conventional vs. compact fluorescent lighting

[Jason60625]

I am very excited about starting up my 65-gallon planted/discus tank in the near future. I will be purchasing an acrylic 36Lx18Wx24H" tank and need advice on the lighting.

I'm trying to decide between a triple-tube strip using 3 conventional 36" tubes for a total of 90 watts, and a power compact stip using 2 55-watt lights for a total of 110 watts.

Both hoods are made by All-Glass and cost exactly the same at Big Al's site.

Does anyone have experience with power compacts? I have only ever used conventional tubes.

Thanks.

[NickK]

Jason,
PCs are very bright. I used them in my reef tank, and they had no problem supporting the live rock and corals. I don't have any discus yet, so I can't tell you how the discus look under the lights (I have both 10,000k and actinic 03). If you are planning on keeping more plants than discus, you should go with the PCs (just make sure you get the appropriate Kelvin temperature lamps). I have read that discus may not appreciate the super intense light from the PCs, but if you have enough shelter for the discus, you should be OK. You should also check if the ballast for the PCs can run only 1 of the lamps when you want lower light levels.

Nick

[ChloroPhil]

Jason,

How much are your light fixtures? You can get two 96w PC fluorescent kits w/bulbs from ahsupply for about 200.00 USD with shipping. They're 36" long and will be all the light you'll ever need.

To answer your question, go with the PC lighting with that tank. NO fluorescent lights will have a hard time penetrating the full 24" if your tank, making foreground planting difficult. With the cover in my aquarium, my discus haven't minded the bright light of my PCs and my plants positively love it. :)

[Wahter]

Jay, go with the compact fluorescents! They will beat the normal output fluorescents easily and you can grow just about any plant you will want.

Walter

[ronrca]

Depending if you are a do-it-yourselfer, PC's will provide higher intensity but for 2-3x the price.

Or you can overdrive fluorscents using electronic ballasts for half the price.

Here's a link for more info:
http://forum.simplydiscus.com//index.php?board=7;action=display;threadid=3864

and you can pm me if you are interested or have questions.

[Denny]

i ran a 2x96 pc setup in my 125 for a few months but when i decided to forget a planted tank, i took them out and put in a few 33w bulbs and the fish really liked the lower light output better.

but if you want pc's, i have some in the buy sell trade section for you :o


denny