rrubberbandman May 5, 2006 Share May 5, 2006 hey forum peeps, i have the 20 gallon high....with 70 watts of standard flourescents..2 whites and 2 blues wanting to convert to PC's so i can have more light with better looking fixture... how many watts for a 20 gallon high is a good amount? i am mainly keeping mobile inverts, fish and maybe in the future some soft corals or clams. thanks a bunch! Bryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbashaw May 5, 2006 Share May 5, 2006 hey forum peeps, i have the 20 gallon high....with 70 watts of standard flourescents..2 whites and 2 blues wanting to convert to PC's so i can have more light with better looking fixture... how many watts for a 20 gallon high is a good amount? i am mainly keeping mobile inverts, fish and maybe in the future some soft corals or clams. thanks a bunch! Bryan For soft corals you would be fine with a 2X55w PC setup (t5 or VHO would be better than PC though) but I would get at least a few t5's or a 150W metal halide if you want to keep clams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrubberbandman May 6, 2006 Author Share May 6, 2006 For soft corals you would be fine with a 2X55w PC setup (t5 or VHO would be better than PC though) but I would get at least a few t5's or a 150W metal halide if you want to keep clams. So t-5's are higher (lumens) than pc's even though the wattages are lower? i would of thought it was the other way ....but thats why i am here asking....learning new things everyday. thanks! Bryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caribbean Jake May 6, 2006 Share May 6, 2006 20 Gallon high. Can you specify dimmensions? like is it 20 inches or 24 inches in hight? If it is 20 inches hight, then you need at least 175W MH to keep clams and SPS, other than that you can put either T5 or PC 65W minimum with 10K bulbs for softies and inverts but no clams. My recommendation is to go with as much liht as you possible can to eliminate the possibility of retrofit or upgrades in future. WE all go thru this, experience talks. Jacob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Grenier May 6, 2006 Share May 6, 2006 You just got some good advice. Yes, T5s are reported to put-out more lumens at less watts. Maybe ask around for a study that backs this up. Do your homework. As well as light demands, clams require good water, available food, proper calcium... Very kool... very expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrubberbandman May 7, 2006 Author Share May 7, 2006 You just got some good advice. Yes, T5s are reported to put-out more lumens as less watts. Maybe ask around for a study that backs this up. Do your homework. As well as light demands, clams require good water, available food, proper calcium... Very kool... very expensive. well....... the tank is a 20 gallon high 24 inches wide.....i am beginning to think if i try to keep clams i will run in too another prob of having temperature fluctuations due to the halides being so hot running? which means i will probably need to to buy a chiller? i am sticking with softies....shrooms ,polyps, etc.....whatabout a favites(sp?) pineapple brain coral...i love the look of those. as always thanks to all! Bryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rioreef May 7, 2006 Share May 7, 2006 Go with T5s! I have had PC and there is no comparison to the T5s. With that size of tank and T5s over it you would have no problem with clams. I have two clams in my 90. One about 14 inches down and the other on the bottom. See my signature for my light set up. I did have a clam in a 55 with 4x55w PC with the clam about 4 inches below the surface. I had the thing for more than 5 years. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discordja May 7, 2006 Share May 7, 2006 Be careful not to get caught trying to count watts. Watts consumed is a ballpark figure, sure, but it's secondary to the PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation) of your lights. You can have 1000 watts consumed but if most of the power is thrown away due to resistence, what's the point? Power Compacts, or compact fluorescents, are basically fluorescents that are bent and plug on one side. Due to their shaping, they often don't throw an optimal light pattern. They are low cost and somewhat inefficient where it comes to actually generating PAR / Watt. They are, in the end, a good low cost alternative and work well for softies and less light intensive LPS/SPS. Clams can survive but they may not thrive like they would under something else. VHOs and now their successor the T5 are true fluorescents. VHOs (or T12s) are just modified versions of the same kind of bulbs that are in your office to be high output. T5s improve on the basic VHO by making the bulb much smaller diameter bulb and the wattage is reduced. They also run exclusively on electronic balasts. These Ebalasts mean much less of the power is lost to resistence and the bulbs run much cooler as a result. All this means you can use several more T5s than VHOs in the same space to generate more PAR. There is also a much more consistent PAR over the whole of the tank because they are not a point source like Metal Halides. T5s are still in their infancy for this hobby. As a result, while they have proved to be very good so far for crisp white PAR numbers, they have yet to catch up with VHO actinics (so they don't create that same incredible blue pop). Metal Halides are derivations of standard mercury vapor lamps. As a result of the mercury, the light they throw is incredibly crisp white light with the kelvin going more toward the blue spectrum. They can be driven by Eballasts which do a whole lot for temperature. They are also the only point lighting available so the only option if you really want the shimmer effect. I'd say for very large tanks reefers will continue to use Metal Halides for some time, especially for deep tanks. T5s have certainly already started making inroads however because they are just much more cost effective. All that said, I echo the others here. You get get a good T5 hood and lamps for not a ton of money and they will whip anything PC you can throw at it. They should let you keep a clam and some SPS if you want. Hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrubberbandman May 8, 2006 Author Share May 8, 2006 you all are awesome.....the help here is great! Bryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Grenier May 8, 2006 Share May 8, 2006 If you can't find them locally, check these out... Complete fixture... like mine I have a 6-bulb fixture but my tank is 18" deep so a 4-bulb would probably fit better over a 20. Retro kit options... I'd go more than two Maybe BRK can help you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkb8 May 8, 2006 Share May 8, 2006 Great input here already. For completeness only, much more on wattage and lighting may be found here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marlgtganthony.htm I use this site for most such information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrubberbandman May 10, 2006 Author Share May 10, 2006 alright fellows........ to help put this topic to rest ..... which is my best way to go overall reef health? this one... http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products/KW/F3...4/Itemdy00.aspx or....... http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...ADME:L:RTQ:US:1 thanks to all of you again! Bryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caribbean Jake May 10, 2006 Share May 10, 2006 ok, first you need to compare apples and apples, on your links you show on T5 and one PC, they are not the same type of lights, although they look alike. With all the above recommendations of other club members, I will go with the T5 unit if possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrubberbandman May 10, 2006 Author Share May 10, 2006 (edited) ok, first you need to compare apples and apples, on your links you show on T5 and one PC, they are not the same type of lights, although they look alike. With all the above recommendations of other club members, I will go with the T5 unit if possible. jake,happy birthday btw i know they are different....that why i am trying to figure which would be the better of the two........ since i am torn between these two types...not these two in paticular though..... one is the 3x 65 watt pc and the other is the 4 t-5 setup... thanks! bryan Edited May 10, 2006 by rrubberbandman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rioreef May 10, 2006 Share May 10, 2006 T5 T5 T5 all the way... You will probably get more light out of a 2x T5 setup than a 3x65w PC set up (especially if you overdirive them). If you go with a 4x T5 setup, that is way more than enough light for the inhabitants you listed. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrubberbandman May 11, 2006 Author Share May 11, 2006 T5 T5 T5 all the way... You will probably get more light out of a 2x T5 setup than a 3x65w PC set up (especially if you overdirive them). If you go with a 4x T5 setup, that is way more than enough light for the inhabitants you listed. Chris Chris, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kngfisher May 20, 2006 Share May 20, 2006 Anyone used one of these? http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp?PageA...PROD&ProdID=279 would it be too much light for a 90gal I do not have any corals as of yet, new tank but would like some in the not too distant future Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkb8 May 23, 2006 Share May 23, 2006 Anyone used one of these? http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp?PageA...PROD&ProdID=279 would it be too much light for a 90gal I do not have any corals as of yet, new tank but would like some in the not too distant future Wow, that looks like an awesome lighting system. Definitely not too much for 90g, assuming regular tank dimensions. If its a shallow tank, then it might be too much. If I had the cash, I think I'd definitely consider it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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