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PC vs standard flourescents.
I am finally setting up my 55 gallon tank. I am waiting for a shipment of
plants. I have a #IV hydrosponge with a powerhead, PMAS, two nifty pieces of
genine Snake River driftwood (collected it myself), CO2 system, and Natural
Gold for fertilizer. I also have the goodies for making PMDD when the
Natural Gold gives out.
Lighting has me bothered. I have a shoplight with a Philips 50AX. I was
going to put a Triton in the other socket. But then I still have only 80
watts on a deep tank, so I drew up a print to build a sheetmetal strip light
at work with three bulbs that would still clear the front glass section for
feeding/maintenance. But then I thought maybe I could get one of those oak
canopies and mount 4 sockets across the whole thing. 160 watts would be
three watts per gallon, and that would work pretty good.
But I shopped all over town, and all the canopies either opened at the top,
or the front panel plus half the top. Neither of those would let me string
fixtures all the way across. So I thought "Shucks, just go down to the
cabinet maker and tell him what you want."
Then I realized that by the time I spend $150 or more on a canopy, then
another 60 bucks for fixtures, and then another C-note on wiring, bulbs and
such, I could probably cover the cost of a Power compact.
So, if these things are more efficient than standard flourescents, how much
PC do I need to get the equivelent of 160 watts of standards? Are they
available in different color temps? Any advice?
Bob Dixon