T5 or Power Compacts?

[Beholder]

Hi,

 

I've been doing some lighting research, and need someone to check my logic.

I'm running a meter long tank 100 litres - approx 25 Gallons. I want to be able to keep softies, like shrooms and leathers.

 

I want to upgrade the lighting on it, and have a dillemma.

MH is way too expensive here in South Africa. It's just not viable.

 

So, I've narrowed my choices down to two options:

T5's or Power Compacts. The pros and cons of each (from what I understand about them):

 

T5's:

Pros: Bulbs last 3 years. Good spread of light. Works out reasonable amount, if averaging out over the years.

Cons: Expensive initally, but I can probably convince financial director (wife) that it's a good idea, if I have suitable logical motivation.

 

Power Compacts:

Pros: Cheaper to start off with.

Cons: The highest wattage we can get here is 40Watt. Bulbs last a year. Have to run additional Actinic of some kind?

 

So, are the T5's good to go for? They seem to make the most sense for me to run.

 

Thanks

 

Evan

Cape Town, South Africa.

[coral reef]

yep thats what i would do

[Jahkaya]

Are you not able to 96w PC's. Why not place an international order. If you have a Meter long tank the 96's shoudl work well. they are 36" long.

[Rikko]

If T5s are available to you, then by all means go for it. If you can get yourself a good reflector (TEK aluminum reflectors aren't too expensive) you can get great light output with no worries about heat buildup.

PCs are nice, too, but the bulb cost has always been prohibitive for me.

[king7]

i have a question about the T5 vs PC

 

i'm looking at the 36" ones

 

the T5 36" one only produce 39watts each

 

the PC 36" one produce 96watts each

 

granted that the T5 are smaller and i can fit more, but even 2 T5 36" is still 78watts

 

my LFS told me that if i upgrade my 2 96watt PC (total to 192watts) to a 4 39watt T5 (total to 156watts) it will be better for my tank?? is that true?? he said that the T5 has better lighting and i can get stoney corals under T5 but not under PC.

 

help? suggustions??

 

thanks

[Cellenzweig]

T5 definately puts out more light intensity than PC. Also, the T5 bulbs last over 2 years, whereas the PC last only 9-12 months. PC bulbs may be cheaper in the beginning, but you'll likely end up paying more after having to replace them a couple times. The only thing deterring me from T5s is the fact that they are so new to North America. I'd hate to buy a bulb for a premium price, only to see it half the price a few months later. As well, it would suck to buy (for example) an actinic now and in a couple months see a newly-released version that looks much nicer.

[Rikko]

Anybody feel like banding together and ordering a caseload from Europe?

[haokan]

i heard VHO stimulats coraline algae growth more than pc or even mh lights. is that true?

[coral reef]

just for the record for anyone who thinks wattage is important NEWS FLASH it dont mean jack sh!t ,t-5 will blow away power compacts and day of the week

[Cellenzweig]

I agree... it all comes down to efficiency. My PC lights get pretty damn hot, so there must be a lot of energy waste!

[coral reef]

t-5s get pretty hot to i think even more than pcs

[Cellenzweig]

Really... I've only seen them in use once, but the bulbs weren't that hot. My PCs get too hot to even touch.

[USFnano]

Remember, with T5's, the reflector is very important.

[Cellenzweig]

That's what I keep hearing...

[Cellenzweig]

It says here that T5's have a higher lumen output than VHO and they run cooler.

http://www.aquarium-lighting-guide.com/fluorescent

[Nudibranch]

I found a system w/ 6x 22" bulbs (24" set up), for about $500! That's crazy....NICE THOUGH!!:woot:

[Cellenzweig]

It's not that much when you consider how many PC bulbs you would have you replace before those T5s have to be replaced. You will probably save money in the long run on replacement bulb cost and electricity.

[Kool-cat]

Anyone here using t5 ho on their nano reef?