which lighting is better PL, mh or other. where to buy

[clanbuster]

which lighting is better? PL light , MH light , FL or other. i read some of them from this forum, some of user gave their advantage and disadvantage.. but i don't understand and didn't mention which is better...

2. By the way, where to buy. i go to some LFS. the shop only have 1 or 2 model. 3 ft or 4ft.. Is there any shop or mega store selling alot of light for fish tank.


my tank is 6ft by 2ft by 1ft.. how many tubes should i buy??
how u all ppl count it? by watts or how many tubes of light?

beginner, hehehe

[tawauboy]

pl and fl are basically the same, pl being more compact.
pendant mh gives a 'spotlight' effect.
there is one type of light which is better, it depends on your tank. if you have a deep tank, go with mh.

go to more lfs to see more selection. try serangoon north, there are a number of lfs there.

normally, for low light use ~2 watt/gallon, mid light ~ 3watts/gallon is used to calculate the lighting required. for high light, use >3 watts/gallon.
light tubes or bulb have power ratings. so some basic maths will give you the no of tubes required.

there are a lot of past threads on this.

[IUnknown]

Depends on what you want to spend. MH cost more, but the light is more natural looking. Compared to PL which is a diffused light, MH cast shadows from the fish onto the substrate and the light gets refracted of the ripples of the water. You can also adjust the output of the bulb somewhat by adjusting the height of the pendant.

[Mason]

Think of spare parts and after sales service for your choice.

Mason (your alternative solution)

[quote:5075796aa1="IUnknown"]Depends on what you want to spend. MH cost more, but the light is more natural looking. Compared to PL which is a diffused light, MH cast shadows from the fish onto the substrate and the light gets refracted of the ripples of the water. You can also adjust the output of the bulb somewhat by adjusting the height of the pendant.[/quote:5075796aa1]