216w t5's vs. 260w pc any thoughts or opinions

coachtjm

coachtjm

New Member
I am sure this has probably been beat to death but please give me your thoughts on this lighting comparison for a standard 75 gallon aquarium. I do keep corals no sps. I have essentially used pc in the past but may look to change. PC seem to run very hot for us. am i going to see a huge lighting difference? 216 vs 260 watts...will I see a difference in electric bill?
 
jimmy 4

jimmy 4

Member
T5's would most likely be brighter. They are definatly better than pc. The bulbs last longer and run cooler. I replaced my 96w pc bulb with 96 watts of T5. there is a big difference in brightness and color. Also you will have more options with bulb choice. For me I went from a 50/50 bulb with one switch to 4 bulbs with two switches. When my stock bulbs get old I am going to have 2 460nm actinc bulbs, 1 10k white, and 1 420nm true blue.
As far as your electric bill goes watts are watts, I doubt that you will see and change.
 
big

big

Active Member
I agree..... Like many I too started with 4 96 watt PC's on my 72 bow. (same width as your 75) When the T-5's became reasonable in price I purchased a Nova Extreme Pro with 6 55 watt T-5's .........
PC's are becoming a thing of the past.There is no comparison anymore .......Much better color spectrum choices and value with the T-5's. Also much lower heat production than either PC's or MH lighting fixtures. Only thing missing is the light point source shimmer that MH's have.
.
 
gio28

gio28

Active Member
sorry to hijack but i have PCs and want to change to T5s too. my question is how come all the of T5s seem to have lower watts but equal the higher watts of the PCs. do the T5s put off more light into the water?
 
big

big

Active Member
Originally Posted by gio28
http:///forum/post/3085131
sorry to hijack but i have PCs and want to change to T5s too. my question is how come all the of T5s seem to have lower watts but equal the higher watts of the PCs. do the T5s put off more light into the water?
Basically , the T5's put out more lumens per watt,which is the key. Also like said less heat, and they have somewhat deeper penetration through water. Plus the longer lasting bulbs, all that adds up to more light for corals for less money spent
 
gio28

gio28

Active Member
sweet thats good to know. i might upgrade then. for a 36 bow how many watts of t5 would you recommend for all corals but SPS?
 
gio28

gio28

Active Member
haha just making sure lol. do you think could you answer my question if ya know?
Originally Posted by gio28
http:///forum/post/3085145
sweet thats good to know. i might upgrade then. for a 36 bow how many watts of t5 would you recommend for all corals but SPS?
 
jimmy 4

jimmy 4

Member
Originally Posted by gio28
http:///forum/post/3085131
sorry to hijack but i have PCs and want to change to T5s too. my question is how come all the of T5s seem to have lower watts but equal the higher watts of the PCs. do the T5s put off more light into the water?
T5 bulbs are thinner and singular unlike pc bulbs. So you get more reflectivity or more bang for your buck. They both are florescent so they put out the same kind of light, but t5's are much more efficient.
 
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