[Koddie Doo]

I bought a used fixture and need new bulbs. My fixture is a Current usa 4x65 watt pc light. Any recommendations on bulbs? What should I bee looking for / not for? anyone know of a "cheaper" that is just as good as a big name brand?

 

[Jnicho]

Not a lot of choices in PC bulbs really...Current probably has some of the better ones...most of the cheap bulbs I've seen are pretty yellow/green looking.

 

[Jadinop]

I would agree that the Current USA bulb is one of the better ones out there. If you buy inexpensive bulbs, they will likely require more frequent replacement and not put out the colors that you want.

If your keeping a reef tank, I would do a little figuring first.

Four 65w bulbs at about $30ea is roughly $120.
PC bulbs should be changed every 6 months to maintain their output. If you are going to keep corals, light output is a major concern.
So compare roughly $240 a year to use that PC fixture verse buying a good T5HO fixture with an expected bulb life of closer to 18 months and a bulb cost of around $20.

It quickly becomes apparent that T5HO will save you money in the long run as well as provide much better light output for longer durations.

 

[Jnicho]

I would agree that the Current USA bulb is one of the better ones out there. If you buy inexpensive bulbs, they will likely require more frequent replacement and not put out the colors that you want.

If your keeping a reef tank, I would do a little figuring first.

Four 65w bulbs at about $30ea is roughly $120.
PC bulbs should be changed every 6 months to maintain their output. If you are going to keep corals, light output is a major concern.
So compare roughly $240 a year to use that PC fixture verse buying a good T5HO fixture with an expected bulb life of closer to 18 months and a bulb cost of around $20.

It quickly becomes apparent that T5HO will save you money in the long run as well as provide much better light output for longer durations.

+1...well worth the investment...PAR on PC's is pretty low...invest your bulb money in a decent T5 setup...better for the corals and the colors are better than PC's too.

 

[Loverotties]

+1 even better T5HOs.

 

[Phishnoob]

I would have to agree here. We started out with PC's that live now on a tank with our snowflake eel.

Switching to T5 (6x54w) on our four foot tank was like night and day. It made choices of what to keep and growth of everything so much easier.

Our PC though is a lot better than it was by switching to better bulbs. I got them from Marine Depot.