t-5 vs PC
- Thread starter fatty50
- Start date
tx reef
Active Member
Originally Posted by fanker
t-5s are alot more powerful than u guys think. i have had t-5s almosyt since i started reefing. i have had pc's, mh, and t-5s. the pcs were good for growing alge...lol, the mh was the best lights ever but cost to much for a fixture and cost to much in replacing bulbs and cost to much in elecrticity. than i tried helios t-5s. the best lighs i have gotten so far. they have been able to let me keep ne think(havent tried sps or clams yet....crappy filtration)
How long have you been using these?
t-5s are alot more powerful than u guys think. i have had t-5s almosyt since i started reefing. i have had pc's, mh, and t-5s. the pcs were good for growing alge...lol, the mh was the best lights ever but cost to much for a fixture and cost to much in replacing bulbs and cost to much in elecrticity. than i tried helios t-5s. the best lighs i have gotten so far. they have been able to let me keep ne think(havent tried sps or clams yet....crappy filtration)
How long have you been using these?
tx reef
Active Member
Originally Posted by fanker
6x54w will let u keep clams in the sand bed
Depends on the depth of tank.
Also depends on the clam. A Derasa would do fine under T-5, PC, or VHO depending on wattage of lights and where the clam is placed.
For clams that require more intense light, like Crocea, MH are the way to go.
6x54w will let u keep clams in the sand bed
Depends on the depth of tank.
Also depends on the clam. A Derasa would do fine under T-5, PC, or VHO depending on wattage of lights and where the clam is placed.
For clams that require more intense light, like Crocea, MH are the way to go.
tx reef
Active Member
Originally Posted by zanoshanox
Lighting is really a matter of oppinion. And i was just giving general opinion, i actually have two anemones under PC's in my 20, lol. You coudl maybe get a lower light anemone for you're tt, like a BTA ro LTawoudl probably do just fine. But I might be wrong there as well, because my friend has a sebea anemone on his 16 gal under standard flourescent 15 w light, and its been THRIVING for almost three months...so maybe it's all overrated, who knows for sure?
If this is true, I would love to see some pictures.
Also, three months is not long enough to claim success at keeping anything.
Lighting is really a matter of oppinion. And i was just giving general opinion, i actually have two anemones under PC's in my 20, lol. You coudl maybe get a lower light anemone for you're tt, like a BTA ro LTawoudl probably do just fine. But I might be wrong there as well, because my friend has a sebea anemone on his 16 gal under standard flourescent 15 w light, and its been THRIVING for almost three months...so maybe it's all overrated, who knows for sure?
If this is true, I would love to see some pictures.
Also, three months is not long enough to claim success at keeping anything.
wattsupdoc
Active Member
I agree with Tex reef. Lighting is definetly not over rated. There are so many different variables when it comes to lighting. It's a matter of each individuals situation and preferences. What it all boils down to is getting enough PAR to the species that you want to keep. Some of the oldtimers used incandescent lights to light reefs with from what I understand good results. Probably had to have a ton of 'em and constantly relamping but it worked. Feeding is more important to sustain a coral than lighting is. Then flow and last is lighting. However, each of these play an important and necessary role to sustain them. Some species can acclimate to different amounts of light, while others cant. How can you say a coral is thriving when all you have is 3 months experience with that? It could be a slow starvation process. However, if a coral is placed like 6 inches from a light source then it may be possible to sustain it with what is normally considered not acceptable. Especially so, if the feeding and flow is adequete. Say for instance you take a monti cap, put it into a tank wich is lets say 125 gallons. On that set up you have a 20 watt NO flourescent. If the monti cap was all the way down at the bottom then it probably wouldn't thrive. But, if you were to place that same monti cap up to within 4 inches of the lamp and were able to concentrate all the lighting from that to the monti itself it would be more than adequete. If coackKLM was to post I believe he would agree here. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
No-one wants to keep just one coral, we need to be able to move them around also. we want to be able to fill the tank up with different coarls. So we use LOTS of light. And the right color and temp of light. We also want it to look pretty. Each type of lamp is different in what it will do for our corals and setups. As coach would say...To each their own....
BTW My T-5's are a catalina brand and I love em. They are not crap as indicated by another poster.
No-one wants to keep just one coral, we need to be able to move them around also. we want to be able to fill the tank up with different coarls. So we use LOTS of light. And the right color and temp of light. We also want it to look pretty. Each type of lamp is different in what it will do for our corals and setups. As coach would say...To each their own....
BTW My T-5's are a catalina brand and I love em. They are not crap as indicated by another poster.
yupi1982
Member
hahaha so sorry to disagree with all of you!!
I currently have PC's and when i say you cant have sps nor clams is true
MH is the only way!!!
about having t-5 over pc.....yes i would've done that if i knew back then more about this hobby..
but overall i rather VHO's than both of them !!
because they are easy to use easy to go....great life span, great costs and URI bulbs have great color...of course that is if you are using MH and want to have them as a complenment
i am buying an ice cap retrofut VHO and 5 MH250
for my 400 G proyect !!!
Alejandro
I currently have PC's and when i say you cant have sps nor clams is true
MH is the only way!!!
about having t-5 over pc.....yes i would've done that if i knew back then more about this hobby..
but overall i rather VHO's than both of them !!
because they are easy to use easy to go....great life span, great costs and URI bulbs have great color...of course that is if you are using MH and want to have them as a complenment
i am buying an ice cap retrofut VHO and 5 MH250
for my 400 G proyect !!!
Alejandro
fanker
Active Member
Originally Posted by yupi1982
hahaha so sorry to disagree with all of you!!
I currently have PC's and when i say you cant have sps nor clams is true
MH is the only way!!!
about having t-5 over pc.....yes i would've done that if i knew back then more about this hobby..
but overall i rather VHO's than both of them !!
because they are easy to use easy to go....great life span, great costs and URI bulbs have great color...of course that is if you are using MH and want to have them as a complenment
i am buying an ice cap retrofut VHO and 5 MH250
for my 400 G proyect !!!
Alejandro
why would u go with vho all they are are overdriven t12's, and dont the bulbs only last like 8-10 months? and ya they are cheap because all it is is a ballast endcaps and bulb
hahaha so sorry to disagree with all of you!!
I currently have PC's and when i say you cant have sps nor clams is true
MH is the only way!!!
about having t-5 over pc.....yes i would've done that if i knew back then more about this hobby..
but overall i rather VHO's than both of them !!
because they are easy to use easy to go....great life span, great costs and URI bulbs have great color...of course that is if you are using MH and want to have them as a complenment
i am buying an ice cap retrofut VHO and 5 MH250
for my 400 G proyect !!!
Alejandro
why would u go with vho all they are are overdriven t12's, and dont the bulbs only last like 8-10 months? and ya they are cheap because all it is is a ballast endcaps and bulb
fanker
Active Member
here u go this is what i say
go witth t-5s they are better than VHO and WAY better than pc. PCs are a thing in the past they dont even compete with anything in par. heres the rundown.
t-5s last longer than other bubs but not 2 years.
Power compact (PC): multiple, sometimes folded T12 flourescent lights. (T number is equivalent to 1/8In diameter bulb so T12 is 12/8 or 1.5 in diameter while T5 is 5/8 in diameter) Only one end cap per bulb. Good lights for fish only but not good for corals. Cheap front end cost. Expensive bulbs, 10-12 month bulb life.
VHO (Very High Output): Disclaimer; . T12 flourescent but overdriven (Overdriven is when you pump more wattage through a lower wattage bulb = more intense light but shorter life) 2 end caps. Bulbs moderately priced, median front end cost, Good for fish only or reef tanks.
T5 HO (hight output): 5/8 in diameter bulbs, slightly higher front end costs, bulbs last longer, and are cheaper. Runs multiple bulbs on either single or seperate reflectors. Separate reflectors can increase light utput by up to 40% Also run fewer watts for same light output = lower electricity bill. Smaller bulb means more bulbs in same area = higher light output. Great for corals tanks. PAR better than VHO and PC but less than MH. Probably overkill for fish only tanks. Also runs slightly cooler than the rest. probably the best for reef tanks conciteting pros and cons
MH/HQI (metal Halide): Point source bulb (like a street light), High wattage, very high light output/intensity/PAR. Expensive front end costs, bulbs, etc. Run hot! Great for all high light animals (Acropora/clams/SPS etc.) very good but expencive and t-5s are really up with them with PAR. go with the t-5s
go witth t-5s they are better than VHO and WAY better than pc. PCs are a thing in the past they dont even compete with anything in par. heres the rundown.
t-5s last longer than other bubs but not 2 years.
Power compact (PC): multiple, sometimes folded T12 flourescent lights. (T number is equivalent to 1/8In diameter bulb so T12 is 12/8 or 1.5 in diameter while T5 is 5/8 in diameter) Only one end cap per bulb. Good lights for fish only but not good for corals. Cheap front end cost. Expensive bulbs, 10-12 month bulb life.
VHO (Very High Output): Disclaimer; . T12 flourescent but overdriven (Overdriven is when you pump more wattage through a lower wattage bulb = more intense light but shorter life) 2 end caps. Bulbs moderately priced, median front end cost, Good for fish only or reef tanks.
T5 HO (hight output): 5/8 in diameter bulbs, slightly higher front end costs, bulbs last longer, and are cheaper. Runs multiple bulbs on either single or seperate reflectors. Separate reflectors can increase light utput by up to 40% Also run fewer watts for same light output = lower electricity bill. Smaller bulb means more bulbs in same area = higher light output. Great for corals tanks. PAR better than VHO and PC but less than MH. Probably overkill for fish only tanks. Also runs slightly cooler than the rest. probably the best for reef tanks conciteting pros and cons
MH/HQI (metal Halide): Point source bulb (like a street light), High wattage, very high light output/intensity/PAR. Expensive front end costs, bulbs, etc. Run hot! Great for all high light animals (Acropora/clams/SPS etc.) very good but expencive and t-5s are really up with them with PAR. go with the t-5s
tx reef
Active Member
Originally Posted by fanker
Power compact (PC): Good lights for fish only but not good for corals. Cheap front end cost. Expensive bulbs, 10-12 month bulb life.
Power Compacts are perfectly fine for corals.
You can keep soft corals and LPS and even monti caps at mid tank or higher depending on wattage.
Cost to replace the 4-65 watt PC bulbs is only $120 at my LFS.
Also, I have yet to see pictures or hear from people who have kept anything like Croceas, SPS, Anemones, etc. long term with T-5s. By long term I mean more than a year.
I don't think I will ever be sold on T-5s as they are just another flourescent.
Metal Halides are the way to go for a reef (I am buying some in the near future).
Power compact (PC): Good lights for fish only but not good for corals. Cheap front end cost. Expensive bulbs, 10-12 month bulb life.
Power Compacts are perfectly fine for corals.
You can keep soft corals and LPS and even monti caps at mid tank or higher depending on wattage.
Cost to replace the 4-65 watt PC bulbs is only $120 at my LFS.
Also, I have yet to see pictures or hear from people who have kept anything like Croceas, SPS, Anemones, etc. long term with T-5s. By long term I mean more than a year.
I don't think I will ever be sold on T-5s as they are just another flourescent.
Metal Halides are the way to go for a reef (I am buying some in the near future).
bacia
Member
Have to get my 2 cents in. I had my 75 going with T5's. It was Nova Extreme brand with 8X54 watt bulbs for a total of 432 watts. I had to take it of the tank because it was to strong for what I had; Leather coral, Colt coral, Shrooms, anemones and fish. Polyps harding came out on the leather and it was always bending away from the light. The Colt knotted up and tried to get as small as it could. Turned colors like a bruise and NEVER extented ployps. Shrooms were plastered flat to the rocks and started to bleach. Got the same light with only 4 blubs and all are doing fine. I wanted to set up a 90 with this light but got a free 75 so I will be setting it up and testing out SPS, clams etc to see how it does. That's it take it for what it's worth. Hope it helps.
And my anemones were always hiding ander rocks to get away from the light.
And my anemones were always hiding ander rocks to get away from the light.
tx reef
Active Member
Originally Posted by Bacia
Have to get my 2 cents in. I had my 75 going with T5's. It was Nova Extreme brand with 8X54 watt bulbs for a total of 432 watts. I had to take it of the tank because it was to strong for what I had; Leather coral, Colt coral, Shrooms, anemones and fish. Polyps harding came out on the leather and it was always bending away from the light. The Colt knotted up and tried to get as small as it could. Turned colors like a bruise and NEVER extented ployps. Shrooms were plastered flat to the rocks and started to bleach. Got the same light with only 4 blubs and all are doing fine. I wanted to set up a 90 with this light but got a free 75 so I will be setting it up and testing out SPS, clams etc to see how it does. That's it take it for what it's worth. Hope it helps.
And my anemones were always hiding ander rocks to get away from the light.
Could have been light shock.
When making a major change in lighting, corals need to be acclimated to the new lighting slowly.
As a side note, I know a guy with 2-250 watt MH with VHO actinics over a 55 gallon, so that is why I don't think it was too much lighting.
Just my opinion/experience.
Have to get my 2 cents in. I had my 75 going with T5's. It was Nova Extreme brand with 8X54 watt bulbs for a total of 432 watts. I had to take it of the tank because it was to strong for what I had; Leather coral, Colt coral, Shrooms, anemones and fish. Polyps harding came out on the leather and it was always bending away from the light. The Colt knotted up and tried to get as small as it could. Turned colors like a bruise and NEVER extented ployps. Shrooms were plastered flat to the rocks and started to bleach. Got the same light with only 4 blubs and all are doing fine. I wanted to set up a 90 with this light but got a free 75 so I will be setting it up and testing out SPS, clams etc to see how it does. That's it take it for what it's worth. Hope it helps.
And my anemones were always hiding ander rocks to get away from the light.
Could have been light shock.
When making a major change in lighting, corals need to be acclimated to the new lighting slowly.
As a side note, I know a guy with 2-250 watt MH with VHO actinics over a 55 gallon, so that is why I don't think it was too much lighting.
Just my opinion/experience.
tx reef
Active Member
Originally Posted by Bacia
Thanks TX. I though that might be the case at first but I gave them 6 weeks to adjust and they all stayed the way I described. Did I not give them enough time?
When making a major change in lighting, it is recommended that you acclimate corals to the new lighting.
Start off by only running your new lights maybe 4 hours a day and increase this every few days by 1 hour until you reach 10 or 12 hours.
Thanks TX. I though that might be the case at first but I gave them 6 weeks to adjust and they all stayed the way I described. Did I not give them enough time?
When making a major change in lighting, it is recommended that you acclimate corals to the new lighting.
Start off by only running your new lights maybe 4 hours a day and increase this every few days by 1 hour until you reach 10 or 12 hours.
B
brigbills
Guest
What do you guys think of this unit for a 55gal hexagon tank measures at 21 Inches with LR SUNPOD 20" 1 X 150 WATT 6 BLUE & 6 WHITE LUNAR LIGHTS?
Features:
20" SunPods include fixture, lamps, cooling fan, docking mounts (legs), hanging/canopy mount kit.
14,000K HQI
229.00
Features:
20" SunPods include fixture, lamps, cooling fan, docking mounts (legs), hanging/canopy mount kit.
14,000K HQI
229.00