t5 vs Pc

My 36" Coralife PC went out. I ended up buying a quad T5 system on ebay to replace it. It came with 4x bulbs (2 blue and 2 white), an LCD panel, SLRs, fans and timer for $80 as it has a misprint on the LCD panel for one of the buttons. I replaced the bulbs that came with it with Giesemann T5 bulbs (2x Actinic+, 1x Actinic Pure, 1x AquaBlue) and the difference is night and day.

*I forgot to mention it also has six moonlight blue leds which are also controllable by the timer lcd panel which are pretty cool too. I have those set for on once the T5s turn off at midnight.

 

at the bulb output level they are the same, pcs are just folded up t5s, but t5s have better reflectors so u get better usage of the light.

and that makes all the difference in the world, with pcs the light just shoots right back into the adjacent bulb and gets absorbed with t5s almost all of the light is directed down at the aquarium.

reflectors are VERY important. thats why t5s with SLR (single lamp reflectors) put out so much more light, it really has nothing to do with t5s, they use the same technology as all fluorescent lights from t12s to t5s to pcs

the t5 is just the diameter of the tube... t5ho is a special kind of t5 designed to take advantage of more current just like vho are w/t12 but it just means you can get more watts per inch of bulb, at the end of the day w/fluoros watts are watts are watts. 110w vho t12 = 110w NO t5,8,12 =110w t5ho

but the skinnier bulb means you can fit more in a fixture, get SLRs, and the light comes from a narrower point meaning better penetration at depth.

so its really just the smaller size and better reflectors, they arent any kind of new technology fluoros have been around forever

 

UVL makes a good PC bulb with built in reflectors...just fyi