t-5 vs pc how to compare ?

[cepaw]

I currently have a 55 gal tank with 260 watts of pc
I will be upgrading to a 125 gal and want to use t-5's
my current set up is 4.72 watts per gal
knowing that t-5"s are more powerful
how many watts would equil the same as my pc"s ?

 

[xtrstangx]

I would probably do 6 or 8 bulbs since the 125g is relatively deep.

 

[PiNaPLeX]

your setup should be dictated on what you want to keep. For softies/LPS only, a 4 bulb setup would be adequate. If you want to venture into SPS, then you will probably want to go with at least 6 bulbs in a tank that size. As always be sure to get quality reflectors with any T5's you plan to use (ie, Tek, Icecap). They make all the difference.

 

[cepaw]

I want them all softies/lps and sps
would a 6 bulb fixture be too much for the softies ? (22 in deep)
I will definitly go with a tek
thanks for the input

 

[PiNaPLeX]

6 bulbs would be perfect for a mixed tank, I think you might have to leave alot of the softies near the bottom of the tank though, unless you like cooked coral...=)

 

[hahnmeister]

6-8 bulbs...the exact output will depend on the K rating of bulbs you choose. A bunch of bluer bulbs will be less PAR than if you have a bunch of 6500Ks...but the look will be different as well. So it depends. It also depends on what you plan to keep...but thats been mentioned already.

It also depends on how you arrange the bulbs. You can use two banks of 3' bulbs, 6-8 bulbs each. You can use 8x4' bulbs, and stagger the ends to make 6' (bright in the center, softer at the ends), you can use 5' bulbs as well....but this will mean limitations and such as there are less bulbs available (at least at the same price as 4' bulbs) and reflectors. Heck, you could do 3 banks of 6x24watt bulbs (2') if you want...but that would be too expensive to make it worth it.