yet another lighting question

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funkpolice

Active Member
hello to all,
I just came into some money, so I'm looking for a good t5 fixture. I have a 55 gal with lps and softies now. I only have 260 watts of pc lighting, and the bulbs are almost a year old, so this will be a pretty big upgrade. I don't think I really want to go totally sps, but maybe a few would be cool. I really like those plating montis. I also am starting a pretty decent collection of higher end zoas, so I want something that will show off the fancy colors. I've been thinking of a 6x54 fixture. I like the ati fixture, and it comes highly recomended, but I can't really hang my fixture, and although not out of my price range, it's kind of expensive. I've looked at the nova extreme pro, but I've been getting conflicting revues. If anyone has any personal experience with a great t5 fixture let me know. I'm looking to spend between 300 and 800 bucks for a 48" 6? bulb fixture.
Thanks,
bill
 
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funkpolice

Active Member
I did some more looking around and found aquaticnics constellation and solar flare fixtures, these both look nice as well. What do you guys think?
bill
 
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DaveK

Well-Known Member
If you compare what you have, 260w of PC lighting, to what you want, 324w of T5, you will get quite a bit more light, mostly because it's possible to put a much better reflector behind a T5 bulb.

I'd estimate you'd get about 2 1/2 to 3 times the light. So it's a good improvement and likely to be worth it.

However, with the amount of money you plan to spend, you could also consider MHs. You could get a fixture or pendants with two 150w or 250w HQI bulbs.

I'm not saying you should go MH, but do compute the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) on any replacement lighting. Be sure to take into account the power consumed, and bulb replacement costs over 5 years or so.
 
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funkpolice

Active Member
Dave,
I know I'm getting into metal halide prices, but I think I like the diversity of t5s better. I'm afraid i would get a halide bulb, then not like the color and have to buy a new expensive bulb. I do like the shimmer effect a lot. I think you're right though, I should at least look into some halide fixtures.

Micheal,
Thanks for the response. Do you have an ati fixture yourself? I went to their website, and the fixtures looked great. The only with that fixture is it said it was designed to be suspended. I'm sure I could make it work, but I want to make sure I'm getting the right light for me.
 
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funkpolice

Active Member
If I go with the ati, do you think I should go with the 4 or 6 bulb fixture? reefgeek says the 4 bulb is good for a "sps dominated" tank up to 60 gal. If this is true, the extra 250 bucks for a 6 bulb may be a waste. However, I would have more color diversity with the 6 bulb than the four. The 6 bulb would also hang over the front or back of the tank, though not much, as it is 13 1/2" wide and my tank is 12 3/4". Can anyone justify spending the extra dough for the bigger fixture? Also, I'm getting it with the bulbs so what is a good combo?
bill
 
BigAl07

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
In my eyes I think "If you're upgrading why settle short now".

As for bulb combos I'd go fairly generic right now with 50% Daylight and 50% Actinic and then as time goes on you can mix & match to better suit your likes and dislikes.
 
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funkpolice

Active Member
hmm, so you don't think the 6 bulb would be "too much"? The six bulb is wired with two bulbs on one cord, and 4 on the other, so do you think 2 acticnics would be ok with 4 daylight bulbs?
bill
 
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