Does anyone have any opinions on these? They seem to be pretty well made. It has individual reflectors for the bulbs. I am torn between this and a 6 bulb retro with 2 icecap 660's. What do you guys think? By the way, my tank is a 65 gallon that is 25" deep with plans for a LPS and Softie dominant tank. However I do want the option for SPS if I wanted to add some in the future. I guess my other option is 2 250 watt MH but I really do not want to deal with the heat.
T5 Tek Light by Sunlight Supply
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skriz
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Is shimmer important to you? If so, then you will need to go with mh. Or you can do a mh and T5 combo.
If you don't really care for the shimmer, then you can do T5 for pretty cheap. If you're looking to save some cash upfront, you can buy the cheap ARO ballasts and later upgrade to the 660. You can always then use the ARO for QT/fuge lighting. Or even as a backup.
I like the color of t5's since you can play with the bulb combinations, but I love the shimmer and penetration power of mh...can't be beat!
If you don't really care for the shimmer, then you can do T5 for pretty cheap. If you're looking to save some cash upfront, you can buy the cheap ARO ballasts and later upgrade to the 660. You can always then use the ARO for QT/fuge lighting. Or even as a backup.
I like the color of t5's since you can play with the bulb combinations, but I love the shimmer and penetration power of mh...can't be beat!
Here's where I got mine.
http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/Sunlight_Supply/Tek_Light_Fixtures/36_inch__Tek_Light:_6-39W_T5_High-Output_Fixture_by_Sunlight_Supply">http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/Sunlight_Supply/Tek_Light_Fixtures/36_inch__Tek_Light:_6-39W_T5_High-Output_Fixture_by_Sunlight_Supply</a>
Great service and a better price. I have had halides in the past and prefer the t5. I have mine on a 90 with sps, clams, ect. I think it's a great. I can't comment on the retro. You're welcome to come by and check mine out if you want. I'm in smyrna near south cobb and the ew connector.
http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/Sunlight_Supply/Tek_Light_Fixtures/36_inch__Tek_Light:_6-39W_T5_High-Output_Fixture_by_Sunlight_Supply">http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/Sunlight_Supply/Tek_Light_Fixtures/36_inch__Tek_Light:_6-39W_T5_High-Output_Fixture_by_Sunlight_Supply</a>
Great service and a better price. I have had halides in the past and prefer the t5. I have mine on a 90 with sps, clams, ect. I think it's a great. I can't comment on the retro. You're welcome to come by and check mine out if you want. I'm in smyrna near south cobb and the ew connector.
Cooling is the big problem it appears with that fixture. For T5s to get good PAR active cooling is often required which simply means a lot of air over the bulbs. That said this is going to be fine for LPS/Softies and some SPS near the top of the tank. I would look into using a full spectrum bulb such as the UVL Aquasun ro the GE 3000k if you went SPS with this fixture.
Disclaimer... this is based on my recent readings only as I have been using mainly MH lighting in my tank up till now. I am about to take the T5 plunge myself and will hopefully have more experience in that area soon.
Disclaimer... this is based on my recent readings only as I have been using mainly MH lighting in my tank up till now. I am about to take the T5 plunge myself and will hopefully have more experience in that area soon.
I was gonna buy the 8 bulb fixture tek 2. I did alot of research on them and IMO for the price they cant be beat! I dont think cooling is a prob "i saw stanfill reefs tek 2 fixture and it was quiet and didnt seem like heat was an issue. Also reef geek has the cheapest prices.
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i like the ice cap reflectors better they are smaller so you can add more lights to the fixture
also i rather go retro kit if you have a canopy
also i rather go retro kit if you have a canopy
Have you looked at these fixtures?
http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/ATI/Powermodule_Fixtures/36_inch__6x39W_Powermodule_T5_High-Output_Fixture_by_ATI">http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/ATI/Powermodule_Fixtures/36_inch__6x39W_Powermodule_T5_High-Output_Fixture_by_ATI</a>
They are expensive but seem to be well thought out. I haven't talked with anyone who has these as they are new.
Not to hijack, but does anyone have experience or input on these fixtures?
http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/ATI/Powermodule_Fixtures/36_inch__6x39W_Powermodule_T5_High-Output_Fixture_by_ATI">http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/ATI/Powermodule_Fixtures/36_inch__6x39W_Powermodule_T5_High-Output_Fixture_by_ATI</a>
They are expensive but seem to be well thought out. I haven't talked with anyone who has these as they are new.
Not to hijack, but does anyone have experience or input on these fixtures?
The cooling is a matter of heating the tank or causing a problem but rather upping the PAR. T5 bulbs loose effeciency the warmer they get. Without active cooling they can loose quite a bit of PAR. You probably won't even notive it. New fixtures such as the ATI use heat sinks and fans to keep the heat down and it works VERY well. In some instances (as in people posting PAR numbers), the ATI fixtures have shown 20-30% increases in PAR.
Yes if you have the cash the ATI fixtures are great. They give overdriven T5 PAR numbers without overdriving the bulbs.
The 430s will overdrive T5s and there are people driving three 39w and four of the 24w T5s with them. The problem is that Icecap recommends that you drive no more than two T5 with them. There is quite a bit of info about this in the IceCap forum on RC.
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AS mentioned above (thanks for the "Shout Outs" y'all) I had the 6-bulb Sunlight Supply fixture. It ran cool and I grew SPS with no problems. I had PCs before the T-5s and had some SPS that didn't really grow but really didn't die either. When I changed fixtures the SPS (really all of the corals) growth took off and my average water temperature decreased. I recommend purchasing the optional legs and mounting the fixture to the tank if you don't have a hood to mount in.
