im new to all this, would i be alright if i just bought the light you recommended and be able to add some reef items? and also if i bought the light you recommended, would i need to buy anything else to go along with it?
cheap, efficient, and good lighting for my 55?
- Thread starter blinxxpunk182
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Well, if you can go a little over $200, this one is $225+shipping and is twice the other light.
With the first light, you can keep most softies, and a few LPS corals at the very top.. this light, more options.. some LPS can be at the bottom, and you may even be able to try a lower light SPS at the top.
The only thing you may need to buy is an additional timer if you want dusk/dawn settings on the light I mentioned above.. other than that, no other things are needed.
With the first light, you can keep most softies, and a few LPS corals at the very top.. this light, more options.. some LPS can be at the bottom, and you may even be able to try a lower light SPS at the top.
The only thing you may need to buy is an additional timer if you want dusk/dawn settings on the light I mentioned above.. other than that, no other things are needed.
well this is exactly what im looking for. i think i might try this light out. thank you so much ace. you should be a salesman lol. i got what i wanted, got it for the price i was looking for, and can put some reef items n the tank as well. im so glad i found this site. its the greatest thing thats ever hapened to me lol.
I just like to see people get good equipment the first time around and not make the mistakes I made.
I ran PC lights for 3 years on my reef because I didn't know better and all the $ I spent on fixtures/ballast/and bulbs was pretty much wasted. I would have been much better off if someone would have talked me out of PC lights early on and gone with T5HOs. So, now I try to be that person talking to others looking at PC lights. Most people look at PCs just because they are more common and most LFS try and sell them. T5HOs are still kind of a niche market, but has been growing rapidly in the last couple years because they save more power than PCs and put out much better light, as well as the bulbs lasting longer.
I ran PC lights for 3 years on my reef because I didn't know better and all the $ I spent on fixtures/ballast/and bulbs was pretty much wasted. I would have been much better off if someone would have talked me out of PC lights early on and gone with T5HOs. So, now I try to be that person talking to others looking at PC lights. Most people look at PCs just because they are more common and most LFS try and sell them. T5HOs are still kind of a niche market, but has been growing rapidly in the last couple years because they save more power than PCs and put out much better light, as well as the bulbs lasting longer.
well i was reading some threads about lighting and read that people were looking at pc lighting and i was interested in it, so i figured that they were cheaper and better, but knowing that theres at least one person who can say that they arent as good in the long run, id rather take their advice and use it wisely. thanks again. ill let you know how everything comes ou. thanks again
and i almost forgot to double check. best to ask than to not. with the wattage and heat coming out of this puppy, am i going to need a canopy?
No, there isn't that much heat or wattage compared to something like a Metal Halide. Plus is comes with a cooling fan. A canopy would actually trap in heat. Canopys are mostly for asthetics, or a place to mount DIY lighting fixtures, not premade fixtures, although there is no reason you can't put a pre-made fixture in a canopy as long as you don't block the fans.
not trying to highjack, since my question is along the same lines. but i currently have the 48" retrofit PC kit seen here: http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumPage~PageAlias~lighting_powercompact_compact-fluorescent_coralife_aqualight_retrofit_kit_linear.html
how does that 2 bulb HO kit u showed us stack up? more light? about the same? i doubt its less. i too am in the market for lights, and really like the HO lights more than the MH based on money and heat issues. sorry if i highjacked but i really don't know a whole lot about the difference between lighting other than aesthetics.
how does that 2 bulb HO kit u showed us stack up? more light? about the same? i doubt its less. i too am in the market for lights, and really like the HO lights more than the MH based on money and heat issues. sorry if i highjacked but i really don't know a whole lot about the difference between lighting other than aesthetics.
So you have 4x65w PCs. 2 of those Actinic. So 2x65w = 80 PAR, which is Photosynthetically active radiation. In short, it is the light that the corals can use to grow, not the light we see with our eyes. Add a little for the 2 actinics, say 10 PAR ea, so your light puts out 100 PAR.
A T5HO 54w bulb puts out around 150 PAR, plus another 30 or so for the actinic, that gives you around 180 PAR on the 2x54w T5HO fixture.
T5HO = 108w = 180 PAR with 2x54w
PC = 260w = 100 PAR with 4x65w
As you can see, the T5HO light uses less than 1/2 the power and puts out almost 2x the "coral" light.
Please research on your own though.. google has lots of good links about PAR and light tests. More opinions on anything is always better than just one.
A T5HO 54w bulb puts out around 150 PAR, plus another 30 or so for the actinic, that gives you around 180 PAR on the 2x54w T5HO fixture.
T5HO = 108w = 180 PAR with 2x54w
PC = 260w = 100 PAR with 4x65w
As you can see, the T5HO light uses less than 1/2 the power and puts out almost 2x the "coral" light.
Please research on your own though.. google has lots of good links about PAR and light tests. More opinions on anything is always better than just one.
