29 gallon advise

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10423903#post10423903 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Slakker
Next time know what you're talking about before you present something as factual. MH bulbs come in 5500k, 6500k, 12k and 13k as well. Why would you ever want a 3k bulb, anyways??

Furthermore, for those of you saying "Oh, PCs are just as good as MH!" Do you read? Anything? Ever? MH bulbs put out much brighter light at lower wattage than PCs. MH bulbs last longer than PCs. MH bulbs waste less light to useless spectrum than PCs.

PCs get a lot of trash talking for a simple reason...they're trash.

Let's compare:
4x55w CF retro: $170
250w MH system (ballast, pendant, bulb): $160

OHNOES!!!! What have we here? A higher wattage system which will produce probably twice as much light (and it will actually be good, crisp light) for less money? Yep. It's true. Not to mention the fact that a 150w or 175w MH would still EASILY outdo the PCs and be even cheaper...plus the bulbs last almost twice as long, and it's much cheaper to replace one MH bulb than 4 CF bulbs.

Winner...MH. Kthxbye.

where did you find that mh fixture that cheap? it sounds like a good deal.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10423903#post10423903 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Slakker
Next time know what you're talking about before you present something as factual. MH bulbs come in 5500k, 6500k, 12k and 13k as well. Why would you ever want a 3k bulb, anyways??

Furthermore, for those of you saying "Oh, PCs are just as good as MH!" Do you read? Anything? Ever? MH bulbs put out much brighter light at lower wattage than PCs. MH bulbs last longer than PCs. MH bulbs waste less light to useless spectrum than PCs.

PCs get a lot of trash talking for a simple reason...they're trash.

Let's compare:
4x55w CF retro: $170
250w MH system (ballast, pendant, bulb): $160

OHNOES!!!! What have we here? A higher wattage system which will produce probably twice as much light (and it will actually be good, crisp light) for less money? Yep. It's true. Not to mention the fact that a 150w or 175w MH would still EASILY outdo the PCs and be even cheaper...plus the bulbs last almost twice as long, and it's much cheaper to replace one MH bulb than 4 CF bulbs.

Winner...MH. Kthxbye.

That sounds like it was written by my twelve year old cousin.

Anyway, like I stated before, I bought my 4x55w CF FIXTURE, complete with switches, enclosure, fans, new bulbs, etc, for less than $100. Significantly less...so there goes the 'OHNOES!!!'.

Anyway, my point was...and I'll state it again for the hearing impaired, that if you don't want to spend a lot of loot, and keep an open mind, you can find great lighting at reasonable prices, due to the high rate of turnover in this hobby.

and yeah...umkthxbye.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10423551#post10423551 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kysard1
How in the heck can 210 watts be cheaper per month than 150 watts ?

It's always been my understanding that MH is very inefficient (as far as power consumption), when compared to fluorescents.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10423816#post10423816 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Phong33
Mine is from experience, I use to have 3x65w PC over my 29g and now have 4x24w T5. Despite being less watss, the T5 are MUCH MUCH brighter and tests after tests shows that PAR is significantly greater. Not only that but I can say from personal experience, coral growth has been amazing since I got my T5. Less watts is a great plus for T5. It means less on the electric bill, less heat, ect. In addition, PC bulbs last 8 months while T5 can last 18months. There are a ton of different color schemes you can play with on T5, with PC you only have two options. T5 bulbs also cost less.


There's a lot more that goes into comparing fixture to fixture. Your PC setup might have had a single reflector, and your T5 setup might have individual reflectors, for example.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10425231#post10425231 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Subliminal
There's a lot more that goes into comparing fixture to fixture. Your PC setup might have had a single reflector, and your T5 setup might have individual reflectors, for example.

I'm a bit confused. Overall performance, are you saying PC is better than T5?
 
oh man you guys are arguing too much...cant we all just get along....everyone likes different lighting...different strokes for different folks
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10425087#post10425087 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Subliminal
That sounds like it was written by my twelve year old cousin.

Anyway, like I stated before, I bought my 4x55w CF FIXTURE, complete with switches, enclosure, fans, new bulbs, etc, for less than $100. Significantly less...so there goes the 'OHNOES!!!'.

Anyway, my point was...and I'll state it again for the hearing impaired, that if you don't want to spend a lot of loot, and keep an open mind, you can find great lighting at reasonable prices, due to the high rate of turnover in this hobby.

and yeah...umkthxbye.

Congratulate your 12 year old cousin for being so well spoken and literate, then. Sounds like a kid on the track to success.

I could be mistaken, as I'm certainly no electrical engineer, but I would think a 220 watt PC system would use more power than a 150 watt MH system...otherwise the wattage ratings would be useless, right?

My point was that in purchasing new equipment, MH is not (doesn't have to be) more expensive. For all those wondering, I got my prices directly from http://www.hellolights.com last night. Here are the links to exactly what I was talking about: Compact Fluorescent and Metal Halide.

I chose to go with retrofits, as they're the cheapest (and often preferred) lighting solution, and I compared the prices of new units because used prices fluctuate by such a ridiculous margin that it would be worthless.. As for great lighting at low prices, you sure can find some great deals...but IMO PC fixtures are not "great." Sure, it's not the highest quality MH kit, but it's still better than PCs.

For the record, I paid quite a bit less than $100 for my 175w PFO MH setup, and I'm willing to bet that I get higher par values and higher quality spectrum than your 220 watts of PC.

PC has its application, sure, but it's getting to the point where MH and T5 fixtures are nearly in the same price level. I do agree that you do have the benefit of being able to run a dawn/dusk actinic scheme, whereas MH by itself is just on or off.

Even though I currently use MH, I'm a big fan of T5-HO. They are by far the best option for uniform coverage, and in most applications I would choose them over MH. However, there are several species of various types that have incredibly low success rates under anything but Metal Halide. One example is the anemone H. Magnifica, which has dismal survival rates anyways, but seems to need the intensity epicenter provided by MH in order to find a place to call home.

Every lighting solution has its applications, but to say that PC is as good or better than MH is nothing more than a false statement.
 
ooo man that MH retrofit is so cheapp....in price that is..LoLL i dont want o be part of this argument...i wish hellolights shipped to canada....sigh
 
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