From 225w of VHO to PC

[justinl]

Since PC's are brighter than VHo's from a lumens standpoint I've been pondering switching over to make my tank cooler and save money on bulb replacement. Metal Halides are not an option due to cost and heat.
I've got 225 Watts of VHO lighting over a 37 Gallon.
I've heard that PC's give off 4 times the lumens of a NO flourescent, and VHO's give off 2 times the lumens of a NO.
That being the case can I go with less PC wattage and still get equal or more lumens when compared to my VHO system?
I.E. will 55x4 PC's do just as well if not better than 75x3 VHO's?

 

[striker]

I've heard of pc's giving off more lumens than vho but I've never heard of pc's being better than vho's. I have 200 watts vho on my 29 gallon and it only raises the temp about 1 or 2 degrees. I'd do some more research before going out and spending more money. The lighting on your tank sounds fine to me. If anything I'd personaly upgrade to mh+vho combo and install a couple of fans to keep the temps in contol. With an mh upgrade you'd be able to keep just about anything in the tank and would eventually make money off selling some frags.

 

[y2says]

I think your lighting is fine. I have PCs in my 35g hex and VHOs on my 180g and I think the VHOs look much better. If your corals are fine, then leave it alone. Use your money for something else.

 

[bammbamm74]

I just put 110watts of PCs over my 25 gallon. I actually liked the look of the 40 watts NO flourescents better. I know when I upgrade my tank size, it's going to have VHO.

 

[ak_reefer]

I would have to agree with the others. Stay with the VHO I just removed my PC and added VHO. I love the color they give off. I still have 2X96w PC with 4X95 VHO. But I am removing the 2 PC soon and adding 2 more VHO. To me they seam britghter than the PC. Also PC lamps are no cheaper than VHO. My 36" PC cost more than 36" VHO there is about a 10.00 difference. HTH

 

[dirtybilge]

There aren't any PC's that will run cooler than an icecap setup.

 

[teog]

Justin,
I have a 90g that Im running 3 95watt blue actinc and 1 95watt white VHOs plus Im running 2 10,000k 96 watt pcs...This gives me 572 total watts. I heard the blue pc are not as nice as the VHOS hence my light set up.. My lights are rockin now! I have had many soft corals for months that have done well..and I just placed some SPS yesterday..I will keep everyone posted...
The PCS do runner hotter then the VHOS..I runn 2 4inch fans though and my tank temp runs between 77-81...