*another* lighting question....wattage?

[Amy83820]

Ok...I know this is a stupid question, but here it is.... is 216 watts from a T5 fixture better/brighter than 260 watts from a PC fixture? Would corals (low-light) do better with the 216 from the T5?

[Amphiprion]

Well, it depends. Assuming you have individual reflectors, there is most likely more light coming from the T5s. Realize that wattage is simply a measure of how much electrical energy is actual drawn in to power the lamps--it doesn't really have as much a direct correlation to the brightness, which is the amount of light per given area.

[Amy83820]

I'm so lost with trying to decide on lighting. It's for a 90 gallon tank. MH is out. Just flat out too much money. Besides, all of my corals are low-light anyway and I don't plan on doing anything super complicated anyway. Any suggestions anyone?

[HowardW]

If they are all low light corals then PC's would work just fine, although 260 watts of PC's on a 90 gal. tank is pretty low even for lower light specimens.

[-TS-Vash]

I just traded a 390 watt pc system for a 216 watt T5 system and its briter and cooler and i love it i have a 75 though but 75 90 not a big change in depth. If you get the kind with the right reflectors i have heard a 216 can put out as much light as a 400 watt MH.

[Amy83820]

Thanks for all of the info...it does help. I'm just not a very technical person..... Would it be *too much* light for the corals?

[-TS-Vash]

You should look into a Tek-Light T5 System there better they have there own reflector for each bulb.

[HowardW]

Originally posted by -TS-Vash
You should look into a Tek-Light T5 System there better they have there own reflector for each bulb.

If only lower light corals are being kept, a Tek T5 setup would probably be overkill in my opinion. They are sweet though!


I think good PC lighting at about 5-8 watts per gallon and within 3-4" of the water surface should suffice for all but the most light demanding creatures.

[-TS-Vash]

Thats true thats why you should look in th them to see if thats what you want do some research i got a current nova extreme T5 216 watt system it does not have reflectors for each bulb but i love it.

[ReeferMonkey]

Originally posted by HowardW
If only lower light corals are being kept, a Tek T5 setup would probably be overkill in my opinion. They are sweet though!


I think good PC lighting at about 5-8 watts per gallon and within 3-4" of the water surface should suffice for all but the most light demanding creatures.

Please don't take this as a personal attack, but I tend to not agree with either of the above statements. A 4 bulb Tek setup is going to be bright but it's not going to be overkill for low-light animals, especially if a few bulbs are actinic or blue+. A 6 or 8 would definitely be overkill.

Watts per gallon (WPG) is a very, very bad way to evaluate your lighting setup. It fails to take aquarium shape or light penetration into account - and these are the two most important factors in evaluating lighting in marine reef aquariums.

I've had PC, MANY of my friends have VHO, I've had T5 (briefly) and I've had a few MH systems. I will never, ever, ever buy a PC system again. In some situations (small nano tanks, mainly) they can sometimes be a good option but by and large I find there to almost always be a better choice.

Amy,

216W of T5 will definitely be brighter than 260W of PC. You can vary your bulb configuration to get the look and intensity that works best for you. If you do decide to go T5, just make sure you get a fixture with individual reflectors, as that is the main advantage of a T5 system.

Also, take a look at the up front and life cycle costs of MH as compared to T5 - depending on which fixtures and options you choose, the end result can be pretty close. A lot of the time it boils down to personal taste (and finances )

[HowardW]

<<< I will never, ever, ever buy a PC system again. In some situations (small nano tanks, mainly) they can sometimes be a good option but by and large I find there to almost always be a better choice. >>>


Yes, there is definately always something better (and more expensive) out there. I agree that using the watts per gallon is not the best way to calculate proper lighting in most cases, however it's a good starting point for PC fixtures IMO. I also think that PC lights in general get an unfair bad rap when they are usually sufficient for many tanks that don't require state of the art mega lighting. I've seen quite a few larger tanks using only PC's that flourish and also look great. Perhaps one reason PC lights are frowed upon by many is that they need to be used quite close to the water surface to be effective, and I see some tanks where they are as much as 10-15" or more from the surface which really cuts them down.

[ReeferMonkey]

Originally posted by HowardW
<<< I will never, ever, ever buy a PC system again. In some situations (small nano tanks, mainly) they can sometimes be a good option but by and large I find there to almost always be a better choice. >>>


Yes, there is definately always something better (and more expensive) out there. I agree that using the watts per gallon is not the best way to calculate proper lighting in most cases, however it's a good starting point for PC fixtures IMO. I also think that PC lights in general get an unfair bad rap when they are usually sufficient for many tanks that don't require state of the art mega lighting. I've seen quite a few larger tanks using only PC's that flourish and also look great. Perhaps one reason PC lights are frowed upon by many is that they need to be used quite close to the water surface to be effective, and I see some tanks where they are as much as 10-15" or more from the surface which really cuts them down.

In situations where cost is an issue I think the WorkHorse ballast fills the niche nicely. www.diyreef.com and www.championlighting.com are good starting points for rigging your own DIY system.