PC vs VHO lighting efficiency

[BonsaiNut]

I have now read in several publications that PC lighting is more efficient than VHO lighting (i.e. more lumens per watt). Can someone point me to a good source of information? I cannot even find a simple list of lumen ratings for PC bulbs.

Thanks for the help!

[moonpod]

the problem is that inherent to the bent tube design a lot of that light you produced is wasted by the bulb reflecting on itself. Add the on/off availability of actinics, the general fragility of the bulbs, poor bulb life, etc... and well, PC is not my personal favorite. I personally just junked a PC system in favor of a T5 system, which really is just a new iteration of VHO IMO.

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=175718