What should I do about my lighting?

[imdumb]

Here's my current situation.

I have a 55 gallon w/softies and lps.
I have an Odysea 260 watts pc light.

It's time to change the bulbs on my lights, so i was thinking instead of spending money on new bulbs might as well just upgrade.

So here are my options

A) just get new PC bulbs ( cheapest option but not real satisfied w/ my coral growth)

B) T5 HO 216 watts retrofit kit (I was thinking the one from the ICECAP group buy)

C) I have 2 -175 watt MH Ballasts ( cons: would have to buy reflectors, modify my existing pc's for the actinics, would have to modify my canopy, heat, electricity cost, might be to much light)

What would you guys do?

I'm leaning towards the t5's but not sure. Has anybody upgraded from 260 watts pc to 216w t5s that can tell me how much better it is?

Also on a more general note, how much does the brand make a difference IE. is there a big difference from a 260 watt odysea unit and a namebrand unit( as far as par). and if so how do you know?


Thanks.

 

[Firewolf4]

in short, flashlights are better than the oddysea PC setups. With a T5 retro kit you can choose the bulbs to give the best growth and looks. the Key to T5's is the reflectors. If you run with 4 48"`ish T5's through an Icecap 660, it will push the bulbs to about 320 watts. This will allow you to start growing a better variety of corals if that's what you want in your tank.
If you opt to go with Dual 250W MH's and rework your PC's, you'll be pushing between 630 - 715 W. If you try to run this with the same on-off cycle, you'll burn whatever's in your tank. It would have to be a gradual change to the stronger lighting.
There are advantages and disadvantages to each. Over a 55 if you dont plan on moving to a much larger,deeper tank, I would stick with the T5 setup. you can always add additional bulbs and ballasts to increase light on the tank. Many I've seen have a great blending of all sorts of bulbs that yield the best results and appearances.