PC / T5 / MH lighting?

[kkutac001]

Let's say you were planning to set up another tank (big stretch of the imagination) Let's say it was going to be bigger than your current tank. :) How 'bout 100 gallons? The lighting system chosen will depend upon which creatures you plan to keep, of course. But which lights are best for a given amount you are shooting for? (I've only used PC ever.)

For instance, I've often seen that folks who grow SPS or clams use MH. Why? Couldn't T5's be used instead? You might choose a 400W MH, or a T5 unit that adds up to 432W (for example). Wouldn't either do as well? Does each type of lighting penetrate a given depth of water differently? If the T5's were several (say four) feet long, wouldn't the light be better distributed? Do T5's really operate cooler? Does it make a huge difference if they're HO vs VHO? Maybe there's a long-term cost difference? What is the scoop?

Since I have only used PCs, I'm betting y'all can only increase my knowledge on this subject....

[Ross]

Metal halides are much more intense and penetrate deeper than t-5's. A 400w mh will totally light up a smaller portion of the tank than the 432w t-5, but it will be soooo much more intense. For a 100g go with 2x400w bulbs and then some vho actinics...

[hobogato]

i used only PC on my first reef tanks, and when i switched to MH, the difference in growth and appearance were amazing. now, dont get me wrong, i still love PC lights (use them for actinic suppliments), but the look and brightness of the MH is much better. the other cool thing about MH that you dont get from equally bright flouro tubes is the shimmer effect from the single point light source. i know there are people here who have all t5 setups, and im sure their tanks are beautiful, but my preference is MH with some kind of actinic suppliments.

just for information, i run 3 @ 250 watt MH SE 14k, 2 @ 250 watt MH DE 10k, 5 @ 65 watt PC true actinic, and 3 @ 65 watt PC 50/50 (soon to be true actinic) on an 8' long tank.

[NaCl_H2O]

You really should take a look at other member's tanks to see the difference "Live", pictures do not do different lighting justice. For instance, MHs are VERY intense as mentioned above, but also have a "Single" source of light which gives a "shimmer" effect due to the water surface movement. VHOs, TGs, PCs, don't give you the shimer effect, but some folks prefer the more even lighting - or even a mixture of various lighting to seek a balance.

Granted, a deep tank where you want good SPS groowth may only be accomplished with MHs, but there are lots of ways to get very acceptable growth with other light sources.

The beauty of lighting is in the eyes of the beholder!

[alton]

Here goes another argument, I love it. I have always had PC's. Softies and Mushrooms love them, my two Wesophyllia love them. I had great growth with SPS from them. But when it comes to color go with Metal Halide, I am switching my second tank over this week. My Frogspawn was starting to turn brown under PC's, now that I have switched to MH it's green again. Your fish will almost glow under MH. Comparing 400 watts of Mh to 400 watts of PC or T5HO is like comparing 400 watts of VHO to 4-100 watt incandescent bulbs. In the long run MH is cheaper. I like the DE the best.

[kkutac001]

Here goes another argument, I love it. I have always had PC's. Softies and Mushrooms love them [snip] I have switched to MH [snip] In the long run MH is cheaper. I like the DE the best.
Switching over must say something about MH. I noticed don-n-sa had all T5's over his 240. hobogato sounds like he has steam coming off his tank. Wonder if his evap loss is pushing 50G per day :)

At this point, it sounds like the mixing of MH and either (a) T5, or (b) PC is the preferred approach.

[gjuarez]

It sure is. MH with actinic VHO supplimentation is even more popular. You get the intensity for growth and the 420nm for color. T5 lighting, although I have no experience with it, is probably the second best choice. I have spoken to people who have kept clams and sps with them and have had great results. THey do have a lot of t5 tubes though.

[GaryP]

If you do go with T5 or PC, make sure you get true actinic (420 nm) and not the blue bulbs (460 nm).

I'm assuming your 100 gal. is 4 ft. I would recommend 2 X 250 MH and as much VHO actinic as you can get under the hood. 2 would be good, 4 would be great. You can run 4 off of one Icecap 660 ballast. They are availalble in 48 and 46.5" lengths.

[kkutac001]

Interestingly, the 100 gal I'm eye-balling is 60" long (about 60 x 18 x 24), so I might have a little extra flexibility in the arrangement of the lighting. btw, are the actinics just for getting a certain look (colors) or is there some underlying health reason?

[GaryP]

Yes color, as well as coral pigment production. I am assuming this is going to be an SPS tank eventually? 420 nm (violet light) is close to UV (350-400 nm) which is the light that causes you to get a sun tan. Basically, you are tricking the corals into thinking they are getting sun burned with the 420 nm light. Their response is to produce the pretty pigments we prize so much, especially the blues and purples.

420 nm is also what we called black light when we were kids. It makes a lot of the corals fluoresce, especially some of the green corals. I saw an article years ago in National Georgraphic. A photographer took pics of some "ugly" brown corals in the Red Sea at night with a black light strobe. The colors were unbelievable.

[gcantu]

When I first started out I used PC's and I thought they were fine. Then I switched to VHO's and the colors looked better. Then I spoke with Hobogato, "Ace", and he showed me the way he set up his lighting and the types of bulbs he used and the colors seemed to glow under the MH's. I then decided to make the jump and added a 250w MH and kept my two VHO actinics while also adding two Moonlights in the tank and now everything looks brighter and more colorful. You can create dawn/dusk effects if you have two types of lighting supplemented with moonlights and enhance the visual appearance of your tank throughout the day and night. Take a look a other peoples tanks and their different lighting configurations to see what you like best. After all, it's ultimately going to be set up the way YOU think is best and the way YOU like it.

[brewercm]

I have the same tank and I'm running two 250 MH DE bulbs with two 110 watt actinic VHOs for suplement. There is an area in the middle tha doesn't get as much light (more so because of the bracing) that I'm using for softies. See my gallery for picture of the tank if you just want to get an idea.

[mkengr45]

Once you go with metal halides, you will never go back to only PC/vho/T5. I wasted alot of $ on PC lighting on several tanks before going all metal halide. Now my pc setups just set in the closet or are used on refugiums.