attractive t5 fixture for 6 foot tank

lastlight · 07/10/2008, 02:11 PM

Hello,

In my search for a suitable fixture/fixtures to light my 6L x2.5W x 2H reef I'm finding nothing but frustration. I would like a good looking fixture for my open top tank.

It has to be actually available somewhere and be supported should I have problems.

Fixtures I like are the ATI Powermodule, Sfiligoi Stealth and Giesemann Matrix. Are there any others in this league? looks like Grotech's Photon isn't mentioned on their own site?

None of these are available anywhere from what I can tell and I'm thinking maybe trusty old metal halides are still the way to go.

I'm not opposed to retro-fitting a floating canopy and would like to know what combination of ballast, reflector etc is going to match the ATI. How can i cool such a setup so the bulbs are brighter etc?

Thanks,

Brett

FishTruck · 07/10/2008, 02:44 PM

Look at Aquarium Obsessed for the Sfiligoi stuff. It ships from Canada and can take awhile though.

Jflip2002 · 07/10/2008, 08:56 PM

The aquaphotons are on aquariumspecialty's website. 6' fixture with 12 bulbs for a little under $2k. PFO has their Solaris thats 6' also, on top of the already mentioned fixtures.

mcliffy2 · 07/10/2008, 10:22 PM

IMO a 6' fixture is a waste on a 6 ft. tank, get a 5 ft (w/ 80w bulbs) and you'll have plenty of coverage. I have the 4' stealth and its awesome, but I know there have been ballast issues with the 5' stealth in the past, not sure if they have been corrected. I remember reading aquatinics was thinking about a 5' unit, might check over on their forum and see if there is any word on this.

lastlight · 07/10/2008, 11:56 PM

Hmmm...I was actually wondering about using a 5 foot fixture! I'm doing 2 big rock piles with plenty of space around them so 6" of light falloff on the ends is totally fine with me and the lower light corals i toss there.

What is the width of your 12 bulb Stealth? I don't think it'd fit over a 30" wide tank.

lastlight · 07/11/2008, 12:03 AM

nevermind yours is 4 foot.

How many bulbs should i use front to back across 30" I'm thinking 8 or 10 should be ok.

And Is there no selection for 80w bulbs? I'm not seeing too much...

Jflip2002 · 07/11/2008, 12:07 AM

You wont notice a 6" shortage on each side, with T5s, since the spread is so broad. 5' would definitely open your options on fixtures. check and see who has what for sale, if you find a nice deal on a 6' fixture, it sure wouldnt hurt.

lastlight · 07/11/2008, 01:25 AM

I'm going to do retro-fit I've decided.

The tank is 30" front to back. How many bulbs are ideal if I use the Icecap/SLR vho retro kits from reefgeek?

It seems that a 660 can power 3 of the 60" bulbs overdriven. It would seem smart to me to buy 3 of reefgeeks 60" 3x80W SLR T5 Very High-Output Retrofit Kit w/ Bulbs

total of 9 bulbs and just 3 ballasts. sound good for an lps/sps reef?

MO Will · 09/03/2008, 05:42 AM

Lastlight - any update? What did you decide to do?

07/10/2008, 02:11 PM	#1
lastlight Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: calgary, alberta Posts: 422	attractive t5 fixture for 6 foot tank Hello, In my search for a suitable fixture/fixtures to light my 6L x2.5W x 2H reef I'm finding nothing but frustration. I would like a good looking fixture for my open top tank. It has to be actually available somewhere and be supported should I have problems. Fixtures I like are the ATI Powermodule, Sfiligoi Stealth and Giesemann Matrix. Are there any others in this league? looks like Grotech's Photon isn't mentioned on their own site? None of these are available anywhere from what I can tell and I'm thinking maybe trusty old metal halides are still the way to go. I'm not opposed to retro-fitting a floating canopy and would like to know what combination of ballast, reflector etc is going to match the ATI. How can i cool such a setup so the bulbs are brighter etc? Thanks, Brett

07/10/2008, 02:44 PM	#2
FishTruck Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Downers Grove, IL Posts: 805	Look at Aquarium Obsessed for the Sfiligoi stuff. It ships from Canada and can take awhile though. __________________ Department of Redundancy Department. Current Tank Info: Established 2009 - 300 gal acrylic mostly sps, radion LEDs

07/10/2008, 08:56 PM	#3
Jflip2002 Eagles & Tigers Fan Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 3,543	The aquaphotons are on aquariumspecialty's website. 6' fixture with 12 bulbs for a little under $2k. PFO has their Solaris thats 6' also, on top of the already mentioned fixtures. __________________ I hate cheap powerheads. Current Tank Info: 40g Breeder

07/10/2008, 10:22 PM	#4
mcliffy2 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Downtown Chicago Posts: 4,093	IMO a 6' fixture is a waste on a 6 ft. tank, get a 5 ft (w/ 80w bulbs) and you'll have plenty of coverage. I have the 4' stealth and its awesome, but I know there have been ballast issues with the 5' stealth in the past, not sure if they have been corrected. I remember reading aquatinics was thinking about a 5' unit, might check over on their forum and see if there is any word on this. __________________ 238g 60x36x26, 100g sump/fuge, 30g frag, 23g skimmer sump, 4 Vortechs, ATB L, Sfiligoi 12x54w T5 Bulb Combo: Super actinic, 6 Blue Plus/AS 22k, Fiji Purple, 2 Aquablue special, 2 Aquascience Duo

07/10/2008, 11:56 PM	#5
lastlight Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: calgary, alberta Posts: 422	Hmmm...I was actually wondering about using a 5 foot fixture! I'm doing 2 big rock piles with plenty of space around them so 6" of light falloff on the ends is totally fine with me and the lower light corals i toss there. What is the width of your 12 bulb Stealth? I don't think it'd fit over a 30" wide tank. __________________ Brett

07/11/2008, 12:03 AM	#6
lastlight Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: calgary, alberta Posts: 422	nevermind yours is 4 foot. How many bulbs should i use front to back across 30" I'm thinking 8 or 10 should be ok. And Is there no selection for 80w bulbs? I'm not seeing too much...

07/11/2008, 12:07 AM	#7
Jflip2002 Eagles & Tigers Fan Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 3,543	You wont notice a 6" shortage on each side, with T5s, since the spread is so broad. 5' would definitely open your options on fixtures. check and see who has what for sale, if you find a nice deal on a 6' fixture, it sure wouldnt hurt. __________________ I hate cheap powerheads. Current Tank Info: 40g Breeder

07/11/2008, 01:25 AM	#8
lastlight Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: calgary, alberta Posts: 422	I'm going to do retro-fit I've decided. The tank is 30" front to back. How many bulbs are ideal if I use the Icecap/SLR vho retro kits from reefgeek? It seems that a 660 can power 3 of the 60" bulbs overdriven. It would seem smart to me to buy 3 of reefgeeks 60" 3x80W SLR T5 Very High-Output Retrofit Kit w/ Bulbs total of 9 bulbs and just 3 ballasts. sound good for an lps/sps reef? Last edited by lastlight; 07/11/2008 at 01:30 AM.

09/03/2008, 05:42 AM	#9
MO Will Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Saint Louis Posts: 444	Lastlight - any update? What did you decide to do?