PC or VHO. . .!

[roadrunner]

I'm looking into getting new lighting for tank because i'm going to turn the tank into a reef. Now i know that MH is the best way to go, but this is my first reef and i just want to get my feet wet. haha...
Anyway, i here alot of people say that VHO lights are better than PC at the same watts? is this true?
How do you guys feel about this?

 

[sergeant]

Using fluorecent lighting VHO is the way to go.

 

[roadrunner]

Sergeant
Why do you feel that VHO's are the way to go? Will i be able to find a light unit that will fit on a 24" top?

 

[texasranchers]

roadrunner, just remember that w/o MHs, you need to stay with soft corals. That isn't bad, just keep in mind when shopping.
TR

 

[bang guy]

I disagree. I've kept stonies for about 25 years and all of the LPS I've had do better under VHO.

 

[roadrunner]

yea i know and thats what i'm looking at as far as corals. . .i would like to get MH lights but i'm very skeptical towards the heat from the light and i wont be able to buy a chiller.

 

[roadrunner]

Bang - what is a good brand of VHO's ?

 

[bang guy]

Watt for Watt I've found that it really doesn't make much difference as far as heat. They all seem to heat the water the same amount IMO.

 

[roadrunner]

Bang - if you say that all lights will heat the tank somewhat, what type of light do you think i should go with? The tank is only 26 gals.

 

[sergeant]

There are many LFS around here and every time I ask everyone recomends VHO against PC's all the time. Looking at the setups in their stores most of them are VHO lights and they have beautiful corals living in those tanks. The tubes are more blueish in color, last longer and they come in different sizes. Im not sure if they will fit in your hood. I do know they sell 24" long. My hood was 30" long so I didnt had no problems fitting them. You can try the lights on a angle to see if they fit.

 

[roadrunner]

The corals that i would like to have are:
Hammer
Yellow Fiji Leather
Kenya Tree Coral
Zoo's
Possibly a pink tip haitian
I wouls love to have a birdsnest coral but i know that that will only be possible if i get MH.

 

[bang guy]

Originally posted by roadrunner
Bang - what is a good brand of VHO's ?
IMO the best are URI 50/50 (and SuperActinic) run off an IceCap 660 Ballast.

 

[bang guy]

Originally posted by roadrunner
Bang - if you say that all lights will heat the tank somewhat, what type of light do you think i should go with? The tank is only 26 gals.
What are the dimentions of a 26?

 

[bang guy]

Originally posted by roadrunner
I wouls love to have a birdsnest coral but i know that that will only be possible if i get MH.
Birdsnest will work under VHO but it's risky. IMO you are correct to only keep Seriatopora under MH.

 

[audisteve]

Have you ever considered T-5 lighting. T-5's are the very new to the market but are cutting edge. A recent study was performed by a third party...(some university or agency) on T-5 lighting. Now don't ask me to produce this data because it was given to me by a rival website of SWF.com. But the study indicates that T-5's cannot be juged with other types of lighting. For instance over my tank we have 96 watts of T-5 lighting. T-5 produces the same intensity as Metal Halide lighting without as much heat and with many times the lux output of conventional fluorecense bulbs. T-5's are far superior to normal fluroesence, way better than Power Compacts and they have a slight edge over VHO bulbs. So in conclusion the study showed that if a standard must be made for T-5 lighting that one should mulitply the intensity by 2. For example take 96 watts and multiply by 2. That would give a total output of a 192 watts of comparable light output. Now that's just my opinion on that matter but...after looking at my clams and sps's they aren't just surviving but thriving!
O' Sorry the stats on my tank are:
20G Long 30x12x12
The lights sit about 7 to 8 inches off the top of my tank.
I have 2x24watts actinics and 2x24 watts 6700K bulbs.
Please be gental Bang I'm just going off of hearsay, but my clams and Sps's are thriving.

 

[flatzboy]

Originally posted by AudiSteve
Have you ever considered T-5 lighting. T-5's are the very new to the market but are cutting edge. A recent study was performed by a third party...(some university or agency) on T-5 lighting. Now don't ask me to produce this data because it was given to me by a rival website of SWF.com. But the study indicates that T-5's cannot be juged with other types of lighting. For instance over my tank we have 96 watts of T-5 lighting. T-5 produces the same intensity as Metal Halide lighting without as much heat and with many times the lux output of conventional fluorecense bulbs. T-5's are far superior to normal fluroesence, way better than Power Compacts and they have a slight edge over VHO bulbs. So in conclusion the study showed that if a standard must be made for T-5 lighting that one should mulitply the intensity by 2. For example take 96 watts and multiply by 2. That would give a total output of a 192 watts of comparable light output. Now that's just my opinion on that matter but...after looking at my clams and sps's they aren't just surviving but thriving!
O' Sorry the stats on my tank are:
20G Long 30x12x12
The lights sit about 7 to 8 inches off the top of my tank.
I have 2x24watts actinics and 2x24 watts 6700K bulbs.
Please be gental Bang I'm just going off of hearsay, but my clams and Sps's are thriving.
Can we see some pictures of your tank?? It would be a good example for him to choose what type of lighting?? How long has your tank been setup? How long have you had sps in there for??

 

[roadrunner]

Bang - i know that it's the next day but my tank dimensions are this:
24L x 15W x 21D I have a 3 inch sand bed which maked it about 19 or so inches deep.

 

[bang guy]

A tank that tall would probably do better with more intense lighting which might make PC a better choice. Keep in mind though that a single 175 or 250 watt MH will be more effective than 4 bulbs of the other types IMO.
You might get better advice from the Nano Forum too.

 

[roadrunner]

But wont MH lighting over heat my tank? i really dont want to purchase a chiller b/c thier so expensive?
Bang what do you know about T-5 lighting?

 

[bang guy]

If you went with 4 VHO bulbs you'd have 300 watts. That would actually heat up the water more than a 250 watt MH.
All I know about T-5 is that it's intense. Every comparison I've seen referencing T-5 has been flawed or lacking the information required to make a decision.
I'm conservative, so it's too early for me to jump on the bandwagon.