Help choose ATI fixture

jauld · 01/08/2015, 09:28 AM

Hey guys,

Im in the market for a light. Im not too happy with the LED lighting options available for my dimensions - great spread = multiple fixtures = big money.

I have the new Innovative Marine Fusion 30 long all in one aquarium. Overall dimensions are: 35.5" x 15" x 13". display dimensions are: 35.5" x 10.5" x 13"

My predicament is this - I really want the 6 x 39 watt ATI sunpower fixture for the spectrum options, but the dimensions of the fixture are: 35.0" x 13.4" x 2.1", which is nearly 3" wider than my display (10.5" display). This means wasted light (technically it will be lighting my rear chambers of the AIO). The 4 x 39 watt ATI sunpower dimensions are: 35.0" x 9.4" x 2.1", which would look to be a perfect fit over the display of this tank, however im missing 2 bulb slots, limiting spectrum combos.

No matter what option, the light will look to fit over the tank as the overall tank dimensions with the AIO are 15" wide - Im just not sure if its worth it.

What would RC do?

(All above dims are in L x W x H)

JP Reef · 01/08/2015, 09:54 AM

What do you plan on having in the tank? That is going to determine the light requirements. I am not sure the extra 2 bulbs are going to do anything for you.

jauld · 01/08/2015, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JP Reef

What do you plan on having in the tank? That is going to determine the light requirements. I am not sure the extra 2 bulbs are going to do anything for you.

Its a mixed reef, but planning to go predominantly sps.

I think with the 6 bulb, most of the light will be above the display. The dimensions listed above for the ATI fixtures include the housing width, not the actual interior bulb width - my best guess for that would be maybe -1", making the 6 bulb closer to 12", which would only be 1.5" over the full width of the display.

That said, the 4 bulb would be a perfect fit over this display, and if the 4 bulb will be enough for a 13" deep tank to hold any SPS my heart desires, that would probably be the way to go.

Thanks for your reply.

Cysco · 01/08/2015, 10:11 AM

On that tank just run the 4 bulb with 2 Coral+ and 2 Blue + bulbs. Spectrum and intensity should be fine.

You could always tweek the combo to say 2 Coral+, 1 Blue+, 1 Actinic if you were striving for lower light for LPS etc.

You could also swap the Coral+ for Aqua Blue Special bulb if you didn't like the pink'ish tone the Coral+ will provide.

4 bulb will have PLENTY of intensity for a tank that shallow.

ghostman · 01/08/2015, 01:28 PM

+1 to the above. If you think that 4 lights will be weak, maybe you could bump it up a bit with a Powermodule as they give a small percentage more light than a Sunpower.

jauld · 01/08/2015, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghostman

+1 to the above. If you think that 4 lights will be weak, maybe you could bump it up a bit with a Powermodule as they give a small percentage more light than a Sunpower.

Correct me if im wrong, but I dont think ATI offers a powermodule without LED's? The only fixtures I see available from ATI on the major online retailers websites are Sunpower, Sunpower dimmable, and Powermodule with 75w LED clusters (big $$).

So far im leaning towards the 4x39 watt dimmable - I appreciate all of the input and suggestions so far - thanks!

Cysco · 01/08/2015, 04:56 PM

IMO don't worry about spending the $$$ on the powermodule, unless you have it to burn.

For a tank that size it will be serious overkill.

ghostman · 01/08/2015, 05:47 PM

You are correct, Powermodule would have to be used. IIRC, they put out an additional 10% more light. That's not much to me and probably not needed for your setup.

moondoggy4 · 01/08/2015, 08:19 PM

Don't get a dimmable unit.

Tron_954 · 01/08/2015, 11:29 PM

I have a 4 bulb, wish i would have gotten a 6. feeling the sps would love the extra oomph I'm missing perhaps...

Cysco · 01/09/2015, 06:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tron_954

I have a 4 bulb, wish i would have gotten a 6. feeling the sps would love the extra oomph I'm missing perhaps...

2 of the bulbs will be hanging over the AIO chambers so I'm not sure it will make a difference in this case. 4 bulb unit will he plenty of par for a 13" deep tank.

Mark426 · 01/09/2015, 10:33 AM

I had the same dilemma. My tank is long and low, similar to yours and 6 lamps would hang over the edges of the tank. I ended up with a 4 lamp dimmable (which I love and has worked flawlessly for 8 months). My all acro tank is doing great using two blue+ and 2 coral+. I do miss the option of having two more lamps to tweek the color but I think thats just the "grass is greener" thinking. I wouldnt want any light getting in to the back chambers unless you want to grow load of junk back there. Most people try to blackout the rear as much as possible.

Mark

p.s. Check out my PAR readings in this thread: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...t=par&page=526 Look about half way down on page 526.

joshky · 01/09/2015, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moondoggy4

Don't get a dimmable unit.

Why not? I'm in the market for an ATI myself.

jauld · 01/09/2015, 01:12 PM

thank you guys for all the insight and tips - it is greatly appreciated. I just placed my order with MD (they had a 10% sale on all T5 fixtures and bulbs that ends tonight). I ended up going with the 4 x 39 dimmable sunpower, 2 C+ 3 B+ in case I want to switch things up a bit. I should have the light next week.

Now i just have to figure out how to hang this thing

Tron_954 · 01/09/2015, 01:16 PM

L-Brackets... cost efficient and easy!

Brackets by J.L Photography, on Flickr

Bracket Remount by J.L Photography, on Flickr

jauld · 01/09/2015, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tron_954

L-Brackets... cost efficient and easy!

Brackets by J.L Photography, on Flickr

Bracket Remount by J.L Photography, on Flickr

I actually looked through your thread after you posted, since our setups are very similar

. I like what you did there for sure, but the wife isnt really on board with me hanging from the roof or drilling in the wall above the tank. I think she wants to put a picture there or something? I did a lot of research on this already - I settled on bent conduit. Should be a fun DIY. On top of that, I read that ATI will be releasing legs for all the sunpower and powermodule fixtures by the end of Q1 - dont quote me on that, I'll have to do some digging to find where I read it if there is interest.

Your tank looks great by the way!

Tron_954 · 01/09/2015, 02:09 PM

Pffft, bent conduit is so hideous....

and for the record, she wants to hang a picture above? and afraid of holes? so is my wife... check this out...

old holes vs new holes...

Bracket Remount by J.L Photography, on Flickr

what old holes....

Bracket Remount by J.L Photography, on Flickr

voila with frame above
don't mind the tank, this is when CAD Lights sent me their new 34g to try...
notice the giant artwork above the tank...

Cad Lights 34g Mini-II by J.L Photography, on Flickr

conduit will just take away from the clean look your going for lol

Just show your wife these pictures.... shell be happy

jauld · 01/09/2015, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tron_954

Pffft, bent conduit is so hideous....

and for the record, she wants to hang a picture above? and afraid of holes? so is my wife... check this out...

old holes vs new holes...

Bracket Remount by J.L Photography, on Flickr

what old holes....

Bracket Remount by J.L Photography, on Flickr

voila with frame above
don't mind the tank, this is when CAD Lights sent me their new 34g to try...
notice the giant artwork above the tank...

Cad Lights 34g Mini-II by J.L Photography, on Flickr

conduit will just take away from the clean, not ugly look your going for lol

No question your setup is nice and very clean.

Another thing with your setup vs mine is that my tank is a few inches off the wall in the back due to my HOB skimmer. Those brackets would have to reach out at least 12-13" - 4" for the wall to the tank, 4" over the AIO compartments, then about 5 more inches to be dead center over the middle of the display.

Personally I don't think this looks bad at all. definitely still clean:

Tron_954 · 01/09/2015, 02:20 PM

Good luck sir! Im sure it'll be great either way.

Mark426 · 01/09/2015, 04:27 PM

Hang if from the ceiling as it is designed. 2 small holes that are easy to patch if you change location or fixtures. IMO...its the least intrusive/cleanest look you can get. Still can hang the picture above the tank and the thin wires will not really be noticeable. To my eye, brackets look so ghetto (unless you are a master metal worker and artist combined).

jauld · 01/17/2015, 01:03 PM

all done. Thanks again everyone - perfect light for the tank, couldnt be happier:

Now I just need to figure out how to take clear pictures....any tips?

joshky · 01/17/2015, 01:14 PM

Seems really close to the tank, I would raise it some personally.

Play with your white balance and ISO to get better pictures.

jauld · 01/17/2015, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joshky

Seems really close to the tank, I would raise it some personally.

Play with your white balance and ISO to get better pictures.

I agree its a bit close. But, the intensity is dimmable, and I can rotate the fixture backward to get inside the tank easily. Also, the arms holding the fixture are set, raising them would not be an easy task at this point. I will say that at its current height, light spillage is pretty much a non-issue

Thanks - looking into the ISO now

chadfarmer · 01/17/2015, 04:26 PM

I run 3 foot fixtures over my 4 foot tanks lots of light spill on the sides

biecacka · 01/18/2015, 03:05 PM

I was thinking about ati fixture for my tank. It's 48/48/24 inches. Seems most larger units 10-12 bulbs are harder to find. I could go with separate units I guess or leds. Which is probably the route I'll go but these ATI fixtures look great

Corey

01/08/2015, 09:28 AM	#1
jauld Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 194	Help choose ATI fixture Hey guys, Im in the market for a light. Im not too happy with the LED lighting options available for my dimensions - great spread = multiple fixtures = big money. I have the new Innovative Marine Fusion 30 long all in one aquarium. Overall dimensions are: 35.5" x 15" x 13". display dimensions are: 35.5" x 10.5" x 13" My predicament is this - I really want the 6 x 39 watt ATI sunpower fixture for the spectrum options, but the dimensions of the fixture are: 35.0" x 13.4" x 2.1", which is nearly 3" wider than my display (10.5" display). This means wasted light (technically it will be lighting my rear chambers of the AIO). The 4 x 39 watt ATI sunpower dimensions are: 35.0" x 9.4" x 2.1", which would look to be a perfect fit over the display of this tank, however im missing 2 bulb slots, limiting spectrum combos. No matter what option, the light will look to fit over the tank as the overall tank dimensions with the AIO are 15" wide - Im just not sure if its worth it. What would RC do? (All above dims are in L x W x H)

01/08/2015, 01:28 PM	#5
ghostman Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Spring Hill, Florida Posts: 1,629	+1 to the above. If you think that 4 lights will be weak, maybe you could bump it up a bit with a Powermodule as they give a small percentage more light than a Sunpower. __________________ When you die, you don't know you're dead. It's only difficult for the people around you. It's the same when you're stupid. Current Tank Info: 40IM Fusion, 40lbs of rock, and 20lbs of sand. Just a few fish and corals....for now.

01/08/2015, 05:47 PM	#8
ghostman Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Spring Hill, Florida Posts: 1,629	You are correct, Powermodule would have to be used. IIRC, they put out an additional 10% more light. That's not much to me and probably not needed for your setup. __________________ When you die, you don't know you're dead. It's only difficult for the people around you. It's the same when you're stupid. Current Tank Info: 40IM Fusion, 40lbs of rock, and 20lbs of sand. Just a few fish and corals....for now.

01/09/2015, 01:16 PM	#15
Tron_954 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Ft. Lauderdale, FL Posts: 940	L-Brackets... cost efficient and easy! Brackets by J.L Photography, on Flickr Bracket Remount by J.L Photography, on Flickr Bracket Remount by J.L Photography, on Flickr

01/09/2015, 02:09 PM	#17
Tron_954 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Ft. Lauderdale, FL Posts: 940	Pffft, bent conduit is so hideous.... and for the record, she wants to hang a picture above? and afraid of holes? so is my wife... check this out... old holes vs new holes... Bracket Remount by J.L Photography, on Flickr what old holes.... Bracket Remount by J.L Photography, on Flickr voila with frame above don't mind the tank, this is when CAD Lights sent me their new 34g to try... notice the giant artwork above the tank... Cad Lights 34g Mini-II by J.L Photography, on Flickr conduit will just take away from the clean look your going for lol Just show your wife these pictures.... shell be happy Last edited by Tron_954; 01/09/2015 at 02:19 PM.

01/08/2015, 09:54 AM	#2
JP Reef Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Greensburg, PA Posts: 207	What do you plan on having in the tank? That is going to determine the light requirements. I am not sure the extra 2 bulbs are going to do anything for you.

01/08/2015, 10:11 AM	#4
Cysco Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 45	On that tank just run the 4 bulb with 2 Coral+ and 2 Blue + bulbs. Spectrum and intensity should be fine. You could always tweek the combo to say 2 Coral+, 1 Blue+, 1 Actinic if you were striving for lower light for LPS etc. You could also swap the Coral+ for Aqua Blue Special bulb if you didn't like the pink'ish tone the Coral+ will provide. 4 bulb will have PLENTY of intensity for a tank that shallow.

01/08/2015, 04:56 PM	#7
Cysco Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 45	IMO don't worry about spending the $$$ on the powermodule, unless you have it to burn. For a tank that size it will be serious overkill.

01/08/2015, 08:19 PM	#9
moondoggy4 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: menifee So cal Posts: 11,042	Don't get a dimmable unit.

01/08/2015, 11:29 PM	#10
Tron_954 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Ft. Lauderdale, FL Posts: 940	I have a 4 bulb, wish i would have gotten a 6. feeling the sps would love the extra oomph I'm missing perhaps...

01/09/2015, 10:33 AM	#12
Mark426 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: South Carolina Posts: 2,479	I had the same dilemma. My tank is long and low, similar to yours and 6 lamps would hang over the edges of the tank. I ended up with a 4 lamp dimmable (which I love and has worked flawlessly for 8 months). My all acro tank is doing great using two blue+ and 2 coral+. I do miss the option of having two more lamps to tweek the color but I think thats just the "grass is greener" thinking. I wouldnt want any light getting in to the back chambers unless you want to grow load of junk back there. Most people try to blackout the rear as much as possible. Mark p.s. Check out my PAR readings in this thread: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...t=par&page=526 Look about half way down on page 526.

01/09/2015, 01:12 PM	#14
jauld Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 194	thank you guys for all the insight and tips - it is greatly appreciated. I just placed my order with MD (they had a 10% sale on all T5 fixtures and bulbs that ends tonight). I ended up going with the 4 x 39 dimmable sunpower, 2 C+ 3 B+ in case I want to switch things up a bit. I should have the light next week. Now i just have to figure out how to hang this thing

01/09/2015, 02:20 PM	#19
Tron_954 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Ft. Lauderdale, FL Posts: 940	Good luck sir! Im sure it'll be great either way.

01/09/2015, 04:27 PM	#20
Mark426 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: South Carolina Posts: 2,479	Hang if from the ceiling as it is designed. 2 small holes that are easy to patch if you change location or fixtures. IMO...its the least intrusive/cleanest look you can get. Still can hang the picture above the tank and the thin wires will not really be noticeable. To my eye, brackets look so ghetto (unless you are a master metal worker and artist combined).

01/17/2015, 01:03 PM	#21
jauld Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 194	all done. Thanks again everyone - perfect light for the tank, couldnt be happier: Now I just need to figure out how to take clear pictures....any tips?

01/17/2015, 01:14 PM	#22
joshky Acros & Wrasses Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Central KY Posts: 2,546	Seems really close to the tank, I would raise it some personally. Play with your white balance and ISO to get better pictures. __________________ Josh My 80g: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2677031

01/17/2015, 04:26 PM	#24
chadfarmer Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: ST Charles, MO far from nanook Posts: 11,045 Blog Entries: 1	I run 3 foot fixtures over my 4 foot tanks lots of light spill on the sides __________________ If you think you know the answer than ask 3 more people the question Current Tank Info: 200 Gal RR,ATB medium, 4 AI blue sol,230 LBS LIVE ROCK, no sand , 40 GAL sump, airstar1800, 3 tunze 6105 1- 6205 1-6305, Geo 818, profilux3ex with toys

01/18/2015, 03:05 PM	#25
biecacka Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Columbus Ohio Posts: 6,361	I was thinking about ati fixture for my tank. It's 48/48/24 inches. Seems most larger units 10-12 bulbs are harder to find. I could go with separate units I guess or leds. Which is probably the route I'll go but these ATI fixtures look great Corey