Hi my name is Chris and I have been in the fish hobby for about 10 years now and I just love cichlids. I currently have a 75 gal. aquarium with some Lake Malawi and Lake Tanginykan Cichlids. I currently have a 48" flourescent color spectrum bulb on my aquarium and was wondering if I was to put two 48" vho's on the hood of my aquarium instead if I would get better color out of my cichlids? Any info you could give would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
VHO'S or Flourescent Bulbs?
- Thread starter yonk420
- Start date
VHOs.....umm...i wanna say thats Vivid High Output...lol...but not sure. Compact fluorescents are the best way to go...cheaper to run, better light/color....more watts/light per inch. Just better all the way around. Next best thing to metal hylide. If you wanna stay fluorescent though, try the ultra white...or sumptin like that....clean white....aghh...i used to replace bulbs for a college...hehe...and there was this one type of fluorescent that was BRIGHT! it was a high out put for sure....aghh...thats gonna bug me now...
Thanks man I appreciate your input and I think I will give the compact flourescents a try. Thanks alot for the advice.
Here...check out this site....they sell compact fluorescent fixtures already with the bulbs in them for CHEAP!! its crazy!! www.aquatraders.com I haven't ever gotten from them...yet anyway...but i know of a few peeps who have and they are stoked!
a friend of mine has a 72" dual VHO setup on his 220Gal. To me it looks like it works pretty good. But he also got the dual strip light from his work an alotve VHO fixtures are a lil costly. on my 120Gal I went with a 48" triple tube Flourescent Strip light. I think it all depends on your prefence an how much light your looking for.
I am just looking for some lighting that will bring out the color in my cichlids thats all. I heard that they have some out there so I just thought I would find out the best ones to get.
Howdy,
if all you want is colors, then stick with regular fluorescent and play around with different manufacturers and spectra. I am sure a good aquarium shop will be able to help you with specifics, and they will also be able to just turn them on and show you. Very good stores even have different bulbs in different tanks and can show you in real life. Also, the combination of different bulbs may yield best results.
I have compact fluorescent because my tank is planted and comparatively high (29''). That is the only reason for higher intensity. In my eyes, you don't need to spend that money. Regular fluorescent light is the smartest choice for a regular cichlid tank.
Maybe another member can give you a recommendation with specific brands and types.
Good luck and enjoy your fish
HarleyK
if all you want is colors, then stick with regular fluorescent and play around with different manufacturers and spectra. I am sure a good aquarium shop will be able to help you with specifics, and they will also be able to just turn them on and show you. Very good stores even have different bulbs in different tanks and can show you in real life. Also, the combination of different bulbs may yield best results.
I have compact fluorescent because my tank is planted and comparatively high (29''). That is the only reason for higher intensity. In my eyes, you don't need to spend that money. Regular fluorescent light is the smartest choice for a regular cichlid tank.
Maybe another member can give you a recommendation with specific brands and types.
Good luck and enjoy your fish
HarleyK
my two cents... vho flourescent would be overkill in this particular situation. ifn ya just want to illuminate yer fishies, a cheap shoplight (a two bulb strip light bought very cheaply at most local stores would suffice), just get two different bulbs that cover the spectrum and that will do nicely... vho is primarily for planted tanks or some types of reef tanks...
by the way, i bought my present vho fixture from aquatraders... not the fanciest around, but but 99$ for a four bulb, 220 watt fixture is a pretty good deal!
by the way, i bought my present vho fixture from aquatraders... not the fanciest around, but but 99$ for a four bulb, 220 watt fixture is a pretty good deal!
thanks for showing aquatraders peanut 
I have been looking for good lighting but it is soooo expensive... you know I havent seen anybody with the sn pikeguy maybe you should look at changing your name... good looking out...
I have been looking for good lighting but it is soooo expensive... you know I havent seen anybody with the sn pikeguy maybe you should look at changing your name... good looking out...