Light type comparisons

I was unaware of that being the case with PC's, good info silverwolf72. Thanks. What about VHO flourescent? Don't they have internal reflectors? Is the "need" to have T5's or MH's for some people due largely to "keeping up with the Jones's" or perhaps to have the latest and greatest equipment? Not that there is necessarily anything wrong with it and I know they are truly needed for certain animal like clams and some corals, but are they perhaps overkill in some tanks. I appreciate all the info were getting, good discussion.

 

higher heat then t5, you could end up with a chiller. but vho's work will work, they are t5's grandpa. i believe t5's put out superior light and have more penetration but im not sure.

still when i replaced the vho bulbs when i still had my 440 watt fixture i felt like it cost me a arm and leg.

honestly vho,pc,t5,halide will can grow basically every coral(as long as you have a adequate wpg for the lighting type in question), but the t5 and halide fixtures are phasing out vho and pc for various reasons whether its light out put or bulb replacement cost.

 

Ahh I see.. makes you wonder why they'd design something like that. Oh well, I'm waiting to see how LED hoods stack up to Halides. I'm upgrading next year to a 40 Gallon Breeder. Thanks Silver!

 

VHO don't lend them self to reflectors the same way a T5 would. Larger bulb means much larger reflector, larger reflectors mean you can't put as many above tank, they compensate for this with internals which help but I'm guessing you gain about an extra 1/3 more light over non internal reflector.

T5, MH, LED are just the best at producing the most light with the least amount power.
The most bang for the buck(LED is still a little pricey but you get the idea)

Just to add all three need good reflectors. Without a good reflector you may be cutting the light output in half.

 

Aqualung, it seems I was reading about an LED set up, can't remember the brand, which gives the same light shimmering effect of a MH setup. The shimmer is definately a huge plus in my opinion, I think it just makes the tank more beautiful. I would imagine that the creatures in our tanks dig it too. The prices on T5 will probably come down as more people start using them and they become a proven technology.

 

By the way, Karma for all who are making this subject easier to understand. Thank you.

 

Maybe it's a Solaris or a Galileo.. the thought of LED hoods, and the look is way cool!

 

I was afraid of the same thing. My tank is 33" deep so I had to get MH, it's a 250W with 130W of CF actinics, which replaced my 260W CF fixture. I also have a 70W HQI on my 20G that replaced the 65W CF. In both cases, my tank did not heat up much as compared to the CF fixtures. As long as you keep the MH fixtures at least 6-8" above the surface of the water and keep the fixture fan cooled (most come with fans anyhow) then you should be ok. I don't know about in wall tanks though, I would think that the walls will retain the heat, especially with the insulation in the walls.

 

And where did you hear that? :-/

 

Without going too far in depth(yet...) I have seen MANY 24" tanks lit w/ T5 and with good PAR values all the down to the sand. I recently put T5s on my 180 and when I get around to testing the PAR I will post my values. I am FULLY confident I will have great values all the way down to the sand. Period