VHO lighting?

[Brock Fluharty]

Can I put a VHO bulb in a flourescent fixture? I have a 75 gallon reef tank, and I just have a single tube fixture. Can I put a VHO bulb in it? Can I just have like 175 watts and still have corals like acropora and clams?

[FishinInTheDark]

I believe that you need VHO ballasts to fire VHO lamps. A NO ballast won't. (I have never used VHO, so I don't know this for sure. If I'm wrong, I welcome correction from others.)

175W of fluorescent light will not sustain acropora, and even lower light clams will struggle.

No, VHO's require a special ballast. Putting one in a normal output fixture will not work.

Also, acropora's and some clams will not do well under VHOs. Metal Halides are recommended.