Anyone using power compacts anymore?

[genesisblue]

Hey all,
It seems like all the talk is about t5s and LEDs nowadays. Have power compacts fallen out of favor or are they just not "the thing"?

Thanks!
Adam

 

[sirreal63]

PC's were the ultimate in hype lighting and never lived up to the claims. They are horribly inefficient for the light that they do produce and with the poor reflectors do not do a good job at getting the light to the tank.

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

I have been using them but just bought ATI Sunpower that will replace the PCs as soon as I can put a system in place to hang them. The T5s offer more light and better bulb selection.

 

[cloak]

There's plenty of beautiful tanks out there that are still using PC's. They may not be that efficient, they may not be in demand, but they do work. I have a fixture that runs two 13 watt PC bulbs that I plan on using on a 10 gallon nano. There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that a great looking tank can't be achieved with these.

 

[sirreal63]

I have seen many as well over the years, I once ran 220 watts of PC's over a 29, SPS lived but did not thrive. PC's over LPS and softies can create a great setup, but they are still very inefficient for the wattage used. T5 can produce better results with significantly less wattage and heat.

 

[genesisblue]

I used pcs for a while on an older tank and never got much growth...but with my odysea t5 i get much better coloration and growth