Will they fry?

[jcolon2]

Is 400 watts of t12 vhos over a 55 gallon tank too much. I want my tank to be a reef tank and I want to keep sps. Is it too much for the overall tank, and will sps' color pop under vhos?

 

[pauliwalnuts]

How many bulbs, what's the wattage, and what color temperature are they ?
Also, what type of ballast is driving all theses bulbs ?

 

[jcolon2]

To be honest, I am not sure what type of ballast I have that is running them. I would have 4 bulbs- 110 watts each- so 440 watts total over a 55 gallon tank. 2 of them would be super actinic and 2 would be daylight white.

 

[pauliwalnuts]

What are the dimensions of the tank

 

[jcolon2]

48 1/4 x 12 3/4 x 21

 

[bizzarro]

Judging by the wattage of 110w bulb, it'd has to be 48" bulb unless they come in different sizes and wattages now.

 

[jcolon2]

One bulb is like 46.5 inches the other is 48

 

[bizzarro]

One bulb is like 46.5 inches the other is 48

I think that 46.5 could be UVL brand, I see that comes in that length.

Usually these bulbs have standard lengths for the most.

 

[pauliwalnuts]

It's going to be tuff to get four bulbs in a 12'' wide canopy.

If you 're going with sps, they should be fine. I would aslo try to install some sort of reflecting material underneath the surface you're mounting them. Instead of the 10k bulb (aquasun) go for the 12k (actinic white). So, it would be 2 super actinic and 2 actinic white. This will give a color temperature around 18k.

 

[albano]

I think that 46.5 could be UVL brand, I see that comes in that length.

Usually these bulbs have standard lengths for the most.

46.5" is a space saver bulb...48" bulbs don't fit in a lot of 48" hoods, other than length they are the same 110w VHO
If you need bulbs I have a case or 2, have to check which ones!

 

[jcolon2]

Thanks everyone. So, should I stick with vhos or should I make a switch to t5 or halides?

 

[LongIslandAndy]

Use the VHO's. I had 2 250 metal halides and 4 110w VHO's over a 55g for a couple of years in a canopy and had no problem. IMO Actinic VHO's give you the nicest pop.

 

[ming]

Will they fry? no
But they're not the most efficient either IMO, but if you already have them, then use them.
If you keep SPS, I'd suggest keeping them half way up or higher in the tank, otherwise they may not get enough light.
VHO super actinic's give them a nice pop though.

 

[jcolon2]

OK, I will stick with the vhos since I do already have them (well I have the ballast, I need to replace the bulbs). I will prob do 3 super actinic bulbs and 1 daylight bulb, how does that sound?

Unless, the ballast I have to power the vhos (unsure what type it is) can power t5s (assuming the t5s add up to 440 watts)?

Lighting is the area I feel least confident with when working on my tank.

Thanks for the help everyone.

 

[albano]

Unless, the ballast I have to power the vhos (unsure what type it is) can power t5s (assuming the t5s add up to 440 watts)?

Is the ballast an ice cap 660? if so it could power four 48" T5s
...stick with the VHOs that you have.

 

[prattreef]

3 actinics and 1 daylight is way too blue. Use 2 actinic and 2 whatever the 10k versions are called. In a 55g. You can keep pretty much anything under VHO's provided you place them correctly within the tank as Ming suggested.

 

[jcolon2]

Excellent! Thank you so much for the help everyone. You have all been a tremendous asset.

Albano, it is not an icecap, I know that much.