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JS 
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 Topic: VHO or T5's or PC's for actinics
Posted: May 17 2006 at 6:02pm |
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I am looking to buy a 2 lamp 24 inch VHO setup. I will be mounting it in my canopy. I was also looking at the TEK T5 retro kits. These lights are going to be actinics only. How do T5's compare to VHO? I have a 37 tall tank with 1 175 watt SE halide (10,000K reeflux) and two 28 watt PC's that are actinic. The only problem is that the 28 watt PC's are only 11 inches long and I want to cover more of the tank with the actinics. I could also buy another dual 28 watt PC and that plus what I already have would cover the tank fairly well. I have a good mix of sps, lps and softies. Let me know what you guys think.
Edited by Fatso - May 17 2006 at 9:23pm
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sshm
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Posted: May 17 2006 at 9:38pm |
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VHO>T5HO>Glowstick>PC
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Kevin F
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Posted: May 18 2006 at 1:45am |
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I love my T5's. Way better than PC's IME.
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The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly. Albert Einstein
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JS
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Posted: May 18 2006 at 10:33am |
Hey sshm, I agree that PC's aren't the greatest lights in the world. Do
you know where I could get a couple of actinic 03 glowsticks!? You
might be onto something.  When you say VHO>T5HO, are you saying that because VHO puts out more watts or because it is better light for your corals?
Kevin, I am leaning pretty hard towards the T5HO route. I saw on another thread that you haven't used VHO
Has anyone used VHO and T5's and can give me opinion as to which you think is better for the corals.
Edited by Fatso - May 18 2006 at 10:50am
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Jared Wood
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Posted: May 18 2006 at 10:46am |
I'm watching for answers on this thread too. Do others agree with sshm that:
HVO is better than T5 and T5 is better than PC
I wonder if someone can throw in a reason why.
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In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth ... then He let it cycle. Have you read my dinosaur theory yet?
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Shane H
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Posted: May 18 2006 at 11:22am |
Jared,
I just noticed your signature! And, I just wasted 30 minutes browsing your website. I really like it. What a great idea.
Oh, I also like the dinosaur theory.
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Jared Wood
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Posted: May 18 2006 at 11:40am |
SWEET 
I think my kids will love it when they grow up and find it. It'll be packed full of their childhood memories.
Anyway, back to HVO vs. T5HO
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In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth ... then He let it cycle. Have you read my dinosaur theory yet?
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sshm
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Posted: May 18 2006 at 12:28pm |
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Sorry I should have put in the disclaimer that the statement is true for actinic lights. PCs are good for other spectra, but if you are looking for actinics and you have a choice then get the best, which is the VHO.
There are spectral data available all over the web which you can compare. I have found (on looking at them myself and browsing through other's opnions) that the VHO actinic bulbs put out the right spectra, with the peaks in the right places - 420nm. Moreover, its the geometry of the bulbs that make them more efficient, they have an internal reflector which gives you more bang for the buck, there is no way to avoid restrike with the PC bulbs which decreases their efficiency. Therefore:
VHO>T5HO>PC in terms of spectra and efficiency.
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Suzy
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Posted: May 18 2006 at 12:47pm |
I have T5s now that I got for actinic supplement, and when they burn out, I will go back to VHO. And, my pc lights on my FO/softies tank seem much dimmer than the VHOs I used to have...
In fact, I may have to replace them soon, even if they don't burn out, 'cause there's this reef tour thing coming up.....
In fact, I may just replace the HD lights on my planted tank, too!
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dadofrad
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Posted: May 18 2006 at 10:42pm |
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You need to go look at peoples tanks that are running the different types of lights. What someone recomends could be totaly different than the look you like or desire. I run T5 on IceCap ballast and love them.
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Suzy
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Posted: May 19 2006 at 7:22am |
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Good advice!
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JS
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Posted: May 19 2006 at 10:09am |
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dadofrad,
I'm not so concerned with the "look" of the lights.
I have seen tanks that have had each kind of lighting (VHO/T5/PC). When
all three of these tanks had the main lights off (only actinics on) the
color spectrum looks pretty much the same. The only difference that I
could see was brightness of the actinics. I know that 7100K blue bulbs
look a little different than 03 actinics but either "looks" fine to me.
The point I am getting at is which one is better for the corals. For
example if someone was using VHO and then switched to T5's and noticed
their corals weren't responding as well to the lights or someone
switched to a different light and noticed better colors and growth in
their corals. It's all about the corals baby!
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sshm
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Posted: May 19 2006 at 2:21pm |
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Fatso, I appreciate your thoughts, and my comments align with your lione of thinking. Actinics put out light at wavelength of 420nm, there are studies which show that light at that wavelength is utilized for photosynthesis. If you think about it the light near the "red" side of the spectrum is the first to get attenuated with water depth. Therefore, most deepwater corals utilize 420nm light for their photosynthesis.
Coming back to VHOs, I am not aware too much about this so I'll just shameless pass on information I've picked up, and I'll put it in quotes so you can take it with a measure of caution "The geometry of VHOs and the phosphors used in VHO mean that the actinic spectrum peaks at 420nm and the light is efficiently distributed". That being said, VHOs need to be replaced more frequently than T5s since the VHO phosphors destabilize faster and the light moves away from the ideal spectrum. The true actinic bulbs of T5 made by Giesemann (D&D) are supposed to be the best T5 actinics in terms of the spectra. I will argue the main problem with PC is their efficiency, also their light output is probably not optimal as far as the spectrum goes, but again I dont have the facts to back this up. So in short, VHOs are the best in terms of the light spectyra emitted, but they have the problem of having to be replaced more often that T5s whose newer bulbs are thought to be close to VHOs in terms of spectra, but can burn for about 1.5 years and hold a true spectrum over that time.
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JS
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Posted: May 19 2006 at 4:29pm |
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sshm,
How often should one be replacing VHO bulbs? I thought I read somewhere
that it was every 6-9 months, but that seems really quick to me. That
would be tough to replace bulbs every 6 months. I'd like to get a year
out of a bulb if possible. I also read on the T5's if you are
overdriving the bulb with an icecap ballast they recommend changing
them every year.
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Be careful who watches your tank! http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=27846
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sshm
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Posted: May 19 2006 at 6:04pm |
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Unfortunately I dont know since Ive never had VHOs, so your guess is as good as mine. I too have heard that VHOs need replacing every 9months or so. Overdriving any bulb will reduce its life.
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dadofrad
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Posted: May 19 2006 at 11:18pm |
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It is my understanding that if you overdrive the t5 it is important to keep the bulb cool which will extend the life.
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