PC or VHO for my 30 long - Page 2

burkleman · 01-31-2005, 12:59 AM

Just curious yardboy, why do you think that wire pc's for longer spans would be more of a headache than vho's, frankly i have wired both and the pc's were much easier, bc all the wires go to only one end of the bulb and there is only one endcap per bulb as well, where as with vho, which might i add, use far more power overall and produce just as much light as pc's, have wires going to both ends of the bulb and thus must have 2 endcaps. which all means more work and more wires spead out among a greater surface.

CAT · 01-31-2005, 09:41 AM

Personally, I would go with vho for color. I've used pc's, and the actinics are pretty wimpy. They can't seem to compete with the daylight bulbs when both are on, and all my corals looked brown. I ended up spending a lot of money changing the lighting. No point in buying pretty corals if they look washed out when you get them home

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SPC · 01-31-2005, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wharyat

Sorry, but I still have to disagree, watt/watt, lumen, and in short, par, output on a pc is higher and is sustained for a longer period of time. Dramatic short-term red shift is an issue with a bulb t-8 and larger. Like I said it is a personal choice, when it comes to researching these things information is not always accurate, independant testing and usage is required for an unbiased opinion. I have had vho and I have pc, I am more pleased with pc's par ratings and efficiency.

Do you happen to have a link to this independent testing data, wharyat?

Thanks,
Steve

wharyat · 01-31-2005, 11:10 AM

I don't have a website to post such data unfortunatly, but pc's are more advanced and do put out more lumens, but for color I do agree that vho actinics can't be beat.

mikebeth16 · 01-31-2005, 12:57 PM

Thanks everyone for your help. I think I am leanign more towards the VHO, but I am going to look at a few tanks of people in my area who have both setups. Thanks again to everybody.

burkleman · 01-31-2005, 07:01 PM

No prob, and maybe you could consider having a combination of the two, that way you would have the lumens you need for the corals and less power usage but still have the color of the vho's.

yardboy · 02-01-2005, 03:35 PM

Sorry for the delayed response, need to read my mail more. When wiring VHO's, the endcaps go on teh end of the reflectors, no need for staggering endcaps as on PC's. Yea, the same nmber of wires, but they are behind the reflector anyway, but the endcaps must be mounted non-symmetrically, unless tank is 24 or 36". Still, it's a personal preference.