PC vs. T5?

[Telford]

I'm currently running 2 96W PC on my 80g cylinder. I just broke one of the bulbs But that means now i can perhaps upgrade. I can't run MH as the tanks covered with a canopy. What is the best kind of lighting fixtures that you can put under a canopy? Are T5's better than PC? Please keep in mind that i only have room for 2 24" fixtures maximum. Thanks in advance...

[Myka]

What are the actual dimensions of the cylinder? They sure are tough to light. Don't count a MH out, you can remove the canopy. If you want corals, then you'd be best off with MH because they'll be able to reach the depth of your cyclinder much better, and give good coverage. But to answer your original question...T5s are far superior to PCs.

[Telford]

Esthetically i wouldn't want to remove the canopy. It's an important part of the 'look' of the cylinder in my opinion. The dimenstions are 28" deep by 28" across.

The other thing i have just been looking at are LED's. Yes expensive but they may work under a canopy. It also sounds like they last 10+ yrs. From what i've read so far it doesn't look like they put off heat like a MH. Does anyone have LED's???

[Whatigot]

If you have the dollars and sense to buy some good reflectors for your
t5s and you remember that if you put more than 1 t5 per reflector you are essentially giving it the same problem of inefficient light reflection that pcs have; you will find that the t5s are better.

pc's are just t5s bent in half and rounded back into one end cap; so while it's a more convenient design offering more wattage for the space it uses it consumes or catches a lot of it's own light output even with a good reflector before it can get into the depths of your tank.

Where t5s offer an advantage is in the slim profile that allows a reflector to get a lot of light past the skinny 5/8s of an inch bulb and into the tank, especially the deeper areas where the highest actual output is needed.

[Myka]

Does your cylinder looks like these?



If so, I'm wondering if you could retrofit something to work in that canopy...maybe even a pendant MH will squish in there. I'm not sure.

What kind of corals are you planning on keeping? MH and LEDs are the only light that will penetrate the 28" depth of your tank. Depending on your water clarity; T5s are only good for about 18", and PCs are only good for about 12". 250w MH is good for 24-30", and 400w MH is good for about 36" no problem. Don't be thinkin you have great water clarity though, as most people don't.

LEDs put off very little heat...like VERY little. They're awesome that way. They don't last 10 years though. If one bulb goes out you have to replace the whole "pack" that it is in, and if I remember correctly each "pack" is 5x5 bulbs. Also, if I remember correctly, each pack will last an average of 3 years, but you won't have to replace them all in one go...just one here, one there.

I'm not sold on LEDs at all. The reason corals have color (particularly SPS corals) is to protect them from UV rays. This is why generally, the brighter corals need stronger lighting. LEDs don't put out UV rays at all, so it's quite possible that you're gonna get a tank full of "brownipora". I have yet to see a brilliantly colored setup lit exclusively by LEDs. If someone knows of one, do post links/photos!

[Telford]

Yes, that's my tank. Thanks for the advice so far. I'd like to explore the LED's further but to spend $4000 might be a little too ridiculous. I'd love for you to come by sometime and give me some advice.

Originally Posted by Myka

Does your cylinder looks like these?

[banditpowdercoat]

what about if you cant have a good reflector for T5's My tank has 2 24" T5's built in, but the reflector part is only 1/4 circle and is white, not polished alum. Would it be wise for me to get a newer T5 fixture, or PC?

[Myka]

Originally Posted by Telford

I'd love for you to come by sometime and give me some advice.

I can definately do that sometime. I think those canopies are actually just decorative, and are empty aren't they? Do they have any lights built into them, or is it just a "shell" sort of thing? In that case, I'm sure you could get a MH light in there, and I think that's your best option. I'd probably overdrive a 250w mogul bulb with an HQI ballast to get that depth out of it without getting silly on the heat.

Originally Posted by banditpowdercoat

what about if you cant have a good reflector for T5's My tank has 2 24" T5's built in, but the reflector part is only 1/4 circle and is white, not polished alum. Would it be wise for me to get a newer T5 fixture, or PC?

Get a newer T5 fixture.

Originally Posted by 'Ol Nobodaddy

What makes T5's so effective is the highly polished individual reflectors, without them there effectiveness drops dramitically.

He's right. When I said that T5s are (generally) good for 18" depth, that is a high quality ballast, high quality reflectors, and high quality bulbs. If you don't have all three, then you may as well have PCs.

Originally Posted by skylord

What do you base your LED experiance on? The manufacurer, not PFO/Solaris says the bulbs will last 50,000 hours. The math says thats over 11 years. If they are exagerating and inflating the numbers....lets say by 20%... then they will last over 9 years.

I used to sell the Solaris lights. Albeit, I sold them when they first came out, and they were having troubles with banks of lights burning out prematurely (like in a week). They say they'll last 10 years, but have they spent the last 10 years testing them or what? I said I am still on the fence with this one. I think that LED is going to be where it's at. I don't think that LED is where it's at yet. They need improvement. I bet in 3-5 years they'll be 10x better, and 1/4 the cost. I'll stick to T5 and MH until then.

[skylord]

What do you base your LED experiance on? The manufacurer, not PFO/Solaris says the bulbs will last 50,000 hours. The math says thats over 11 years. If they are exagerating and inflating the numbers....lets say by 20%... then they will last over 9 years.

Here is a link that you might have a look at...

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...ixed-reef.html

The colors she is getting are very good.

Here is a pic of my Brown Clam with some BSP about 36 inches from the light...



And a couple more pics of various LPS, SPS, and softies. Photos are'nt the best shooting through a glass bowl instead of a camera boat. None are enhanced with photoshop like a lot of photos I see are.









This is a frag I got from Jason Mck. The lights are so dull they burned the tips. I have reduced the lights to 75%.



I have bleached several corals and their colors are just starting to come back.


Scott

Originally Posted by Myka

Does your cylinder looks like these?



If so, I'm wondering if you could retrofit something to work in that canopy...maybe even a pendant MH will squish in there. I'm not sure.

What kind of corals are you planning on keeping? MH and LEDs are the only light that will penetrate the 28" depth of your tank. Depending on your water clarity; T5s are only good for about 18", and PCs are only good for about 12". 250w MH is good for 24-30", and 400w MH is good for about 36" no problem. Don't be thinkin you have great water clarity though, as most people don't.

LEDs put off very little heat...like VERY little. They're awesome that way. They don't last 10 years though. If one bulb goes out you have to replace the whole "pack" that it is in, and if I remember correctly each "pack" is 5x5 bulbs. Also, if I remember correctly, each pack will last an average of 3 years, but you won't have to replace them all in one go...just one here, one there.

I'm not sold on LEDs at all. The reason corals have color (particularly SPS corals) is to protect them from UV rays. This is why generally, the brighter corals need stronger lighting. LEDs don't put out UV rays at all, so it's quite possible that you're gonna get a tank full of "brownipora". I have yet to see a brilliantly colored setup lit exclusively by LEDs. If someone knows of one, do post links/photos!