# PC or T5?



## jon021 (May 19, 2009)

I'm trying to decide between 2 different lighting options for my 10 gal planted at the moment. It's between the 20" 28 Watt coralife power compact, or the 24" Coralife Dual bulb t-5 fixture, also 28 watts. Which one would you choose and why? thanks for your help.


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## Byronicle (Apr 18, 2009)

i got a crazy cheap idea that i use for my ten gallon lol
i bought these clip on light fixtures at home depot (like $15 each) and popped in a flourscent bulb (13watts = 65watts according to the box)
2 of these light fixtures and you got yourself 26 watts or 2.6 watts per gallon at like $30 bucks but may not look aesthetically pleasing but you know i am a student and on a tight budget
just a thought

But to answer your question I found a link that may be helpful (goggled power compact light t5)

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-112554.html

hope this helps


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## jon021 (May 19, 2009)

Byronicle said:


> i got a crazy cheap idea that i use for my ten gallon lol
> i bought these clip on light fixtures at home depot (like $15 each) and popped in a flourscent bulb (13watts = 65watts according to the box)
> 2 of these light fixtures and you got yourself 26 watts or 2.6 watts per gallon at like $30 bucks but may not look aesthetically pleasing but you know i am a student and on a tight budget
> just a thought
> ...


Hey Byron, thanks for the suggestion, sounds like a pretty good idea, and as you know i'm a student like you so i'm on a tight budget as well. The thing is, i'm getting offer a brand new in box coralife 20" pc fixture for $40 so i'm kinda tempted to go with it. I'll check out the site you gave me and i'll make a final decision on it.


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

jon021 said:


> Hey Byron, thanks for the suggestion, sounds like a pretty good idea, and as you know i'm a student like you so i'm on a tight budget as well. The thing is, i'm getting offer a brand new in box coralife 20" pc fixture for $40 so i'm kinda tempted to go with it. I'll check out the site you gave me and i'll make a final decision on it.


BUY NOW. At that price you just can't go wrong. Plants really appreciate PC light for some reason, even though it doesn't necessarily look 'brighter' to the human eye.


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## jon021 (May 19, 2009)

AquariAM said:


> BUY NOW. At that price you just can't go wrong. Plants really appreciate PC light for some reason, even though it doesn't necessarily look 'brighter' to the human eye.


Alright i'll do it the only problem is that it the fixture comes with a 50/50 bulb so i'd have to change that to a 6700k for my tank.


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## carmenh (Dec 20, 2009)

Just check the price of the replacement lights before you commit...I got a great deal on a double pc then discovered that replacing the bulbs costs more than I paid for the fixture! T5's are cheaper.


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## jon021 (May 19, 2009)

carmenh said:


> Just check the price of the replacement lights before you commit...I got a great deal on a double pc then discovered that replacing the bulbs costs more than I paid for the fixture! T5's are cheaper.


Hey thanks for the advice, i think the replacement for the pc bulb is around $28 at luckys, while the t5's are $15 a piece, so it works out to roughly the same. I've been looking around for the t5 fixture but can't seem to find any used, and i know a new one is $75 so i'm leaning towards the pc fixture at the moment


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## bluekrissyspikes (Apr 16, 2009)

i just use the hood that came on my ten g. if yours has a hood just switch out the incandescant bulbs for some compact florescents. you can get 10 watt ones for a buck each or 13(about) watt ones for six bucks a pack. i use these and have no trouble growing any of the plants i wanted to grow.


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## jon021 (May 19, 2009)

bluekrissyspikes said:


> i just use the hood that came on my ten g. if yours has a hood just switch out the incandescant bulbs for some compact florescents. you can get 10 watt ones for a buck each or 13(about) watt ones for six bucks a pack. i use these and have no trouble growing any of the plants i wanted to grow.


My 10 gal has a hood but it's not one of the incandescant ones, its a single t8 flourescent strip, only putting out 15 watts. Its not enough light to get a carpet going in my tank.


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