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Lighting Help



> From: Mike Bateman <vandi at well_com>
> 
> George Booth has an article on the Krib comparing various MH & FL tubes.
> However, the article was dated 1992 and VHO was either not available or
> not widely available and George made no mention of this technology.
> 
> Now that I've basically talked myself into buying this stuff, does
> anyone want to try to talk me out of it or offer other alternatives?

Well, you forgot to mention the size of the tank ...

The biggest drawback to the VHO setup is the cost (even *I* have my
limits :-). I think the reef people concluded quite a while that MH is
cheaper in the long run than VHO.  With the IceCap ballast and the
cost of the bulbs, the initial VHO $ outlay is not that much less and
VHO bulbs need to be replaced more often than MH. I believe MH gives
you higher efficiency (lower operating costs) so that is a factor
also. Lastly, the selection of VHO bulbs is limited. Perhaps the
AquaSun is the right color temp but I don't know. 

If your tank is less than 24" deep, I would stick with NO FL bulbs. 

You might want to contact some of the reef people and see what they
think. 

George