VHO's, how many inches from water line!!!

[lionfan]

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

[Puffer]

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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[omegatron]

The recommended norm is around 4 inches from water surface

Chuck

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[lionfan]

but do I have to use a fan

[Neal359]

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)

[SomeHairyOldGuy]

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

[Rod Buehler]

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

[reef120]

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.

[Rin]

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.

[Big]

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 ><(((*>