others.

I have 4x96 watt vho=380 watts in a canopy with no fans but somewhat open sides for circulation. Their about 7" off the water or so. No heat problems at all and their real bright!

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Cody ><(((*>