t5 for 90-100 gal?

[luke33]

T5 is not about the shape. T5 is about the diameter. All fluorescent bulbs have a number, this number is an 8th of an inch. T5s are 5/8" in diameter. T5HO are 5/8" of an inch, High Output bulbs. Because of their small diameter, more can be fit into a given area. Given individual reflectors, they are VERY intense and give out high PAR readings. As Luke said, they can be overdriven by an Icecap ballast, which will produce even more PAR, but shorten the life of the bulb slightly. Cooling the bulbs, by blowing a fan across the "labeled" ends will also produce more PAR. Another huge advantage of T5HO lighting is the color assortment that's available. You can make slight adjustments to color by mixing different bulbs, to get the color you like.

Totally agree about the color assortment. And imo mh's can't come close in the blue like t5's, especially when it comes to intensity and par.

 

[dailydriven911]

Thanks guys for the input! I guess I really like the fact that they incorporate the leds with the t-5's. I might still give this light a try... Thanks Kerry for the suggestions. I like the current setup but like I said I really like the leds as well.

 

[dailydriven911]

Not fantastic but for a 40g you should be ok. The individual reflectors reflect alot more light and really up the par. This is a must for the taller tanks. The 40g is a short tank so you will be ok imo. I'd still suggest one of the lower end fixture's with individual reflectors though. Like the tek or current nova pro. They will be a much better fixture. It all depends on what you want to keep.

Are those not indvidual reflectors? It looks to me that each bulb has it's own reflector...:?:

 

[tylert]

What is a PAR reading? Well I guess my question was about lumens then not watts. Would a 6 bulb fixture generate enough lumens toward the bottom of the tank for my 90? And I am deffinately getting IR's for the bulbs. Thanks for all the help so far guys!!

And I'm not a doctor or anything, but isn't diameter part of the shape? lol j/k

 

[tylert]

Thanks guys for the input! I guess I really like the fact that they incorporate the leds with the t-5's. I might still give this light a try... Thanks Kerry for the suggestions. I like the current setup but like I said I really like the leds as well.

you can always retro fit leds in your hood, or even put them in the fixture itself

 

[tylert]

GotFish, that site was really helpful. It seems like it's not quite finished though, there was nothing for the Do it Yourself or the Retro section

 

[tylert]

Is this a good fixture? It has Individual Reflectors, LEDs, splash guard etc. No fan but I can just add one, and I can change the bulbs to my liking.

http://www.customaquatic.com/estore/control/product/~product=LT-CVCV-T5FIX6-4

Let me know what you think guys

 

[dailydriven911]

What is a PAR reading? Well I guess my question was about lumens then not watts. Would a 6 bulb fixture generate enough lumens toward the bottom of the tank for my 90? And I am deffinately getting IR's for the bulbs. Thanks for all the help so far guys!!

And I'm not a doctor or anything, but isn't diameter part of the shape? lol j/k

Yes but I'm to lazy...sorry for the thread hi jack bro

 

[gotfish]

Tyler, from doing a little research I couldn't find any direct reviews of that fixture, but in the past Coralvue has had some issues with customer service. To the point that vendors stopped selling their equipment. Also, it seems the quality of the retro kits and bulbs is well below average so I'm assuming it would be the same for this fixture. Seeing as how it's pretty cheap as well, you always get what you pay for.

If you don't mind the having a fan, get the Tek fixture. It is a bit spendier, but you'll be able to keep basically anything you want. If you can't afford the Tek, get yourself the Nova extreme pro. Change out the bulbs when you can afford it and you'll be happy.

 

[luke33]

The coralvue, swc, current nova pro and catalina fixtures all seem to have the same reflectors in them. They all seem very similar. They are definately the cheapest out there but they are not as nice as the tek's, aquacintics, icecap. And the geisman's and ati powermodule's seem to be the best out there.

No the finex's don't have IR's.

 

[Saltyfish]

I'm also looking to go t-5's for a 40b. What do you think of this fixture? 4x39w & 1wx15 led okay on a 40b? I'm a newbie when it comes to t-5's...:lol:

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/aquatic-supplies/Finnex-T5.html

If you are willing to spend that kind of money you should really look at these. I got them and they are AWESOME

http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/Sunlight_Supply/Tek_Light_Fixtures/

 

[luke33]

No disrespect Saltyfish but i'd get a nova pro, cv, swc before i'd buy the tek. I just can't stand the rusting reflectors which discolor after time and the no active cooling. And the price is nearly double. If you are willing to spend that much then get an aquacintics fixture.

 

[Saltyfish]

hey there was none taken. I can only stand by what I have used, if you know of something better then I think we are all open to take a look at it. Isn't what this board is about. Reefers helping others...

I wouldn't mind seeing what you are talking about, got a link?

 

[tylert]

I can get a used aquactinics for $200 but it's the Tx5 and only has 5 bulbs and it's about 8 inches wide, is that enough coverage for me?

 

[luke33]

Thats a very good price, but i would't throw it on over a 75g as its not going to cover enough of a tank wider than that.

Saltyfish, here's the aquacintics. They all have active cooling and better reflectors than the tek's. The tek's are created for horticulture and the reflectors are going to spread the light out better to the sides. The aquactinics, IC, ATI were made for reef's and are a more direct light meaning more focus'd towards the bottom, so they penetrate the water better. They can all keep sps though : )

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=Aquactinics

 

[Bouzouki]

Here is a reading of how much they put out at different depth. They compare to pc. I found this info after looking many places. Hope it is usefull to someone.

Yes it is from a different forum
http://www.aquariumpros.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=23934

 

[returnofsid]

LOL I had to check out that link because I thought you were claiming that T5HO compare to PCs, when there's no comparison at all!! Then I see from the link that the PAR comparison was done, comparing T5HO and PC. Cleared it up.

 

[tylert]

Hey Luke, Earlier you said that nova pro was one of the cheaper fixtures out there, not as good as the tek. But the you just told gotfish that you would rather go with a nova pro over a tek cause it has cooling and doesn't rust. So which is it?

 

[returnofsid]

IMO, Tek is in the top 3. ATI being number 1. The only reason I wouldn't place Tek as number 1 is because of it's lack of a fan, though the fixture runs fairly cool. I can place my hand on the bulbs, after being on all day, and there's hardly any heat at all. A fan would improve the life of the bulbs and PAR slightly though.

I've heard a lot of mixed reviews about the Nova Pro, some saying it's better, some saying it's not as good.

Here's a thread that is about the best T5 thread I've read. However, good luck finding the beginning of it...lol. It's been split so many times that it'll take you awhile to find the beginning. In the past week, the thread has talked, pretty extensively, about T5HO fixtures.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1580726

 

[luke33]

Hey Luke, Earlier you said that nova pro was one of the cheaper fixtures out there, not as good as the tek. But the you just told gotfish that you would rather go with a nova pro over a tek cause it has cooling and doesn't rust. So which is it?

The tek has better reflectors and better par overall. The pro is close behind but the reflectors are not as nice. It does have active heating and some nice options on it though. Its also much cheaper so in a pound for pound i'd take the pro over it........if i were spending the cash. If i had the two to choose from for free i'd take the tek. But if i had to choose for free i'd take the ATI, fauna marin, geisman, aquacintics over the tek. Then the nova pro, then swc/cv, then catalina. Then i'd look at the finnex and odyssea : )