T5 Lighting Choices

[Mikro402]

I would like to keep a mixed reef of LPS and SPS (I also have six fish). I now have a Torch coral, a Fiji Leather,a Bubble coral, Monti, and a Frogspawn.
I also have like 4 Rose bubble tip anemones (they keep splitting).
I have a 75gal. tank and a 7gal sump (left over from removing bioballs). I have compact fl right now.(Coralife Lunar Aqualight)
My tank measures 18"d X 20"h X 48" long.

Which of these fixtures would be a good choice on a ~$600.00 budget:


TEK LIGHT T-5, 48" Light
Fixture 8 x 54W lamps

ATI 48" 6x54W SunPower T5 High-Output

Current Nova Extreme Pro 48 inch T5 Fixture 6x54W

AquaticLife T5 HO Aquarium Lighting System - 6 T5 HO - 4 Lunar - 48 in.



I'm sure there are many to choose from but these are the ones I have looked at so far

[Chasman]

I'm in the middle of a 50gal build and have been doing tons of research on lighting. This build replaces my 29gal of 1 1/2 years and I wanted to do it right. I ended up buying the 6 lamp ATI mainly because I couldn't find anyone who didn't think they were the top of the line. My second choice and a very close one was the Tek Elite. The Elite has a cooling fan where the standard Tek doesn't. Also, as I'm sure you are aware, the ATI and Tek do not include the bulbs so there is another $100 to $120 worth of bulbs to purchase. Also the ATI is hang only where the Tek has tank brackets but they are $65 extra.

I considered the other two you listed as well, but feel the quality of the above was worth the extra money. At least in my opinion. I'm sure the other two would work well if it fits the budget better.

Chasman

[reeferbill]

Welcome to Reefland Mikro402 ; I would go with the Tek Lite because it has 8 bulbs instead of 6.Happy Reefing!

[Dennis Herbst]

Also, as I'm sure you are aware, the ATI and Tek do not include the bulbs so there is another $100 to $120 worth of bulbs to purchase. Also the ATI is hang only where the Tek has tank brackets but they are $65 extra.

Chasman

Did you buy the bulbs at the same place as the fixture so it went under one shipping?

Did you hang the ATI from the ceiling joist or did you put up a separate board? Is the fixture very heavy?

So you must have the cords running down to the outlet near the floor?

Do you have a glass canopy over the tank?

[Chasman]

Did you buy the bulbs at the same place as the fixture so it went under one shipping?

Yes. All in one shipment. No shipping charge.

Did you hang the ATI from the ceiling joist or did you put up a separate board? Is the fixture very heavy?

I don't have the fixture yet so I'm not sure of the weight. The one I bought is a 36" so I don't think it will be too heavy. AquaticLife make a set of curved bars that bend over the tank. I'm considering those. If all else fails I will hang it from the ceiling.

So you must have the cords running down to the outlet near the floor?

There is a single cord that runs to a box that splits to two cords. One controls two lamps the other one controls the other four. In my case I'm using a ReefKeeper which will control the timing of the light. So the cord will run into the back of my stand and into the controller.

Do you have a glass canopy over the tank?

No glass cover or canopy. Not good for reef tanks. I may make a small shield if the light spill is to great from the front of the tank.

[Original Fin]

From what I've read, ATI would be my choice too. Problem for me is that I'm on a beer budget, and that's champagne lighting.

[Mikro402]

No glass cover or canopy. Not good for reef tanks. I may make a small shield if the light spill is to great from the front of the tank.

Does a glass canopy interfere with gas exchange or something?

[FoMoCo Master Tech]

From what I've read, ATI would be my choice too. Problem for me is that I'm on a beer budget, and that's champagne lighting.

Best to start recycling those cans!
I switched from no name bulbs to ATI. Definately worth the money my coral growth increased ( went from 4 to 6 bulbs though) and the colors look much better.

Whoops... just realized you were talking about fixtures not bulbs. My bad...

[Chasman]

Does a glass canopy interfere with gas exchange or something?

Yes they do. Also they create areas of salt creep, block out potential light, and are a royal pain to keep clean. You'll be wiping them off every day. Or they will just end up looking cruddy.

[reeferbill]

Hi Mikro402; I absolutly agree with Chasman about the glass cover. You can make a nice 1/4 inch screen cover with parts from Home Depot or Lowes. Good Luck and Happy Reefing !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Original Fin]

Best to start recycling those cans!
I switched from no name bulbs to ATI. Definately worth the money my coral growth increased ( went from 4 to 6 bulbs though) and the colors look much better.

Whoops... just realized you were talking about fixtures not bulbs. My bad...

Well, pretty soon I'll need to replace the bulbs too. I've got about 7 months on the originals, which probably weren't that great to begin with. One of the two actinic bulbs is now visually darker than the other, so I guess that's an indicator of needing replacement.

Did some q&a a while back and quite a few people recommended this ATI combo:
Purple +
Blue +
Aquablue
Blue+

[gregony]

Getting back to micro402's original question ,,, 8 bulbs over a 75 gallon is too many, you'll just be wasting light and energy. 4 bulbs would probably work ok, if you're paranoid or you have a 75 high get 6. The white bulbs should last for years, the blue ones go bad sooner, but if you only get 7 months out of a T5HO bulb, I would call that a bad bulb. Hate to be a spoiler, I would imagine there's probably something like 5 companies MAKING T5HO bulbs, GE, Sylvania, UVI, and a few guys from China. Everybody else probably just puts their name on the bulbs that these guys make (I would be rather surprised if ATI actually made light bulbs as they don't even make the pumps for their skimmers) . My 10K Current USA bulbs (one of the guys from China) lasted 2 and half years. The blues were still putting out light after that time but should have been replaced sooner. I replaced one blue after one year of service (for preventions' sake) and honestly, I could tell it was newer, but not by much. T5HO is not T10VHO. Their longevity is just way better. If you're changing bulbs every 6-9 months you need to switch manufacturers or invest in a LUX meter.

[Mikro402]

I went with the ATI PM 6X54 48" fixture. It's a very bright and sleek light.
I might also add I went through Reef Geek and they were superb...

[Chasman]

Congrats on the ATI PM!!!! I haven't pluged mine in yet, but looking forward to it. Glad to hear you like yours.

[Original Fin]

Nice choice. I'm sure you won't be dissapointed.

I'm still saving my beer cans.

[Chasman]

I went with the ATI PM 6X54 48" fixture. It's a very bright and sleek light.
I might also add I went through Reef Geek and they were superb...

What was your lamp selection?

Chasman

[Chasman]

I went with:

2 - Aquablue Special
2 - Actinics
2 - Blue Plus

ATI Lamps

[Mikro402]

What was your lamp selection?

Chasman

Actinic
Blue Plus
Aquablue Special
Blue Plus
Purple Plus
Actinic