Lighting ?

[scooby1350]

Is VHO a good type of lighting or is it out dated? I am right now am Setting up 2-110 VHO light bulbs, but I am wondering if I should switch it to something else like Power Compacts. Suggestions.
I think VHO are better then PC, but I don't know.

 

[scsinet]

Both are equally outdated. If fluorescent is your game, go T-5.

 

[scooby1350]

I am guessing you are going to say the best IS MH? Which I know is good but I also know MH creates a lot of heat and you almost need a chiller in order to run them.
This is why I wanted to run fluorescent, so they will run cooler.

 

[scsinet]

No that's not what I said. I said that if you want to use fluorescent, then T-5 is the most current technology. It's the most efficient, puts off the least heat, and it's small size lets you stick many tubes in a small space.
Stick a T-5 option onto that poll and see what results you get.

 

[scooby1350]

I wish I could be this message board software doesn't have a way to edit the poll or I don't have access to do that.
But I can't find Any T-5 VHO light bulb or are the bulb you talking about are HO's which I can see do come in T-5's
Plus the HO I see have a two year life span and cost $10 less then VHO, but only are 54 Watt so I would need double, but with my icecap 660 that should not be a problem

 

[scsinet]

You wouldn't necessarily need double.
The efficiency of T5 is much higher than even VHO, so the light output per watt is better.
Oh and yes, the T5 "HO" is what you want. There is no "VHO" in T5.

 

[scooby1350]

I just wish they would publish the lumens of each bulb that way you can tell what output you will get with each bulb.
Well this mean after I use up my VHO I might be switching to HO's or unless I can figure out how to dim a Icecap 660 cheaply.

 

[scubaguy]

I second the T-5 also. THey are more effecient and run cooler. I was going to get some but I ended up getting the Halide instead.

 

[hatessushi]

The newest type of lighting out is the LED now. Solaris makes a nice LED fixture with the round LED's that alternate between blue and white. the colors really come out nice. IMO these are better then MH's, or T-5's at least for me since MH's give me headaches due to the shimmer.

 

[rusting]

T5s or MH would be my choice.

 

[scooby1350]

LED I would think you would need a lot to get the same amount of light as other bulbs types. Plus would LED be able to run at the proper spectrum needed for corals?

 

[scsinet]

Originally Posted by scooby1350
LED I would think you would need a lot to get the same amount of light as other bulbs types. Plus would LED be able to run at the proper spectrum needed for corals?
Sushi is talking about a lighting system based on LEDs that is specifically designed for reef lighting. They do have the proper spectrum. The system uses a whole bunch of LEDS.. hundreds I think.
The killer is the price. I think a basic systems runs in the $2000-$3000 range.
Concurrently the LED system is very new to the market and I would wait for them to get a more established track record before I spend 2 grand on one. :thinking:

 

[rusting]

Originally Posted by scooby1350
LED I would think you would need a lot to get the same amount of light as other bulbs types. Plus would LED be able to run at the proper spectrum needed for corals?
Did you look at the price on those? At $2300 and change thay are out of my reach. I'd go for T5s.

 

[reefrobert]

The whole light issue is a big turn off for me in this hobby. I have a 20 gal tank now, and i am trying to build a bigger system. Right now its a 90 gal, but I might just go for one big 220 reef ready system with DIY sump/refuge. On my 20 gal i have a Coralife Compact Fluorescent (one 65 watt 50/50 bulb). I heard dont go over 7 watts per gal. I have looked at a lighting package for the 220 gal, coralife 3 MH 250 and 2 or 4 96 watt blues with moon lighting. i have looked at package for the 90 gal. 2- 150 MH 2-blue 96 watts and moon lighting. I think that there is a lot of people trying to sell you stuff you dont need and there is lot of stuff we still don't know about this hobby and the reefs of the world's oceans. People should get together and make one type of standard that hobbyist can go by. This is nuts, or am i the only one that feels like this!

ReefRobert

 

[mikeyjer]

There are pros and cons about T-5's
From what I've read, SPS doesn't do well under T-5, but from certain person's tank, they're doing fine. But they were using a lot of T-5's, so I added up all the cost with the excess lighting that it requires, you might as well get a VHO or a Halide. That's just my opinion of it.... :happyfish

 

[scsinet]

Variety is the spice of life, my friend!

The reason so many different stuff exists is because different types of systems have different needs. Once you get more versed in the different technologies, what they can do, their pros and cons, the answer pretty much presents itself... you "just know" what you want.
It stinks for a beginner... so many options.... The best advice I can give you (albeit unsolicited) is decide now what you want do do with your tank. If you are going reef, decide now what you plan to keep... say in the next two years. Buy for that, and don't let anyone talk you into an upsized system if you have no need for it. Research, research research.

 

[matt819]

T5s are all about the reflectors...They are efficient because they are small enough so you can have a parabolic reflector around each bulb which increases output dramatically. That's the whole thing with t5s. If you did that with VHO's it'd be the same effect...using 5 times the space, but you would get dramatically more output. We've been over this a million times...if you read past threads, you'll see where I posted tanks with tons of acros and other stony corals just growing crazy under nothing but t5, and not even a lot of them at that. One tank was only running 4 54w lamps. T5s are actually very bright, provided you do your research and get good bulbs and reflectors like ice cap reflectors...you can even overdrive the 54w lamps to around 80w with that 660 ballast which will really pump out the light...but the bulbs won't last nearly as long. If you run fans, that also increases the output.

 

[scooby1350]

I just want to get in to Brain corals and some Xenia

 

[matt819]

If you ran 4 54w lamps off of that 660 ballast, you'd be just fine. Make sure you get nice parabolic reflectors, icecap makes the best ones.

 

[scooby1350]

Are you talking PC or T-5 HO's? 54 Watts.
How much heat does VHO put off? I can't believe a florescent bulb can produce that much heat.