Allright I am now officially confused... Im trying to decide wether to go with some t12 VHOs, T5 lighting, or power compacts and I cant see to locate and answer for how long theses different bulbs last? im cruzing the net and getting different answers.... Is there any place where I cant find this information?

For 55/75 gal, the T5's are nice, I like them, they are still a bit $$$ vs the PC lamps...........but they are nice.

I'd not bother with VHO's....

Regards,
Tom Barr

ok but how often do you have to replace them. What is the life expectancy of the pc vs. t5? every 6 months, yearly, or more?

Bulb life expectancy:

PC - 1 year
T5 - 2 years

Contrary to popular belief, T5's are really not any more expensive than PC lights. Given their much higher efficiency and longer life span, T5's are actually cheaper over a 2 year span (example: 55w PC bulb = $18-28; 54w T5 bulb = $10-15). They are also more effective than PC lighting, therefore, they require less light than PC.

Yya...........but I think the main issues are better light spread and less intensity(PC's have a little too much IMO, we simply do not need that much in most cases).

For smaller tanks, PC's do well but for a 55-75 gal, 2x 54 w is perfect for most designs/layouts. I've seen some very nice systems using this wattage set up.

I get 4-5 years out of my PC lamps.
If yours are only 1 year or less, send me your bulbs

I've said this for 5 years and no one has ever sent me their bulbs yet..........

Regards,
Tom Barr