lighting comparisons

[sperry]

Does anyone know of a site that has some type of comparison between different kind of lights? I mean comparing PC to T5 to MH type of stuff. How do you know whether you are improving your lighting or not by upgrading? Such as is a 70W MH Sunpod better lighting than 72W of PC.

 

[Codeman00]

If you have specific questions as in growth, color, or whatever, ask away. By your post I'm not real sure what you want to know...improving in what way? Color? Growth PAR? I had T5s, VHO's and MH so I could help some if you can be more specific. I think MH is better than anything, but I'm not sure about that specific wattage. And then you might need a couple of those PCs as Actinics depending on the bulb color.

 

[Zann]

The t-5 have alot of differant choices and the par is great
if you go to the lighting forum theres a thread on them .

they have been doing test and seeing if they can grow sps with no problems .
if you are looking to have a cooler bulb and cheaper eletric bill and less expencive bulbs that last longer t-5 are the way to go .

it all depends on what you want for your tank

but read the thread and see if it helps
heres the link
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1120850

 

[sperry]

I saw that thread and have been wading through it. I guess what I am looking for is a comparison of light output, growth and PAR. For instance my NC12 has 109W PC. 2 24W 10000K, 1 24W actinic, 1 24W 50/50 and 1 13W 6500K. Would a 70W 10000k MH with 2 18W actinic PC be about the same over all output? What about those 2 setups compared to a 70W 14000K with no actinic? What T5 only setup would be comparable to 250W 14000K MH with 2 24W T5 actinics? Does 2 70W 10000K MH roughly equal 1 150W 10000K MH?

Guess I need access to a bunch of light combinations and a PAR meter.

 

[Zann]

pm grim reefer he will know what you are asking i bet
this is what he told me to get for my fixture
The Nova I think comes with 2 blues and 2 10K's. They are alright to get started but I would swap one 10K for a UVL Super Actinic. Ultimatly I would go with 2 ATI Blue Plus, One Super Actinic and 1 Aquasun.

 

[Codeman00]

DO NOT GO WITH T5s !!! Yes, some things will grow, but others things will not. In fact some of the corals will detach themselves and hide in the shade with T5's. They are good at growing zoos and some SPS, but my tank matured so much faster with MH without all of the headaches. The T5s Blue+ bulbs are good for actinic supplement and thats about it....I don't care what the rest of Reef Central says. Do some digging and you will find that there are issues with T5s that cannot be explained.

 

[SNAKEMANVET]

I have to agree with cody, mhs are the way to go.