PERFECTOs SHO LIGHTS

[Anonymous]

I have been looking into these
lights for my 20gal reef tank.
The LFS says that there is a 5
year replacement on the canopy,
and the bulb is good for 3 years,
if the color changes ,just bring
it back and they will replace it!

Is there a down side to these
lights???

Regards,
Chris

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You know your an addict, when everything that you look at, you consider it`s uses in your reef tank!¡!¡

 

[Anonymous]

Go with Power compacts...try www.AHsupply.com
For me Sho lights and Seaclone skimmers go hand in hand. eg, look like a great idea, but then you wish you'd spent the extra $50 to get the real McCoy.

 

[Anonymous]

We've had them on our 90 gallon for about 15 months now. So far we've had to replace one hood (actually 3, if you count the recall!) and 2 bulbs. LFS did this happily, without charge. The manufacturer seems to supply outstanding service, even though the product may not be.
We've had good success with a T. maxima, softies and LPS. Haven't tried SPS. I like the effect of their "10,000 K" bulbs although it looks more like a black light from outside. HTH

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My drug habit cost less, but reef colors are better!

[This message has been edited by MedicineMan (edited 21 February 2000).]

[This message has been edited by MedicineMan (edited 21 February 2000).]

 

[Anonymous]

sho and pc are the same thing.

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megareef.freeservers.com
Yup, new url, finally thumbnail index html's on the foldlers, and a live reefcam

 

[Anonymous]

SHO and PC are sort-of the same thing. Not really.

PowerCompact (without a space) is the trademark of Custom Sea Life who uses Panasonic bulbs with an excellent reliability history.

SHO is the trademark of Perfecto who uses Hamilton bulbs that have a history of reliability that is iffy at best.

"Compact Fluorescent" would probably be the best catch-all term to cover both brands.


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Matt Marulla
Owner - Inland Reef Aquaria
http://www.inlandreef.com

 

[Anonymous]

All previous posts bring up good points. I personally used Perfecto Sholights (two 30" hoods/55 wtsX2) over a 29 gallon. You should note I didn't have the replacement guarantee you say your LFS is offering. Despite the "3-year bulb life" claim made by Perfecto, in my experience not only did both bulbs dim noticeably within nine months, but salt water somehow got into the endcaps on two occasions (and the tank was covered, mind you) and almost started a fire. The second time this happened I decided I'd had enough, and upgraded to a 45 G w/ VHO and an Icecap ballast. I would have to say I was not impressed with the quality of these particular (Perfecto) PC's. Furthermore, I don't know exactly what type of ballasts these lights employ but I suspect they aren't solid state/electronic. These ballasts are typically more pricey but it's stated (still waiting to find out personally) that you'll get better results re bulb life and light output. IMHO you'd be better off with another PC outfit (ie Hamilton or Custom SeaLife) powered by an electronic ballast. One of the things I've learned (the hard way!) in this hobby is you definitely get what you pay for!
HTH

 

[Anonymous]

sho, and customsealife use solid state ballasts, they are all pretty crappy, the endcaps suck, I'm afraid the only high quality setup you can go with are vho if you want florescents. L8r mega

------------------
megareef.freeservers.com
Yup, new url, finally thumbnail index html's on the foldlers, and a live reefcam

 

[Anonymous]

i have been using 2 of these lights on a 29 gal.tank for a year now.
i am not impressed with the life of the bulbs.they guarantee 3 years yeah right,after 6 to 8 months they dim down significantly,and there are not cheap at 28.00 a bulb,i bought mine mailorder so i cant just send the bulbs back without a hassle.i have to do my tank on a tight budget,they are a cheap alternative.if you have the money,buy something better.
fishguy