What kind of Actinic???
 

I am planning on adding 2 x 175W Ushio's 10000k to my tank. I will also want to add some actinic as well. Do i need to use VHO actinic or is it ok to use NO actinic? Will there be much of a difference? As well i know there are many different brands of bulbs out there what are some recommendations as to what brand to buy (VHO or NO)?

NO should be fine. I have one you can try if you want. You can also overdrive the NO tubes with a workhorse balast, if you wanted more light.

I just switched from NO actinics to 2X overdriven actinics with a Workhorse 7 and there is a noticeable improvement. If you have to purchase a fluroscent ballast anyways then I highly recommend going for the overdrive,

I have a workhoarse 7 ballast and 220W seems like a lot to be using for two 40w NO tubes???? What will this do to the life span of these bulbs?

The full 220 won't go thru the tubes. I believe they'll run at about 70 or 80 watts each. I may shorten the life of the bulb a bit, but it's still more cost effective than VHO. That being said, I did switch to VHO and feel it was worth the added cost for the color and brightness. NO tubes are about $17, VHO are about $33.

reef raf, what is the life span of your VHO's? I have heard that VHO's only last about 6 months. If i do go with the overdriven NO's what kind of life expectancy am i looking at???

reef raf, what is the life span of your VHO's? I have heard that VHO's only last about 6 months. If i do go with the overdriven NO's what kind of life expectancy am i looking at???

I'm only gonna post one answer, k? :biggrin:

I have been running them 5 months now and they still work. I have heard that they last 4 months. I also heard they last 2 years. Who knows?? Mine still work and I expect I'll change them at a year, just for fun. NO bulbs would probably give similar results.

I'm with Brad. It seems useful lifespan expectations vary wildly depending on who you ask.

When I used NO O3's, I found I had to replace them at six months, or face cyano blooms (which would go away as soon as the tubes were replaced). But now I run VHO actinics, and I'm thinking, oh, shoot, these tubes are now about a year old. And they still turn on .... so ... I dunno, seems I've gotten away with more than 6 months on these at any rate.

I figure, if nothing else, aim for once per year. If you find that's not enough (only time and experience will tell for you IMO), then step it up and see how that works out..

cheers

Brad is right, running two four foot tubes off a WH7 in the recommended wiring config will only run them at HO not VHO levels.