What’s the difference between VHO Lighting fixtures?
Enjoy Life Eat More Pu$$y! asked:
I am looking to add a second light fixture to my saltwater reef tank. Currently I have a 260 Watt compact lighting system on it and want more lighting. I was thinking about getting a VHO lighting sytem and adding it to my tank but there are T-5, T-6, T-8, and T-12 fixtures. What the diffance between them and are they interchangable?
I am looking to add a second light fixture to my saltwater reef tank. Currently I have a 260 Watt compact lighting system on it and want more lighting. I was thinking about getting a VHO lighting sytem and adding it to my tank but there are T-5, T-6, T-8, and T-12 fixtures. What the diffance between them and are they interchangable?
just the brightness features in them other then that nuthing [who] fishboy
T12 was the ancient standard. Its not very efficient when you look at watts per lumen. T12 VHO was a retrofit technology that let people use higher wattage bulbs with crappier ballasts. Its old, overpriced, big, klunky, etc. There are a FEW nice T12 VHO systems out there that let you run 160 watts per bulb, but they’re kinda rare.
the lower the T value you go, the skinnier & more efficient the bulbs are. A 32 watt t8 bulb will give you roughly the same light output as a 40 watt t12 bulb. [who] vort3xyz
The T ratings are how wide the bulbs are. Each point is 1/8th of an inch (a T-5 is 5/8″). You must get the appropriate bulb for the fixture. [who] Carson
what size tank do you have and what light spectrum are you using on the compacts? most of the bulbs you mention require their own ballasts and will not work on a different system. At this point if you are looking for stronger lighting I would suggest adding a metal halide lamp or two depending on the size of your tank, and keep your compacts with the actinic blue spectrum. Your corals will benefit from stronger light. Keep in mind whatever you decide gradually change the intensity of the light or you will stress the corals. [who] Tang man