T5 Vs. PC

[FOBMcGyver]

Hello folks,
I'm new to the hobby. I currently have a FOWLR and will soon upgrade to reef. I'm about to purchase some new lights and was wondering what's better for corals? T5 or PC?
It seems to me T5's watts max out at like 45 watts and you need like 6 bulbs, whereas PC's one bulb can handle 96 watts.
Is there a reason why lower wattage, but more bulbs is better than fewer bulbs, higher wattage?

[xtrstangx]

T5's are better. They are stronger per watt and you can get VERY good reflectors for them.

[Amy83820]

I'm going through the same decision right now... From what I can tell, T5 is more expensive though. My budget is more toward the PC end of the price range...

[ddevlin]

Everyone skimps on budget at first when it comes to this hobby. Take my advise and go with the T5's. You will be a lot happier in the long run as well as your corals.

[horkn]

t5 will also use less electricity, and the bulbs will last 3 times longer than PC. so it may be more money at first, but it will easily add up that t5ho is better.

not to mention t5ho with proper reflectors will blow the PC out of the water as far as light output..

[larryl]

T5s with individual parabolic reflectors will get more light into your tank compared to the same wattage PCs. I replaced 3x96W PCs (288W total) with 4x39W HO T5s (156W total) over my 50gal and overall the tank is brighter than before, and my chiller comes on less because there's less heat from the bulbs.


Larry

[reefsahoy]

t5 hands down. i just replaced my pc and what a difference. my pc were only 2 months old and is sitting in my garage

[Mingiunate]

Hey,

I currently have 5 - 96watt PC over a 58g

would you suggest 4-39watt T5s or 6?

Looking on the reefgeek site, i see they have a choice of 1 Icecap or 2 Triad ballasts

besides the price is there any difference?
I'm currently leaning toards the triads, so i can have 2 seperate timers for dusk/dawn effects.


thanks!

[horkn]

i would go 4x39 on that 58g. if not only 3x39.

3x39 is far too much light on my 35g..


the triads will allow you to have the bulbs on and off at different intervals. and the IC ballast will overdrive your bulbs a little bit. I rellly dont think you will need the IC, esp since it costs more.


what do you have in the tank now, and what do you want to keep?

[Mish]

I love my T5. I would not pay to overdrive the bulbs, but put the money in the reflectors. It makes a big difference.

[normanviking]

when you guys say reflectors, what do you mean? What kind do you suggest, thanks

[larryl]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7076152#post7076152 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by normanviking
when you guys say reflectors, what do you mean? What kind do you suggest, thanks

For best results with T5s you want to use parabolic reflectors, one per bulb, that are very efficient at reflecting most of the available light down into your tank. Some of the cheaper fixtures use a single reflector behind multiple bulbs, which is not as efficient.

You can get individual reflectors made by Tek, IceCap, etc. I am using these one from Aqualux that I'm very happy with:

http://www.aqualuxlighting.com/reflectors.html


Larry

[FOBMcGyver]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7071510#post7071510 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by larryl
T5s with individual parabolic reflectors will get more light into your tank compared to the same wattage PCs. I replaced 3x96W PCs (288W total) with 4x39W HO T5s (156W total) over my 50gal and overall the tank is brighter than before, and my chiller comes on less because there's less heat from the bulbs.


Larry
Larry, I plan on upgrading to a 50 soon. Do you think 4X39 HO T5's is enough for a reef? no MH's required? that's only about 3 watts per gallon. Isn't the reccomended wattage like 7-8 watts per gallon?

[Reefmaniac1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7074245#post7074245 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by horkn
and the IC ballast will overdrive your bulbs a little bit. I rellly dont think you will need the IC, esp since it costs more.



The IceCap ballast may be more expensive, but like the T5s versus PC lamps, it's worth the up front cost. This ballast will overdrive the lamps, true, but it's actually a good thing. You'll ge a lot more light per watt PLUS the way the ballast drives the lamps you'll get way more than 24 months of usage out of the lamps.

[otterpop510]

sorry, don't mean to diverge from the original question of the thread.. (i have PC's, have a friend with T5's, i really am impressed with the T5's light output and they are money savers in the long run with 6 month ~ 18 month replacement)

but quick question, i have the coralife aqualight pro 48" with 2x150W MH and 2x96W PC, i was wondering how hard it would be to switch these PC over to 2x54W T5's.. and if anyone has done this before? anyone know what this would require buying/doing? would this require new everything including ballast, etc. or could i use my existing ballast? what else would i need?

i just like the look of my light system and don't feel like buying another if i don't have to. thanks in advance..

[FOBMcGyver]

You mean to tell me 100 watt T5 is brighter and better than 200 watt PC, while it eats less electricity and doesn't give off as much heat????
Isn't that too good to be true?

[larryl]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7077864#post7077864 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by FOBMcGyver
Larry, I plan on upgrading to a 50 soon. Do you think 4X39 HO T5's is enough for a reef? no MH's required? that's only about 3 watts per gallon. Isn't the reccomended wattage like 7-8 watts per gallon?

Watts per gallon is not what's important, what's important is how much PAR you're getting down into the tank, and T5s with individual reflectors are really good at that. Look for some of the old lighting threads by TheGrimReefer and others for PAR measurement comparisons.

I have a mix of SPS, LPS and softies that are all doing great. I keep the SPS in the top 2/3 to 1/2 of the tank and the rest near the bottom. E.g. here's one Monti digitata frag after 20 weeks of growth,

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/12831montipora_20_weeks.jpg

My other Montis and Acros all show similar growth rates, except for one that I think is too low in the tank.


Larry

[FOBMcGyver]

That's amazing Larry.
I love to see corals grow. They are amazing creatures..
Thanks for all your input!!

[horkn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7077916#post7077916 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefmaniac1
The IceCap ballast may be more expensive, but like the T5s versus PC lamps, it's worth the up front cost. This ballast will overdrive the lamps, true, but it's actually a good thing. You'll ge a lot more light per watt PLUS the way the ballast drives the lamps you'll get way more than 24 months of usage out of the lamps.


i agree you will get more watts out of a bulb, but you will not get 2 years out of your bulbs. the extra watts make extra heat, and that extra heat will wear the bulbs out faster.

now, if the search button would ever work, then i would show you one guys t5ho PAR values that diminished quite a bit in 6 months with an icecap running them.

notice how icecap does not state anything whether overdriving the bulbs with their ballasst will make the bulbs last as long as normally driven?

[drew22to375]

Here is the thread from The Grim Reefer.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=724967&highlight=reflector

I've heard the bulb life with the ICECAP go both ways shorter bulb life. Or the same as a spec t-5 ballasts. I have heard that the extra light output compensates for the bulb being overdriven. If I ever get around to getting a IC660 I will have to do my own test. This quote is from ICECAP thought some of you might find it of interest. Take it for what its worth.

Drew..



Most T5HO lamps are 'rated' at 20,000 hours. That's more a gauge of how long, on average, the lamps will continue to light. Depreciation of output is much slower with T5HO lamps (at least better made brands) and spectrum shift isn't a real problem with fluorescent lamps (it is on MH lamps).

On a reef tank most fluorescent lamps are going to clock anywhere from 7 to 9,000 hours in two years. What I did before discussing overdriving T5HO lamps was run GE T5HO 54-watt lamps for 1 year, 24/7 with lots of on/offs in an non-vented hood. At the end of what equaled two years on a tank they still put out 94% of their initial lumens. I would rate any lamp that still was at 90% or more of initial output as still reef worthy. They didn't look pretty at the end of the test but on a reef tank excess heat would be vented and most lamps will only have one on/off cycle per day.

It may be that using a HO ballast you could go 3 years and still be at 90%+ of initial lumens but the benchmark would start out much lower than IceCap VHO driven T5HO lamps.

[horkn]

and that was using a ge bulb, which is noted to last the longest of any t5ho bulb. i have seen a study where they used that bulb normally driven for 3 years with barely any loss of lumens. 30% loss in a year is what i saw on a few commonly used bulbs when driven by an icecap. I think they were aquablue and blue+...

[horkn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7082489#post7082489 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by larryl
Watts per gallon is not what's important, what's important is how much PAR you're getting down into the tank, and T5s with individual reflectors are really good at that. Look for some of the old lighting threads by TheGrimReefer and others for PAR measurement comparisons.

I have a mix of SPS, LPS and softies that are all doing great. I keep the SPS in the top 2/3 to 1/2 of the tank and the rest near the bottom. E.g. here's one Monti digitata frag after 20 weeks of growth,

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/12831montipora_20_weeks.jpg

My other Montis and Acros all show similar growth rates, except for one that I think is too low in the tank.


Larry

what t5ho bulbs , how many, and is that on your 50g? also, what ballast?

[kalare]

Too bad they don't come smaller than 24"... all you have left in this range is PC

[hahnmeister]

For a 58g, I would do a 6 bulb tek unit, and I know teks have a drop off in output at 18" of depth compared to aqualux and Icecap, but>>>...Im thinking that might be nice so that he can keep shrooms and LPS down below w/o scorching them.

The best prices I have seen, and where I bought my 6 bulb unit + bulbs, was ebay. I bought from seedsetc, and there is even another that pops up from time to time for $50 less...but my fixture was just under $300.

For bulbs, I would get one GE 6500K, two aquablue/11,000K, and three blue+. Then wait for a month or two for the new URI (now called UV lighting) actinic03 bulbs which are highly anticipated. Depending on how you like your tank to look...daylight or deep blue, you can swap an actinic or two in for what you have. OR not, as the blue+ bulbs alone will add tons of blue to the look of the tank.

[larryl]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7087299#post7087299 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by horkn
what t5ho bulbs , how many, and is that on your 50g? also, what ballast?

I am running 4x39W HO bulbs set up like this:

D&D Actinic+
GE Starcoat 6500K
ATI Aquablue
D&D Actinic+

They are in the aqualuxlighting.com reflectors and are running on a Workhorse 7 (since I had that on hand when I swapped out my PC bulbs). The tank is 36x18x18 inches.


Larry