What Type of Lights to get????

[f_150ryan]

I have a 75 gallon FOWLR and some mushroms & polyps. I dont put any more corals in. What would be a good light for it around $100-$150
A T5 Ho with 2 lamps 10k & 460NM
wattage 54w
or
pc with 2 lamps
Wattage: 2 x 65W
No./Color Temp: 2-SmartPaq 10,000K/460nm
No. of Lunar Lights: 2 (with separate power supply)
Fan: Yes
No. of Switches: 1 (for PC bulbs)
Also which one would be cheaper when I need to buy new bulbs, and what does nm stand for 460nm
Thanks.....

 

[perfectdark]

I would go with the PC's if your not going to do any more corals. But IMO the t-5's are wayyyy better and would be my choice but I would do more lamps than just 2. If you ever decided to want corals in the future the PC lights would limit you. The T-5's you can add more lamps or another fixture and your options are expanded.
FYI, nm means nanometers, its the shade of blue that is present when the sunlight penetrates the water at the stated number of NM (420, 460)depth. So the blue you see a 420nm under the water is what is given on a 420nm bulb. The same goes for a 460nm bulb its blue is darker because its the color found at 460nm (deeper water). The numbers go all the way to ultraviolet but I havent seen any bulbs offered more than 460nm, not saying they are not available, I just have never seen them.

 

[f_150ryan]

So what cost less to maintain t5 or pc and what uses less energy??

 

[perfectdark]

Originally Posted by f_150ryan
http:///forum/post/2527740
So what cost less to maintain t5 or pc and what uses less energy??
T5's.
Your issue is that your not looking to get any corals, so maintainence on these fixtures IMO are identicle. They are serving no photosynthetic purpose so who cares if they lose their intensity for it. In that respect it doesnt matter, and as far as efficiency is concerned the T5's are.
Now if you eventually want to get corals the t5's are less money to maintain as their bulbs dont need to be changed out for 12 to 14 months. Whereas PC's are 6 to 9 months.