lighting question wattage of T5 vs PC

[barderer]

I was thinking about buying this light
http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1319

which is 2x18w t5s.

How does this light compare to a 2x65w PC in actual light output.

I am going to use this on a mostly fish / easy softies and macro tank.

Nick

[rabadanmarco]

you need to get some t5 ho....these give off little ligt...look at hagan glo fixture

[JimD]

Do yourself a favor and skip the pc's, go directly to T-5's, they last longer, theyre brighter and did I say they last longer? Pc's lose 60% of their intensity over the first 6 months and can be very pricey to replace... That looks like a neat little fixture and the price is right for sure!

[ballardjr2000]

well here is what i have read about lighting. 4 watts min per gallon of water 8-10 is what most say to have. (from online research) so you can have 38w total pwr with the 2 t-5's or you can have 130w total (if its duals not a single bulb/fixture) or 65w total if its a single bulb. More light better. more wattage better i was running 216w with my t-5's i doubled that amount and well happy now. just my .02 as for t-5 verses pc's i use both t-5's on my 90g pc's on my 65 FW (used to be a reef)

but as well with everything just said lol.

[Squiers007]

The wattage is not the number you want to be looking at. The value you need to be concerned with is PAR (photosynthetically active radiation). 1 24W T5 bulb w/ an individual reflector will put out a good deal more PAR than a 65W PC will. So not only are you getting more usable light to your corals, but you are using less electricity to do so. If you are only wanting to do fish and soft corals then you should be fine with only 2 T5's. If you want to do more light intense corals i would go with either 4 or 6 T5's.

[JimD]

Man, we used to have some really great lighting discussions back in the day.... Search 'GaryP', he had a theory about 'watts per square foot of surface area' that is really interesting and makes good sense. Pretty much dismissed the watts per gallon thinking...
http://www.maast.org/forums/showthread.php?t=21297&highlight=watts+square+foot

[Paul28]

PC are garbage T5 for the win :)

[lt1z28]

PC are garbage T5 for the win :)
Ditto

[ballardjr2000]

yes PC's are old but we know we all used them when they came out i run the t5's myself but have run pc's on my 65g before upgrading to my 90g no problems.

[barderer]

my main question is what is the lumens comparison for the T5 NO 36watt t5 fixture vs a 130watt PC fixture. They don't seem to make a 30" HO T5.

[ballardjr2000]

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem.aspx?category=30_inch_Current_USA_SunD ial_T5_HO_4x24W_w__Timers___LED_30in_Units&vendor=Current_USA&SearchStr=sundial&action=view&idProduct=CU01150&idCategory=FILTFIT53U&child=CU01151

just a quick search for 30" T5 pricey but a beast. its a 4x24 so pleanty of light. the wattage per gallon is the old way of thinking what i have used and have been fine.

[kkiel02]

I would get t5s I just upgraded this week and like the t5 alot more than pc lighting. If you are just doing softies and macro you would prolly be ok either way but I think t5 makes more sense in the long run. Maybe you could save up and find a 4 bulb HO fixture then you will have more coral selections available.

[Big_Pun]

what about buying 2 of them, im now thinking of putting one or 2 on one of my cubes, or one on each

[Squiers007]

If you want to go with T5's in a 4 bulb fixture this is the one I would go with. They make a very high quality product at very competative prices. I will be purchasing from them for my next set of lights.

http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/product_info.php?cPath=71_136&products_id=1414

[ballardjr2000]

another nice product as for putting 2 on a tank thats what i am doing with my 90g i have 2 marineland 48" 4x54watts on mine and everything in my tank is fine give me a total of 8 bulbs and mounted just fine. i used L brackets and added some fans as well to move the air out from under my canopy it was a nice dyi and can post pics if you like