36" VHO’s and Workhorse Ballast?

What is the total length of a 36" Fluorescent tube with those really good white plastic endcaps? Would it fit in a hood that is 36.25 inches long?

How about four 36" VHO lights with a Workhorse 7 ballast. 36" lights are rated at 95 watts. According to Fulhams specs I can only put 2 on the ballast. Could I get away with three in series?

What about 24" 75W tubes? (WH7 handles 220 W and three would total 225 W)

I'm leaning towards two Workhorse ballasts at $80 total, rather than one Icecap at $140. Two ballasts would also allow a blue morning and evening

36.75" - I think you are a half an inch short.  But if the sides of the canopy are thick enough you could use a router to make a 3/8" dado on each side to make room.

Dave

Mark, I wouldn't worry about any kind of damage to bulbs, or the
ballasts. I ran two 110 Watt Bulbs off of one ballast for over a year
(even in Parallel) with no problems. I now run them in series per
Jon's recommendation. I also talked to Fulham engineers on two
different occasions, and the worst thing they said could happen is to
underpower the bulb in Amperage not wattage. I also contacted URI
(the manufacturer of the VHO bulbs used in our aquariums) and
they assured me that underpowering the bulbs would not harm the
bulbs, or the bulb life. The engineer from URI even joked it might
prolong their life. In doing my Boss' tank we installed four bulbs on
two ballasts in Series, and that worked perfectly. Incidentally, I
experimented with this schematic we've discussed, and by installing
seperate bulbs on seperate ballasts and found the following results:
two bulbs on two seperate ballasts, didn't make any visual difference
to me to justify buying a seperate ballast for each bulb.

That's my experience I've had with them. Jon is correct though in
that you shouldn't use 4- 36"ers on one ballast.

By the way, I replaced the two bulbs on my tank about a month ago
just for grins, and I was disappointed to find that there didn't seem
much noticeable difference in intensity after the replacement of the
bulbs. (Though I'm not going to dispute that there probably was a
shift in color because the new bulbs are much bluer.)

If anyone has a Light meter, I have two ballasts, and two bulbs at my
disposal. We could check the light output to see if there is a
noticeable loss. Really though, I think it's like running Premium fuel
in your car, or Regular grade. If it makes you sleep better at
night, do it!

I would make sure that you take Jon's advice by running them in
Series, and not in Parallel, as you will trick the ballast into thinking
it's running one bulb that is within specs of the ballasts capabilities.

Great Ballasts!

Edited by Ryan Willden