Yet another lighting question.....HO vs. VHO/MH

[Impaler]

I have a pair of HO ballasts, and a pair of NO ballasts. I'm thinking that I could run a pair of 4' HO bulbs per HO ballast, and a pair of 40 watt NO's per NO ballast. Total, 350-450 watts, depending on the HO bulbs. Problem is, I can't find the appropriate color at the lfs. They don't carry HO. Does anyone know where to get HO bulbs, and past that, what to get? I certainly prefer to avoid the cost and heat of VHO and MH, if I can.

I'm going to just break down and build a tank for behind the couch in the living room. 8'Lx2'Hx2'W. Total 240 Gallons if math serves? Provided I can get the bulbs, will this provide enough light for a soft coral tank?

Thanx,
Dan

[Swords]

Hi Impaler!

Neat name, one of my friends sings for the 80s shock rock metal band of the same name (they're still going strong and bloody BTW!):D

For a 240 gallon I'm sure that 450 watts wouldn't be adequate as that's barely 2 watts per gallon, not even enough to grow freshwater plants decently (which is my forte). Saltwater is denser than frewshwater so the light will have a tougher time reaching the bottom of the tank especially on a 2 foot tall tank.. I am new to the reef hobby and am just now setting up my first one but the thing I hear and read most is that the lights are the most important piece of equiptment and also that one can not really "overlight" a reef tank.

I'm planning to put 2 x 400 watt MH and 80 Watts NO for the actinics over my 75 gallon. but a much cheaper option I was considering was using 8-10 65watt 6500K Power Compacts from wallmart but since someone here reffered me to :http://www.marinedepot.com where they have cheap DIY MH setups (gotta look WAY down the page of MH to find em! but there there by god!) The only reason I changed my mind is that I simply must have a crown of blue acropa (the gods have declared it!:D ) otherwise I'm quite sure my PC idea would be perfect for softcorals and I may just do that for a smaller tank if I go gonzo for reefs like I did with FW planted tanks...! :D


....it always starts with just one...

[Impaler]

Very interesting. I'll just have to save the nickels, I guess. Sux, I've had these ballasts for almost a year hoping to use 'em on a tank. That is good pricing, though. PC it is, then!

Thanx,
Dan

[dattack]

Hey Sword,
What plant board to you frequent? I also have a couple of plant tanks that looks a lot better than my reef for now.
I did a DIY T8 32 Watt on my 60 gallon tank. I used a ballast with a high ballast factor. It overdrives the 6500K lights (5$ each) from roughly 32 W to 40 W. WIth a total of 6 slim T8 bulbs, that's roughly 240 W for under $75.
I might even try sticking 8 T8 bulbs for wattage of >300 in the future for another 60 gallon.
T8 is the only way I can cram enough bulbs in there and the ballast is very efficient (electronic).
This might another alternative for your lighting also although I don't see too many people use it.