Lighting question

[hollowpoint331]

Hi new to this awsome site. My question is I am in the process of purchasing lights and found a mh/pc combo it has 2 mh and four pc whats the best combo you suggest for a great look and also for coral growth in terms of wattage, temp (k), etc..
any help would be great thanks.
tony

[demonsp]

Depends on tank size and stock wanted.Besides budget. But you cant go wrong with a MH t-5 combo.Great coral growth and color.

[hollowpoint331]

Originally posted by demonsp
Depends on tank size and stock wanted.Besides budget. But you cant go wrong with a MH t-5 combo.Great coral growth and color.

I know but I found a nice set for cheap on ebay a friend of mine said its good but its a mh pc combo im just worried i won't get that nice florescent look and good regular lighting for growth.
My tank is 48" long. Im pretty new to this so I don't really wanna retro fit to much yet. Are all actinic lights give the same effect between t5 and pc?, also will I always have the shimmering affect with any type bulb I use with the mh?

[demonsp]

Cant compare any other lights system with MH. But i dont know the whatts or model so cant say for sure. And not all tintics or antics look the some. Some have better color the others. I always say get the best you can afford. Cant go wrong with MH T-5 set. But MH and PC set sounds like you maynot always be 100% satified ,especially if you could have afforded the better lights.But if money is an issue and this is such a great deal then i maynot pass on it. But you cant really trust the bulb life on any used setup so you may want to add in the cost of new bulbs just to be sure.They should be replaced every 1 to 1 1/2 yrs anyway. This alone mya make any used light purchase a risk if not ending up costing morel.Be carefull.

[returnofsid]

The fixture won't control how your actinics look. You can get great actinic look with PCs. Keep in mind that with the fixture you're describing, the PCs are only for supplimentary actinic lighting.

Do some research into the brand of fixture you're looking at. There's a lot of MH/PC and MH/T5 fixtures being sold on Ebay that are not UL Listed. These really carry a risk of electrical problems, up to and including fire!!

What's the wattage on the MH bulbs? Are they 2X75, 2x150 or 2X250? This will be an important thing to consider depending on the size of your tank.

[hollowpoint331]

Yea I think im going to pass on the lights I saw a splurge and get a new name brand set your can trust and recommendation on a place I can get a combo set with good pricing?