Lighting
- Thread starter The Real 118
- Start date
Thats really a buck a piece. I am setting up T5 as we speak...but I have also used powercompact with good success on reef tanks.
That being said, pc and t5 and limitations that I dont think MH and LED have.
That being said, pc and t5 and limitations that I dont think MH and LED have.
FLESHY;4659263; said:
I'm not trying to be a smart guy here but I have herd so much about lighting that I'm wondering what kind of limitations do you think pc/t5 have that MH/LED don't?
To the OP I love my T5's...I don't grow any SPS or clams but I have had great sucess both in appearance and growth in my LPS/softies when I blended a variety of diffrent T5's (colormax, 10k, actinic). However if you are looking for more light in a smaller package then PC would be the better of the two imo.
You use more space/energy/money running a pc/t5 system that would do the same thing has MH or LED.
That being said, new studies also show that the "ripple effect" generated by LED and MH actually makes the PAR better for your corals in some way.
With a standard PC fixture, I was definitely limited.
That being said, new studies also show that the "ripple effect" generated by LED and MH actually makes the PAR better for your corals in some way.
With a standard PC fixture, I was definitely limited.
Here is my take on the whole lighting debate.
Between T5's and PC's, you would be better served using T5's because the amount of light it produces is higher in par and the variety of bulbs you can get for them is greater. The limitations with T5/PC is that the depth of the tank will be limited to about 24" depending on what your trying to grow in your tank (for FW fish with low light plants you can go up to 36" in depth).
As for MH and LED's, the depth of the water can be greater than 24" and you get higher par values and the shimmer effect. Both MH and LED are expensive initially as far as start up cost goes.
I have had all these different types of lights throughout the years and if I was looking into getting some lights for a new tank I would go with T5 for anything up to a water depth of 24" and anything over that I would run LED's (that's the 3watt led's with lens not the Christmas lights)
Between T5's and PC's, you would be better served using T5's because the amount of light it produces is higher in par and the variety of bulbs you can get for them is greater. The limitations with T5/PC is that the depth of the tank will be limited to about 24" depending on what your trying to grow in your tank (for FW fish with low light plants you can go up to 36" in depth).
As for MH and LED's, the depth of the water can be greater than 24" and you get higher par values and the shimmer effect. Both MH and LED are expensive initially as far as start up cost goes.
I have had all these different types of lights throughout the years and if I was looking into getting some lights for a new tank I would go with T5 for anything up to a water depth of 24" and anything over that I would run LED's (that's the 3watt led's with lens not the Christmas lights)
ok so on a 50 gallon breeder (L36"xW18"xH18") T5's are the way to go or leds but they are expenceve thanks guys
I'm relatively new to the hobby, but PC seems like the way to go if you don't want to spend a boatload of cash. Over my 30 one dual bulb PC gives me 4.3 watts/gal. It would take a fixture with 4-5 bulbs to provide the same. Which would end up being wider than the tank itself. There are no 'color enhancer' bulbs like colormax or aqua GLO, but you really don't need it in a salt tank. SunPaq provides a nice array of bulbs.
http://www.current-usa.com/sunpaq.html
http://www.current-usa.com/sunpaq.html
FLESHY;4675605; said:
After paying duty and shipping to Canada I don't think I would make out very well.
