compact flourecent lights?

[boxxmann]

why do compact florescent lights get such a bad rep? also what is the big deal w/actinic 03? what is the difference between actinic and actinic 03? isn't actinic 420 or actinic 460 ok to use too? thanks for the advice!

 

[malkore]

First off, welcome to AA! I hope you enjoy the site!

PC's don't get a bad rep at all. However, on larger SW tanks, MH lighting just gets way more cost effective.

Plus, PC's are still kind of new, while VHO's have been around a long time, and have been a SW staple during that time, so 'old timers' aren't willing to change to PC's (which really offer no additional benefit over VHO, so why pay to change?).

Any bulb that is blue can be labeled 'actinic'. Actinic03's are true actinics with the proper 420-460nm peaks in the spectrum. Actinic 420 and Actinic 460 are just very specifically stating where the peak is, and yes they are fine too.

 

[Royal Gramma]

I love PCs for smaller aquariums!

They just have a larger footprint than I would want for larger/deeper tank lighting purposes.

I know this will sound lame but I also really like the way a smaller (size not wattage, like MH) bulb will refract with the surface of the aquarium being disturbed like lines on the bottom of the ocean. I have only gotten this from MH bulbs, I think it simply is because the light is distributed over a much larger area with flourecents and the refraction is diluted by this. But I could be wrong.

 

[Bearfan]

I have PCs, but if I were to do it again I would go MH to increase my coral options.