Lighting for LPS corals

[basiab]

How do you compare T5's with PC's. Is a watt a watt regardless or is there some benefit in T5's over PC's.

 

[anthony27]

I had a pc and I think that by far a t5s are better

 

[dubs]

well i think the brand bulbs matters too along with watts

 

[basiab]

Is it just that 65w of T5 is better than 65w of PC.
Or is 65w of PC like ??watt of T5.

 

[Chraddam]

What about MH? I just got a combo MH/36w actinic set-up to go with my LEDs-any feedback?

 

[ZANYMASTER]

Lps will be fine with MH lighting as long they're on the bottom.

 

[NYReef]

Watts are watts for purposes of cost, quality of light is another issue. T5's are a great choice for an LPS tank. Less heat the MH and better spectrum then PC.

 

[basiab]

OK. So if I have a choice of 130 watts of PC versus 96 watts of HO T5 which will be better for my corals.

 

[Dre]

basiab.You can use HO fluorescent bulbs for LPS.I use 96 and 65 watt PC's you can see the results in my album.It depends on the arrangement of the bulbs.I'v seen Montipora growing out the water with the use of 96 watt PC's.PC's now come in 130 watts. See a T5 and PC setup and make your own decision.

 

[cowfish]

I have a 29 gallon nano with 130 watts of 50/50 pc lighting. No skimmer. i grow frogspawn, calustrea, monitpora (caps and digitata), acropora, zoas, shrooms, yellow porites and others.

The difference between the pc and t5s is that the t5 bulbs are smaller so each can have an individual reflector which results in more light hitting the tank. If the t5 light doesn't have good reflectors than you lose most of the benefits. T5ho lighting is nice because you have a much broader range of bulbs/kelvin temps to choose from and, if you have a good unit, more efficient lighting with less heat.

 

[ming]

Not all T5's are created equal. It depends on how they're being driven, reflectors, cooling which will all impact performance.
If you stick with the same brand/model, you can probably have similar comparisons.

Its like comparing a 4cyl engine to a V6, or even V6 to V6. Brand will change a lot of the performance because they're built differently.

 

[basiab]

Thanks for all the info.

 

[Marteen]

T5's also provide more PAR per watt than PC bulbs. Be sure to get T5 with individual reflectors. For the money T5's are your best bet IMO.

 

[dragonblood]

Light,water pump for 70 gal new set-up(need advice from pro)

I have new set-up around 70 gal tank...40(l) x 26(w) x 18(h)..
with 30 reg gal tank..I'll keep 50% sps + 50% mix acan,zoa,lps and my questions:
1.I'm planning have at 36 inch(t5) but i don't know how many t5 light/dayligh/watt do i'm need plus how many actinic light
2.If i'm planning to have mh,how many watt/light do i have to get
3.I have 300 gph overflow box and how much gph from water pump do i need to buy(maybe mag 5)
3.How long do i need the turn on the daylight before i'm turn on actinic light....

Nb: I'll put all my sps on the top and rest from middle to bottom(I heard that mh light they will use more killer watt than t5 in the same useness to make sps in thrill...thanks for your advice....)

 

[jrobbins]

yeah, i hate killer watts too

 

[pdnyc69]

i have 3 250 mh and have great growth top middle and bottom with all of my lps. in a 150 gallon tank

 

[nycoralguy]

There is a lot of consideration upon MH,T5,PC.
MH creates too much heat+electric, if your tank is not too deep (75 gal+), and the tank does not include sps, you don't really need it, but this light difinity makes corals grow, if the corals are placed in the proper place.
PC, bulbs are strong, actinic looks great, but you have to change the bulbs frequents(6-12 month)depending on usage + brand, these bulbs are not cheap.
T5 Personally, if you are only keeping LPS, and your tank is not too deep, this is probably the best way to go, energy efficent, not too much heat, bulbs last a very long time, and if you do have a desire for a few sps, just put the in the center, top of the tank, it'll work fine.
hope this helps you out!