t-5 vs PC and coral coloration..

[bill109]

hey everyone,
i have a frag tank and noticed alot less coloration in corals with the tank with the power compacts above it.
if i were to substitute the pc's for t-5s with LESS water would it still do the job? i want the frags to be colorful.
the pc fixture has 2 10K bulbs. one daylight and one actinic. both 65 W.
heres the question if i were to to swap to T-5's like my DT and use less watts then the current PC the watts would it do anything for coloration? the tank is 30" long. and there isnt a whole lot for light fixtures that offer the wattage at such a short length. i would like to stay away from MH..
any input here? xome zoa frags seeem to almost be burnt, and losing some color..
the tank is shallow. about 18 in tall. and roughly 15 Gals.
thanks.

 

[nycbob]

if u want colors, u need t5 bulbs in the 14k range along with actinic or procolor.

 

[bill109]

Originally Posted by nycbob
http:///forum/post/3241417
if u want colors, u need t5 bulbs in the 14k range along with actinic or procolor.
what about watts? do t-5's give off better PAR? from what i remember its all about PAR and not so much Watts..???
also would only one 14K to 20k and a actinic do any good? or do you mean 14-20K in quanitity?

 

[bill109]

does anyone know the deal with grow-shop lights? they advertise t-5's for a much cheaper price. but can the ballast handle 20K bulbs vs the 6000K they come with? is there a reason they come with the lower K rating other than the fact that they are used for growing plants?
i know nothing about how the ballast works the lights...

they have a 4 bulb t-5 like TEK has but for 130$ cheaper..