[Clay12340]

I've seen a couple of Finnex HQI/T5 combo hoods at really good prices and was wondering if the brand was of decent quality or if I should avoid it and purchase a different fixture. What are you guys experiences or informed opinions with this brand's halide fixtures?

[Zoanuts]

Clay,

I personally don't have any experience with them but have heard some good things though.
I always ask myself if you are going to drop a big dime on lighting spend the extra few $$ and get what you are most comfortable as far as quality goes in your mind.
I think as we all know that piece of mind is very big in the Reefing world.
JMHO.

[charlie]

No experience with these lites either, nor have I heard anything about them. Do you have a link?

[Zoanuts]

Originally Posted by charlie

No experience with these lites either, nor have I heard anything about them. Do you have a link?

finnex-web

[charlie]

Hey thanx!!!

They look like nice fixtures. I have always heard tho, that a T5 bulb is better off with an individual reflector. It is hard to tell from those pics whether those reflectors are made that way.

Oh yeah, top of the mornin to ya!!

[Clay12340]

Definitely words of wisdom Zoanuts, but my lack of experience with reef lighting leaves a lot of gaps in the quality spectrum. I'd suspect that something like an aqualine fixture is the top of the line, but does the quality warrant 3-4 times the price? As with all things saltwater I seem to find myself with a lot more questions than answers. I'm quickly finding that experience in this hobby is expensive to come by.

[Zoanuts]

Originally Posted by Clay12340

Definitely words of wisdom Zoanuts, but my lack of experience with reef lighting leaves a lot of gaps in the quality spectrum. I'd suspect that something like an aqualine fixture is the top of the line, but does the quality warrant 3-4 times the price? As with all things saltwater I seem to find myself with a lot more questions than answers. I'm quickly finding that experience in this hobby is expensive to come by.

Clay,
With many thousands of dollars lost due to not buying smart but buying cheap has made me wiser. Spend the extra $$ and get a quality dependable lighting source. JMO

[Clay12340]

What is your favorite brand?

[Zoanuts]

For T5 fixtures we use Tek's. The price is acceptable and they work great over all of our frag tanks.
We use Solaris over our Cube that we have. Thought we would try it.
Geissman has fantastic lamps but big Bucks.
All of the people are dependable as most others are.
We love T5's due to the bulb array you can buy and the ability to grow anything under it. Low electricity, Lower heat and cost were the reasons we decided to use them. Hope this helps.