VHO vs PC

[jammet]

I am not really asking what is "best", I have run VHO's before and I really liked them and I have never run PC's, I just have never owned them. I am looking at running a tank with a few fish (I am thinking of a 50g corner) and mostly LPS and softies, I am also looking at maybe hosting a few SPS (going to need some recomindations in that area a lot later) and maybe a clam. I am looking at cramming as many bulbs as I can in to the hood to just dump a lot of light in to the tank, good light at that. If I was to run VHO's I am sure I will go back to URI's, for PC's I need to find a good bulb company to do so. I know PC's produce less Wattage per foot (at least I think so correct me if I am wrong please) of bulb.

Just incase I missed my own question watt for watt what tends to work out best? I dont want to start a flame war, I just am looking for some information.

Thanks

 

[Krish]

Well, just my opinion, but if you want the most light possible crammed under there then why not just go with metal halides? You'd need less bulbs for sure and also support anything you'd want to keep underneath them including ight hungry clams

 

[The Apprentice]

Good Question on Lighting

Hi jammet I see you are heading in the direction of fluorescent lighting. If you can swing it I have heard alot about T-5 lighting very good. A member here On R.F. Ed Hahn did some reserch on this in the past and If you looked at all 3 PC's,VHO's and T-5 I think T-5 came out on top But I also think is the most expensive of the 3. Like Krish said in the above posting Metal Halides really cover everything and are hard to beat but they do cost alot more and you might have to get a chiller as well..F.W.I.W. Jeff

 

[Scooterman]

Hi jammet, to answer your question I would prefer VHO's over PC's for two reasons, from the testing I've seen & read PC's don't do a great job of putting usable light into the tank, also from what I've seen they tend to run hotter the VHO's. I had VHO's in the past, I've personally seen a few PC driven tanks & they look ok really but IMO I wouldn't chose them over VHO's.
Now the only problem I see with your question is the fact after your question you stated you want to keep, some LPS & maybe a few sps & maybe a clam, this is where you may need to think about having more lighting. I think you will be ok keeping some LSP & softies but you may want to consider more lighting options if you really want to keep higher demanding corals & clams.

 

[bc_slc]

I agree with Krish. If you are going to set up lights from scratch and want flexibility, then I would go with a 250w MH setup. Depending on the dimensions and your reflector you would only need 1 or 2 bulbs.

If you are sold on not doing MH, then i would recommend VHO. I just think they give off a better light, and if/when you do upgrade to MH, I think they supplement MH lights better than PC. That being said, plenty of people run both types, so it will likely come down to personal preference.

Keep an eye out in the "Equipment for sale" section. I would recommend a good used system whatever you decide to pursue as you can save a lot of money over retail that way. You seem to have time to wait, as you don't yet have the tank.

Mat

 

[jammet]

MH's are not allowed within my apartment complex.

As for the SPS and Clams bit I have kept a few of each under VHO's before with every good success rate on frags and growth. Granted I chose very carefully and spent a lot of time waiting for the tank to be ready for that kind of setup.

I have been looking in to T5's, when I moved and had to leave Reef keeping T5's were a new thing. I know they are smaller than T8's and that they put out good light but I know very little else regarding them. If anyone has any input and/or information regarding them I would appreciate it as well.

 

[Scooterman]

If your limited to fluorescent lighting, H.O. T5 would be my first choice along with high quality reflectors, you will most probably get the best performance from a T5 set-up over the other fluorescent options.

 

[jammet]

Scooterman, (or anyone else for that matter)

What makes T5's better than VHO's though? VHO for one puts out a lot more wattage than (as far as im aware please correct me if I am wrong) T5's.

 

[liveforphysics]

PC bulbs are T5 bulbs folded in half.

They both produce huge amounts of light.

The shape of the T5 bulb permits that when combined with a proper reflector design, 90% of the bulbs light is capable of entering the water.

The best PC reflectors are getting around 35% of the light the bulb created into the water.

This means, a single 54watt HO T5 with proper reflector can put the same mount of light into the water that 2.5 properly reflected 55watt PC bulbs can do.

I have run VHO in the past. I cant say anything bad about the performance I had from it. Great Clam and SPS growth, the tank looked great and everything grew great.

I currently run T5s. I only use about half the wattage I used to use with VHO, and its the same story. Crocea, 11 sps species, and everything else is all looking and growing great. The T5's also produce the least heat for the amount of light they generate.


If you go PC, the reflector barely matters, so dont waste your money. If you go URI VHO bulbs (which work fine), the internal reflector BS makes it very difficult to design a proper reflector, but again, the results I've had with them was always exellent.

If you go T5, do NOT skimp on the reflectors. The entire advantage with T5 is in the ability to reflect. You can easily make a single properly reflected T5 put more water into the tank than 3-4 improperly reflected T5s.

And again, its less can be more. You dont want to stick as many bulbs as you can under a hood when you are looking to put the most light into a tank. You want to stick as many properly reflected bulbs as you can. A well reflected and well spaced 4 bulb fixture and easily put more light into the water than a crammed together 8 bulb.

If you have more questions, feel free to ask.

 

[jammet]

ok, so a T5 is basically a PC bulb that connects like an HO bulb. I have heard that Icecaps can overpower T5's well and do a good job at keeping them running. I understand the reflector part (i did some reading before you posted) and I will have to look in to that, i might polish off a few duzzon beers and create one with a good ol polish bit and a dremel or something. I like DIY a lot... Any suggestions on good reflecters as well? T5's seem like a good way to go when you cant do MH, i was looking at another tank on Reef Central that is T5 211g tank that looks really good.

 

[liveforphysics]

When DIY'ing your own reflector, you need to keep a few things in mind. First, the reflectivity constant of the material is really not very important at all. If you use 99% mirror polished aluminum, or you use 94% reflective flat white paint will make little to no difference in the grand scheme.

However, the shape of the reflector makes increadible differences. You will need a very advanced grasp of calculus baised trig optimization in multivariables. My best advise would be to exactly copy the bend angles and spaceing of a engineered design, and then use flat white spraypaint as the reflective surface (flat white is better than foil, many polished aluminums, mylar, gloss white, many mirrors, etc).

The DIY'ing the reflector construction is great, but unless you are in for a real challenge, I would not DIY the reflector shape.

 

[jammet]

I know, sorry I was kidding. it is hard to tell some times when I am joking.

Anyways, do you have any suggestions for 4-5 bulb reflecters for DIY hoods?