T5 lighting. is this good value? (ebay Link)

[isaac]

i saw this on ebay, just want to know if this T5 hood is worth getting.
eBay Australia: T5 AQUARIUM OVERHEAD LIGHTING 4x39W 4ft (item 140045368872, end time 03-Nov-06 23:25:05 AEDST)

[prow]

no, not good. will work for some corals, but it does not have individual reflectors = lots of wasted light.

[isaac]

well i plan on keeping brain corals sponges and feather duster worms.
and im going to make individiual reflectors for each tube either out of polished aluminum, aluminum foil or those reflector screen you put on your winsheild.
which 1 would be better?

[Ninong]

i saw this on ebay, just want to know if this T5 hood is worth getting.
eBay Australia: T5 AQUARIUM OVERHEAD LIGHTING 4x39W 4ft (item 140045368872, end time 03-Nov-06 23:25:05 AEDST)

No, it's NOT worth getting. For starters, the photo is misleading because the photo seems to show 54w T5's and the description says they are only 39w T5's. That means that what you would receive would be a 4-ft long fixture with 3-ft long T5's. And NO individual reflectors. And you can't add the individual reflectors later because the lamps are too close together. (P.S. -- It's hard to tell from the photos, but if the lamps are 39 watts, then they're only 3-ft long, not 4-ft long.)

For comparison, check out this listing. It's a 4-ft (120cm) fixture with six 54w T5's with individual reflectors and two power switches so that you can turn on half the lights at a time.

[tray262]

Definitly not worth it. I actually have the TEK 8 bulb fixture, and it's killer. I've been able to keep anything with it so far. I have a 150 tall and the tek is plently of light.

[prow]

well i plan on keeping brain corals sponges and feather duster worms.
and im going to make individiual reflectors for each tube either out of polished aluminum, aluminum foil or those reflector screen you put on your winsheild.
which 1 would be better?

i think it will work for the corals you listed as is. i would not try to add reflectors. i would also look into the bulbs they use. like coralife they might use odd size bulbs, so the normal bulbs might not fit. would have to buy only their bulbs. but why get it, you could get a good quality one and use half the bulbs to get the same light. think operating cost, use half the bulbs.

try looking here they have good deals and sell good quality products. products.Aquarium Lighting for Marine, Reef, and Saltwater Aquariums

FYI sunlight is real good with tek reflectors, the best is the icecap with icecap reflectors. they put out about 20% more par than the tek reflectors. icecap ballast overdrives the bulbs to add about 30% more watts=more of everything. for you not really needed with coral you listed, but nice to know if you want the option to upgrade later.

[The Grim Reefer]

Not sure if they can ship down under but try Aquarium Lighting Fixtures and Lights for Marine Reef Aquariums by Aquactinics
Their 5 lamp T5 unit has better reflctors than the Tek and active cooling. Just the cooling is good for about a 30% gain in output.