Re: [APD] What I've forgotten would make a great book. - or -- The book I forgot I read

["S. Hieber" <shieber at yahoo_com>]

Folks probaably figured you were talking about the
prototypical HVHO (Hyper Very High Output) bulbs that were
designed to run at 125 watts each in the four foot lengths
on a standard ballast of electdronic ballast. And that you
were comparing them on magnetic ballasts versus Ice Cap
ballasts, which will run any bulbs so long as you're not
picky about the amount of watts that it runs through them
(overdriving the lower wattage bulbs and underdriving the
higher). Mutatis mutandis, it made the same perfect sense
then and still does today.

Unfortunately, the SHVOs never made it to market. Some said
because the hot bulbs caused a strain of BGA that's
resistant to erythromycin and blackouts to spontaneously
bloom in the presence of any amount of nitrates. Others
said it was because the designers could only get certain
phospors to endure the bulb temps and they made everything
in an aquarium look like the color of water in a white
bucket  :-( .

Which reminds me. . . does anyone know when the new T1VHO 
bulbs will be coming out? I hear that they ace the T5HOs
for efficiency. And given their diameter, they only need a
reflector about the radius of fat pen barrel. One can
easily fit about 10 of the four-foot-long (165 watt each)
models over a 55 gallon for an stout 30 watts per gallon.
Imagine never worrying again if you top glass is clean! I
can't wait even though I heard that, due to brittleness in
lengths longer than 2",  the shipping costs will be a tad
high.

They'll sell at a premium at first but we will love them --
you can make book on that!

Scott H.

--- "Richard J. Sexton" <richard at aquaria_net> wrote:
> In 1989 I posted to usenet:
> . . .With electronic ballasts and two 48" tubes,
> about 
> >100 watts will be used, vs. 250 for magnetic. . . .
> 
> Uh-oh... Somebody tell me I was wrong. Nobody did back
> then.
> 
 
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