# pc or t5 help



## coral frager (Oct 17, 2011)

2 years ago i bought a 55 gallon reef set up it came with a 48 inch coralife pc fixture but now its come to my attention that t5 lighting might be better is it true because if it is that would be nice so i dont haft to spend 150 dollars on lighting every 8 mouths. if you can help thanks


----------



## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

I don't know enough about lighting, especially for reefs. Would it require a HO T5?


----------



## Nicole (Nov 21, 2011)

Is the 48" PC dual or quad? Either way it should be fine for softies. I had a dual PC 36" over a 30G and it was perfect. Why does it cost $150? You can get the bulbs over ebay for around $20 each. If the T5 is NO it's pretty much useless. If it is HO it could work if you have enough. You really need to be more specific about the fixtures you have because each tank is different. Either way, I'd go with LEDs . Energy efficient, don't need to change bulbs, doesn't heat up, awesome light penetration (if you go with Cree), dimmable, and they give you an awesome shimmering effect. I'm never going back!


----------



## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

4x65WPC = 260W; 4x55WPC = 220W; 4XT5HO at 54W 216W Lot a tons of difference but just my opinion.
Of course, you can go 6XT5HO or even 8XT5HO fixtures.

Although it is easier to find reasonable prices for T5HO than for PC.
I think you may be buying your bulbs at the wrong place. 65W PC should be no more than $25 a piece x 4 is $100 max. T5 HO bulbs are not a whole lot cheaper.
Check with our sponsor Canadian Aquatics. I think they have very reasonable prices on PC bulbs.


----------



## aQ.LED (Nov 13, 2012)

you are setting them up for reef? What kind? SPS? LPS? soft coral?


----------



## coral frager (Oct 17, 2011)

gklaw said:


> 4x65WPC = 260W; 4x55WPC = 220W; 4XT5HO at 54W 216W Lot a tons of difference but just my opinion.
> Of course, you can go 6XT5HO or even 8XT5HO fixtures.
> 
> Although it is easier to find reasonable prices for T5HO than for PC.
> ...


every were charges 34.99 per bulb and every 8 months that is starting to be a problem.


----------



## blurry (May 10, 2010)

You could go LED and not buy any bulbs for the next 5-9 years


----------



## aQ.LED (Nov 13, 2012)

blurry said:


> You could go LED and not buy any bulbs for the next 5-9 years


but you will pay a bit more upfront.


----------



## dino (Aug 29, 2011)

5-9 years what most loose some par within 3 years


----------



## coral frager (Oct 17, 2011)

aQ.LED said:


> you are setting them up for reef? What kind? SPS? LPS? soft coral?


lps and soft coral


----------



## coral frager (Oct 17, 2011)

any one know were i can get cheep 21" 65 watt strait pin bulbs.


----------



## aQ.LED (Nov 13, 2012)

dino said:


> 5-9 years what most loose some par within 3 years


When LED start losing large % of PAR value is the time when the LED is about to burn out, when most light bulbs losing PAR value by 10 to 20% in short time, the curve of LED is a lot less in the first 5 to 8 years. I am more concern about the LED burn out than the PAR dropping to be honest


----------



## aQ.LED (Nov 13, 2012)

coral frager said:


> any one know were i can get cheep 21" 65 watt strait pin bulbs.


I think those light bulb price are pretty similar regardless where you go because they are very common and no reason for any company to make special offer. The best bet is load up a bunch during x'mas where most store gives discounts.


----------



## JTang (Apr 21, 2010)

coral frager said:


> any one know were i can get cheep 21" 65 watt strait pin bulbs.


Canadian Aquatics sells 55W straight pins for around $15. They will work in your fixture (I have 2 of them). But I think they only carry 6500k n 10,000k. I'm using 50/50 + 454 (royal blue) on my reef n actinic (blue) + 10,000k on my predator


----------



## JTang (Apr 21, 2010)

coral frager said:


> 2 years ago i bought a 55 gallon reef set up it came with a 48 inch coralife pc fixture but now its come to my attention that t5 lighting might be better is it true because if it is that would be nice so i dont haft to spend 150 dollars on lighting every 8 mouths. if you can help thanks


I've thought about changing to T5 or LED as well but just don't have the $$ at the moment. Our PC fixture aren't ideal for reef tank since there are only 2 slots (I use it with MH BTW). T5 on the other hand has 6 or even 8, allowing way more color combinations. And of course LED seems to be the best nowadays but I might wait another year or 2 for the price to come down.


----------



## coral frager (Oct 17, 2011)

JTang said:


> Canadian Aquatics sells 55W straight pins for around $15. They will work in your fixture (I have 2 of them). But I think they only carry 6500k n 10,000k. I'm using 50/50 + 454 (royal blue) on my reef n actinic (blue) + 10,000k on my predator


thank you for your help


----------

