Another dumb lighting question

sharuq1 · #1 01-26-2008, 01:55 AM

What is better, a 4 bulb 54w tek or 4 bulbs of 65W pc (which is basically 8 bulbs)? I know this is a stupid question but hey

albert_dao · #2 01-26-2008, 02:07 AM

The HOT5 will always be better than PC.

Delphinus · #3 01-26-2008, 03:26 AM

Where T5's really "shine" (sorry no pun intended) is in the far better reflectors they have.

Also, ... take a look at the cost of replacement lamps.

T5 vs PC is a no-brainer if you ask me (T5's = $20/lamp, PC's = $40ish? I think? Last time I checked anyhow .... unless you go with some no-name brand.... But the $20 T5's are top-brand name lamps.).

bv_reefer · #4 01-26-2008, 07:24 PM

i'd go with T5's in ur case i've never heard any negative as far as there light output goes, i'm just going with pc, because i found a decent retrofit kit, and yup ur right delphinus, pc's range from the 30's(SP) to the high 40's(SQ), for coralife at least

Myka · #5 01-27-2008, 01:50 AM

I vote for T5s too.

sharuq1 · #6 01-27-2008, 03:16 AM

That's what I thought you would say, just the only thing I worried about was basically going down in wattage and if you consider each piece in the pc, going down in bulb no. too. In any case I wanted opinions

If you have more it is appreciated, then I don;t have to keep justifying the cost of the fixture

gqlmao · #7 01-28-2008, 04:46 AM

Output wise HO t-5s all the way! that is if they are in individual reflectors. PCs arent that great just cause... well pricing is one of them, and their bulb life is only 6 months which is half of what expected t-5s life are. I had pcs before but i ditched those for t-5s. Wattage is different for each type of lighting and it is hard to compare numbers of pc to t-5s, just cause there is more wattage doesn't mean more output.