New Nova Extreme Pro T5HO any good?

sherm71tank · 12/01/2007, 08:01 PM

The price is good, has individual reflectors and is fan cooled. Anyone?

luke33 · 12/01/2007, 08:16 PM

Well man, no body has really received one yet around here. There is one guy who should be getting one soon that also has a par meter on his way so hopefully soon we'll see some data. If i had to take a wild guess it'll be around the same as a tek. Its Ind ref don't look spectacular but the active cooling looks very good, which is what hurts the tek in performance. I think they will be good for pretty much everything but probably have to keep your sps up towards the middle or top. One thing i fine interesting is these look very similar to the catalina solar fixture's except you can get a 6x54 for around 225bux. They have active cooling and individual reflectors that are very similar. Not sure what ballast fire's the extreme pro? I do know the workhorse 5 fire's the catalina. I'm probably going to try the catalina out for the price.

sherm71tank · 12/01/2007, 08:31 PM

Do you have a link for the Catalina? I gotta tell ya. I had an 8 bulb Catalina t5 some time ago and while it was bright it was VERY VERY hot running and was very cheaply made. Also they claimed it had Workhorse ballasts but did not. Some offbrand china ballasts inside.

DarG · 12/01/2007, 09:08 PM

I wouldnt be surprised if all the ballasts were made in China for just about every companies products...

Anyway, the Nova fixtures are not really made too badly. Pretty heavy guage aluminum housing, the wiring is pretty neat. They are UL listed for those who care. The fans just tend to be noisier than alot of fans on some units in the past. The ones I have owned were quiet. Not sure about the fans these days. The old Novas were cooled pretty well and the Pros should be covered in that regard.

The ballasts are Sunpark. Dont seem to have many ballast complaints. They look as well made as anything else and very well may be ultimatley made by the same company as makes many of the other popular ballasts but that is just a guess. Same form factor as the Advance ballasts and others. There is nothing wrong with the ballasts.

I do not think that the Catalinas and the Novas are the same fixture. The Novas really are made pretty well.

DarG · 12/01/2007, 09:13 PM

I should mention that I think there are better options that the Nova fixtures if price isnt a concern. But the new Pro's may very well trun out to be a good deal. In the very least, the formed reflectors have to be a nice upgrade to the original reflector design. May not be as effective as a good, true individual but I'm guessing that it has to be atleast in between a flat and an individual if not closer to the individuals. But thats just a guess, somebody would have to do an actual comparison between the two types to see how they stack up.

sherm71tank · 12/01/2007, 09:17 PM

That's what has my curiosity up on them. They have individual reflectors. I had good luck with their pc fixtures and they have good customer service. One of the ballasts went out on a fixture I had that was several years old and it was replaced free of charge, I didn't even have to pay shipping on it.

luke33 · 12/01/2007, 09:27 PM

Dar, FWIW never said there the same, only similar reflectors.

luke33 · 12/01/2007, 09:30 PM

Here's the catalina, look decent for the price.

http://cgi.ebay.com/48-SOLAR-T5-AQUA...QQcmdZViewItem

sherm71tank · 12/01/2007, 09:38 PM

I looked up their homepage. The light looks just like the one I purchased a few years ago. They blatantly lied back then and looks like they still are. I'd skip it if I were you.

luke33 · 12/01/2007, 09:46 PM

Yea, i'll pry go with an IC retro......i've always wondered about them, never actually seen one.

sherm71tank · 12/01/2007, 09:56 PM

I'm not trying to be a hater ya know! I'm all for saving some money when you can but I went through two of the Catalina fixtures (one of which was defective on day one). I have an Odyssea hqi metal halide fixture myself! (though I replaced the mh ballasts with a pfo I got here on RC) and it's working great.

luke33 · 12/01/2007, 10:09 PM

I like moddin my skimmers, but not so much my lights! lol

sherm71tank · 12/01/2007, 10:10 PM

I hear ya Luke! I took a few years of electronics technology so I know my way around them wires a little!

DarG · 12/02/2007, 12:03 PM

Sorry, Luke, the reflectors. But I still not sure I see the similarity in that picture. The Catalina has clips on the lamps, I'm not sure why unless they are individual reflectors that clip on but it doesnt look like it.

Anyway, there are plenty of reefers (including members here) that kept thriving reefs under the old Nova Extremes (including sps) and I'm sure there will be plenty that do the same with the new Nova Extreme Pros, regardless of them not being the most efficient or the best fixtures money can buy. The price is attractive and the market is saturated with them.

siwelk · 12/02/2007, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by luke33
Well man, no body has really received one yet around here. There is one guy who should be getting one soon that also has a par meter on his way so hopefully soon we'll see some data. If i had to take a wild guess it'll be around the same as a tek. Its Ind ref don't look spectacular but the active cooling looks very good, which is what hurts the tek in performance. I think they will be good for pretty much everything but probably have to keep your sps up towards the middle or top. One thing i fine interesting is these look very similar to the catalina solar fixture's except you can get a 6x54 for around 225bux. They have active cooling and individual reflectors that are very similar. Not sure what ballast fire's the extreme pro? I do know the workhorse 5 fire's the catalina. I'm probably going to try the catalina out for the price.

i think youre probably talking about me. i ordered a Nova Extreme Pro 36" 6x39 fixture from drsfostersmith on 11/16. it was on backorder until 11/26, then they moved it to 12/3. then i got a call the other day from drsfostersmith saying that it got held up in customs and move the date to 12/10. im also planning on picking up an apogee par meter to do some testing as well. ill probably be upgrading to geismann and ati bulbs after about 6 months. this should give me a good comparison with the 6 bulb TEK fixture with the same bulbs.

sherm71tank · 12/02/2007, 02:06 PM

That would be great if you could post your findings and let us know.

siwelk · 12/02/2007, 02:14 PM

unfortunately i wont be setting my tank up for a good 8 months due to moving into a new house in august. so i wont be able to provide any results until then. theres another guy around here somewhere whos ordered one too, i cant remember his name but theres another nova pro thread around here somewhere, just search and youll find it im sure.

luke33 · 12/02/2007, 02:14 PM

Siwelk, your exactly who i was talkin about. I'll look forward to your findings. Thats a usual thing for it to get pushed back so many times. Its also a very frustrating thing.

siwelk · 12/02/2007, 02:18 PM

i know, tell me about it. if i wasnt piecing my system together over the next 6+ months id be pretty upset with the delay. even if i came today all i could do is set it on top of my empty tank next to a mag7 and ER CS5-2 (all my equipment gathered thus far). i look for the fixture to be a good investment for the price. hopefully in the meantime i can find a used par meter, otherwise a new one would end up costing me almost as much as the lights!

moprint · 12/08/2007, 10:58 AM

I just ordered the 48" from Foster & Smith. They are backordered till the 14th now. This replacing a Catalina 4x65 fixture. Nothing against the Catalina stuff just upgrading, maybe I should have got the Solar and saved $120. Just kinda weary about getting something from the first production run. I'll post pics and let you know what I think about it.

DarG · 12/08/2007, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by moprint
I just ordered the 48" from Foster & Smith. They are backordered till the 14th now. This replacing a Catalina 4x65 fixture. Nothing against the Catalina stuff just upgrading, maybe I should have got the Solar and saved $120. Just kinda weary about getting something from the first production run. I'll post pics and let you know what I think about it.

The only thing that will be changed of any signifigance is the reflectors themselves. I dont think there is any concern about any first run issues in the case of the Nova Extreme Pros.

catfisher · 12/08/2007, 01:00 PM

Catalina = Crap

I am very happy with my Current fixture, it is very well made.

mickeym · 12/08/2007, 02:42 PM

I just ordered the 48" From Foster & smith, and it was shipped out yesterday, in fact , it's in Fed Ex's hands now...

I wont be putting up the new tank until after Christmas Day.. SO I cant provide any help as to PAR values yet....

But they are shipping out!

moprint · 12/08/2007, 03:53 PM

Ok not to get too far off topic but does anybody know anyone that has a Catalina Solar like in the link above? I was debating between the two and the wife said either one was ok, my choice. I decided one the Current. Heck maybe I will order the Solar too and not tell her about it, that would go over like a ton of bricks lol.

DarG · 12/08/2007, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by moprint
Ok not to get too far off topic but does anybody know anyone that has a Catalina Solar like in the link above? I was debating between the two and the wife said either one was ok, my choice. I decided one the Current. Heck maybe I will order the Solar too and not tell her about it, that would go over like a ton of bricks lol.

I think you are better off with the Current without a doubt.
The Catalina has workhorse ballasts. The Current uses Sunpark branded ballasts but I have a feeling they are the same as the Advance ballasts which are the same as ...
The individual reflectors on the Catalina look to be an adverstising ploy more than anything. I cant see anything in the picture that suggests that these reflectors even come close to actually enveloping the bulbs. I cant even see any sides to them.
The fixture has 6 bulbs but is only 8 1/4" wide. The reflectors cant be wider than 1 inch each if that much. The Current USA isnt using a true individual reflector but atleast there is a channel for each bulb and you can see it in the picture. The reflectors extend up the side of the bulbs somewhat eventhough they dont completely envelop each bulb. The fixture is 12" wide so atleast the reflectors have some width to them instead of them completely smothering the bulbs (and the reflected light) as in the Catalina fixture.

While the Current USA Nova Extreme Pro has still clearly not optimized the fixtures with reflectors that reflect as much light as possible, everything that I see points to them being a signifigant improvement over the old Nova Extremes and a no brainer compared to the Catalina. I dont have to have owned the Catalina to know that reflectors that are 1" wide or less are not going to do a very effective job at all.

I think you made the right choice. I would buy an old Nova Extreme with the flat reflector design over the Catalina based on what I see in that link and the dimensions given (and the ballasts).

12/01/2007, 08:01 PM	#1
sherm71tank Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 3,670	New Nova Extreme Pro T5HO any good? The price is good, has individual reflectors and is fan cooled. Anyone?

12/08/2007, 01:00 PM	#22
catfisher Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 527	Catalina = Crap I am very happy with my Current fixture, it is very well made. __________________ Current Tank- 90 Gallon mixed reef, 20 Gallon Sump. Evergrow WiFi Black boxes, JBJ ATO, TLF Reactor w/GFO, Reef Octopus NWB110 Skimmer. Coral- Red Lobo, Orange Blast Acan, Frogspawn, Hammer, War, Ac

12/01/2007, 08:16 PM	#2
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	Well man, no body has really received one yet around here. There is one guy who should be getting one soon that also has a par meter on his way so hopefully soon we'll see some data. If i had to take a wild guess it'll be around the same as a tek. Its Ind ref don't look spectacular but the active cooling looks very good, which is what hurts the tek in performance. I think they will be good for pretty much everything but probably have to keep your sps up towards the middle or top. One thing i fine interesting is these look very similar to the catalina solar fixture's except you can get a 6x54 for around 225bux. They have active cooling and individual reflectors that are very similar. Not sure what ballast fire's the extreme pro? I do know the workhorse 5 fire's the catalina. I'm probably going to try the catalina out for the price.

12/01/2007, 08:31 PM	#3
sherm71tank Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 3,670	Do you have a link for the Catalina? I gotta tell ya. I had an 8 bulb Catalina t5 some time ago and while it was bright it was VERY VERY hot running and was very cheaply made. Also they claimed it had Workhorse ballasts but did not. Some offbrand china ballasts inside.

12/01/2007, 09:08 PM	#4
DarG Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 5,515	I wouldnt be surprised if all the ballasts were made in China for just about every companies products... Anyway, the Nova fixtures are not really made too badly. Pretty heavy guage aluminum housing, the wiring is pretty neat. They are UL listed for those who care. The fans just tend to be noisier than alot of fans on some units in the past. The ones I have owned were quiet. Not sure about the fans these days. The old Novas were cooled pretty well and the Pros should be covered in that regard. The ballasts are Sunpark. Dont seem to have many ballast complaints. They look as well made as anything else and very well may be ultimatley made by the same company as makes many of the other popular ballasts but that is just a guess. Same form factor as the Advance ballasts and others. There is nothing wrong with the ballasts. I do not think that the Catalinas and the Novas are the same fixture. The Novas really are made pretty well.

12/01/2007, 09:13 PM	#5
DarG Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 5,515	I should mention that I think there are better options that the Nova fixtures if price isnt a concern. But the new Pro's may very well trun out to be a good deal. In the very least, the formed reflectors have to be a nice upgrade to the original reflector design. May not be as effective as a good, true individual but I'm guessing that it has to be atleast in between a flat and an individual if not closer to the individuals. But thats just a guess, somebody would have to do an actual comparison between the two types to see how they stack up.

12/01/2007, 09:17 PM	#6
sherm71tank Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 3,670	That's what has my curiosity up on them. They have individual reflectors. I had good luck with their pc fixtures and they have good customer service. One of the ballasts went out on a fixture I had that was several years old and it was replaced free of charge, I didn't even have to pay shipping on it.

12/01/2007, 09:27 PM	#7
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	Dar, FWIW never said there the same, only similar reflectors.

12/01/2007, 09:30 PM	#8
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	Here's the catalina, look decent for the price. http://cgi.ebay.com/48-SOLAR-T5-AQUA...QQcmdZViewItem

12/01/2007, 09:38 PM	#9
sherm71tank Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 3,670	I looked up their homepage. The light looks just like the one I purchased a few years ago. They blatantly lied back then and looks like they still are. I'd skip it if I were you.

12/01/2007, 09:46 PM	#10
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	Yea, i'll pry go with an IC retro......i've always wondered about them, never actually seen one.

12/01/2007, 09:56 PM	#11
sherm71tank Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 3,670	I'm not trying to be a hater ya know! I'm all for saving some money when you can but I went through two of the Catalina fixtures (one of which was defective on day one). I have an Odyssea hqi metal halide fixture myself! (though I replaced the mh ballasts with a pfo I got here on RC) and it's working great.

12/01/2007, 10:09 PM	#12
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	I like moddin my skimmers, but not so much my lights! lol

12/01/2007, 10:10 PM	#13
sherm71tank Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 3,670	I hear ya Luke! I took a few years of electronics technology so I know my way around them wires a little!

12/02/2007, 12:03 PM	#14
DarG Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 5,515	Sorry, Luke, the reflectors. But I still not sure I see the similarity in that picture. The Catalina has clips on the lamps, I'm not sure why unless they are individual reflectors that clip on but it doesnt look like it. Anyway, there are plenty of reefers (including members here) that kept thriving reefs under the old Nova Extremes (including sps) and I'm sure there will be plenty that do the same with the new Nova Extreme Pros, regardless of them not being the most efficient or the best fixtures money can buy. The price is attractive and the market is saturated with them.

12/02/2007, 02:06 PM	#16
sherm71tank Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 3,670	That would be great if you could post your findings and let us know.

12/02/2007, 02:14 PM	#17
siwelk Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 422	unfortunately i wont be setting my tank up for a good 8 months due to moving into a new house in august. so i wont be able to provide any results until then. theres another guy around here somewhere whos ordered one too, i cant remember his name but theres another nova pro thread around here somewhere, just search and youll find it im sure.

12/02/2007, 02:18 PM	#19
siwelk Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 422	i know, tell me about it. if i wasnt piecing my system together over the next 6+ months id be pretty upset with the delay. even if i came today all i could do is set it on top of my empty tank next to a mag7 and ER CS5-2 (all my equipment gathered thus far). i look for the fixture to be a good investment for the price. hopefully in the meantime i can find a used par meter, otherwise a new one would end up costing me almost as much as the lights!

12/08/2007, 10:58 AM	#20
moprint Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: MO Posts: 270	I just ordered the 48" from Foster & Smith. They are backordered till the 14th now. This replacing a Catalina 4x65 fixture. Nothing against the Catalina stuff just upgrading, maybe I should have got the Solar and saved $120. Just kinda weary about getting something from the first production run. I'll post pics and let you know what I think about it.

12/08/2007, 02:42 PM	#23
mickeym Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Fairport Posts: 98	I just ordered the 48" From Foster & smith, and it was shipped out yesterday, in fact , it's in Fed Ex's hands now... I wont be putting up the new tank until after Christmas Day.. SO I cant provide any help as to PAR values yet.... But they are shipping out!

12/08/2007, 03:53 PM	#24
moprint Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: MO Posts: 270	Ok not to get too far off topic but does anybody know anyone that has a Catalina Solar like in the link above? I was debating between the two and the wife said either one was ok, my choice. I decided one the Current. Heck maybe I will order the Solar too and not tell her about it, that would go over like a ton of bricks lol.