which lighting to go with MH or PC?

[boasbychoice]

I want to get in to the hobby of reef keeping.
-But which lighting system is best for LPS?
-If i do decide to stick a couple of SPS's(then I would with the MH) in the tank would the MH lighting be over kill/kill off the LPS?

MH:thumbsup: or :thumbdown

[JENnKerry]

First off.......
[welcome]

It's LPS, not LSP.
Just so you know, you're opening up a can of worms on this one. Most people will say MH. I will say that I have PC's on all my LPS tanks and am quite happy with the color and growth.

[boasbychoice]

LSP was a typo

I like to get people riled up it brings out their true feelings.

[MayoBoy]

Don't forget T-5's...

[ri]

I've had great luck with VHO lighting myself.

ri

[JENnKerry]

So you inquired about MH, I like PCs, MayoBoy likes T5's, and Ri uses VHO. I guess that pretty much narrows it down huh?

[boasbychoice]

I was leaning more towards PC any way. Just wanted to see if any one had a good enough reason to change my mind.

If any one out there does, I'd like to hear them.

thanks

[silver17jo]

how big is your tank?

[boasbychoice]

none right now, getting a 24g AQUAPOD

[Amphiprion]

Either of the choices would work well. I think a better option may be MH, primarily because you may plan on going sps later on. The only thing you need to be aware of is that the LPS need to be carefully acclimated to the intensity, or else they will bleach and possibly die. But, I also love VHO, which is what I currently run and have had excellent results with any coral (or clam). I just think it will give you more options down the road.

[boasbychoice]

Amphiprion or anyone
I like the brain and bubble corals. Would they survive under PC.

-not dealing with LPS but is there a anemone that will survive under PC that will not attack LPS. That is also clownfish friendly.

[Amphiprion]

Those corals will do fine under PC lighting--I have seen bubbles do well under normal output fluorescent. As for the anemones, the best for you to try after you get some experience would be the BTA or Bulb-tipped anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor). They are the easiest of the hosting species, but are still considered fairly difficult. Unfortunately, all anemones have the propensity to sting corals while moving around, so there is no real way to get around it (except for not getting the corals or not getting the anemone).

[xdusty6920]

most anemones prefer a higher lighting then your typical lps. mh is definently the way to go. pc's, vho, t5's are all good options and can produce great results. but mh are as good as it gets because you can house anything with them. be it lps, softys, sps, clams you name it. with mh youll never have to ask the dreaded question you just asked. "is my lighting enough to keep.....".
trust me i have several setups with several different lighting. you will want to try different corals in the future and if you get pc's or somthing along those lines you'll inevitably find yourself saying "i really want to get XXXXXX but i only have pc's". do it right the first time so you save yourself the money in the long run.

[scuglass]

id go with mh eventually the cost will get u cause u have to replace the pc bulbs at 6 months and mh at 1 year

[boasbychoice]

thanks xdusty6920 and scuglass
You both may have just changed my mind.

[Dubbin1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6495457#post6495457 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by boasbychoice
I was leaning more towards PC any way. Just wanted to see if any one had a good enough reason to change my mind.

If any one out there does, I'd like to hear them.

thanks

If you don't want MH then I would pick T-5's over the PC just for the fact that you get a lot longer life out of a T-5 bulb. You will be replacing PC's every 6-8 months.

[xdusty6920]

plus dont forget mh's are the only way youll be able to get that shimmer effect on the rocks and sand.
btw what size tank do you have?

[boasbychoice]

none yet, toss up between 65g or 24g AQUAPOD

still trying to make up my mind

[xdusty6920]

if you go with the 65 you could get a pair of 175w mh's or even a pair of 250w mh's if you want. for the 24 i would get a single 175w or 250w

[gsrracer]

interesting

[MayoBoy]

My advice would be NOT to get a 65 - get a 75. The 65 is 36" long (with a center brace) and the 75 is 48". The majority of mixed (MH & PC or T-5) hoods for 65 gallon tanks have one MH in the center right over the brace.

If you're set on the 36" length, get a 58 - it's almost the same size but no center brace.

[kbmdale]

I love my VHO's, we have it all...Softies, LPS, and SPS, good growth, great coloring!! We've thought about supplimenting with a T5 light in there though for our 75g upgrade.

[blange3]

I like VHO's for best color and am considering T5's with VHO actinics for my next tank, which is a 75. My least favorite for LPS colors are PC's

I haven't tried MH but it seems you have to be careful about acclimating many SPS slowly to lighting this intense. Corals like Blastos will need to be kept in the bottom of the tank.

[musty baby]

I have 2x400 MH over my 75. It is perfect (for me) as I built it to go over a future, deeper tank (and if you go MH this is always a possibility as well). I like the thought that I have enough light to raise anything I have the urge to pick up, and despite not acclimating anything yet I haven't had any problems with bleaching. Just plopped a couple more LPS frags in last week, and looking great.

It seems like overkill, but I couldn't be happier that I went with such intense lighting. The shimmer effect is great, too. Would be even better, I'd assume, with only one bulb rather than two.

My $.02

[OCDep]

yeah, if your just starting get the MH, do it right the first time and you wont have to do it again later.

[tangey]

I think you should go with metal halide