Lampsnow VHO fixtures

[CaptainK]

Hi All,
I was looking at Lampsnow.com at their VHO retro kits.
They have ones for 2, 3, and 4 bulbs.
As of this moment I have enough room for 2 24" bulbs. But I would also like to plan for the future for when I get that "dream" tank. (Not sure what that "dream" tank is yet but it will definitely be bigger than 29G!!!!)
So anyway, would it be possible to get the ballast that supports 4 VHO bulbs but only use 2 bulbs at this time and leave the other two empty? Can the ballast/unit work in this manner?

Thanks,
CaptK

PS - has anyone had any experience with these ballasts? How do they rate next to icecaps or PFO???

[GregD]

Captaink,

I do not think the lampsnow retro kits will work with less than the number of bulbs specified.

I have a four VHO bulb kit from them and they are very explicit in the directions that all four pairs of sockets must have bulbs in them for the unit to work. (I believe the ballast requires a specific amount of resistance.)

The good news with the kit that I havce is that at least you can change the sizes of the bulbs from 2' up to 4'. This gives a little flexibility for future growth.

HTH,
Greg