vho lighting

[allykahn]

How much heat can vho lamps generate? I will be upgrading from NO lights(4). My tank does not have any fans, and it keeps a steady temperature of 80 degrees. Will the change to vho increase the temp to the point that fans are required? Also, what about energy consumption? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

[wastedincome420]

I'm far from a pro on this subject but I'll try to help you out as much as I can;)
I think that it will really depend on how far from the water the VHO's are mounted. You most likely will find the temp to rise some above what the NO were. Also do you have any type of ventalation in the hood now?? I would still reccomend the use of atleast one fan to help cool the bulbs down. You can buy cheap fans a Radio shack which is what I have
. HTH
Wastedincome420

[allykahn]

I am going to build a canopy. What would be a good height for the bulbs placement?

[wastedincome420]

I have been told that VHO bulbs should be between 3-6" above the water level. I fyou mount them much higher then you will not be getting the full lighting power from them.
I have mine at about 3-4" above the water.
Since your are going to building a new hood for the lights then i would highly reccomend you add a fan or two to the plan.
I also suggest you use URI bulbs as they have "built in" reflectors in the bulbs. And you will want to make sure you "seal" the inside of you your new hood too.
HTH
Mark

[ASH]

From IceCap:
Several comments that I hope don't sound like shameless plugs.

1. If you use an IceCap 660 you can keep your old NO bulbs and boost their output by about 2X.
2. Energy consumption will be about 285-watt with either NO or VHO lamps, but I also recommend URI bulbs.
(replace them, URIs, every two years and use a reflector anyway)
3. Cheap RS fans are what drove me to come out with a non-disposable solution, a quiet fan made for a corrosive environment (so we don't keep throwing away fans into our environment). One would do it as they're variable speed.

Andy

[SomeHairyOldGuy]

The icecap website says you can run URI's for 2 years without replacing the bulbs? I think they lose their sprectrum prior to one full year. I replace mine every year and you can see a noticable change in intensity. Just my .02
SHOG

[ASH]

From IceCap:
Except for a really cheaply made lamp. fluorescent lamps don't (can't) shift color. Phosphorus doesn't mutate. They do lose output. Older VHO ballasts got a well deserved bad rap as they lost 30% of their output in 6 months, but still consumed the same wattage. We have less than 20% lose in 2 years. Our ballast will run slightly more wattage through an older bulb which also helps compensate for depreciation.

Whenever you change bulbs it will appear much brighter as the bulbs are clean of salt, and you get a 10% fake output for the first 100 hours as they burn in. The rated output on a lamp is always the 'after 100 hours output'. You don't notice the 1% a day lose for the first 7 - 10 days.

Andy

[Shawn]

So you are saying that you can run URI bulbs 2 years without replacement.

[ASH]

From IceCap:
Yes.
Actinics depreciate a little faster, but their PAR output isn't much to begin with and their effect, I believe, is more for us than the corals.

Andy