ATl 4x39w for 50g Tank?

[huskysglare1]

WlLL thls be sufficient for my 50g tank 24"(28 w/ canopy) x 36"wide x 16" +20g Sump Reef? l am plannlng to keep SPS, LPS, Softles, ln short, everythlng and anythlng. WlLL the ATl 4x39W be enough? l am plannlng to cut a hole through the canopy and place the Llght on top wlthout brackets. the 4 bulbs are 509 the 6 bulbs are 740. 6 bulbs are pretty much out of my budget range.

Any thoughts?

http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_...dule_Fixtures/

[Capt_Cully]

I'm using a 4x39watt over a 25 inch deep 70. I'm keeping a clam happy. I don't have any SPS, but LPS and softies are doing very well.

[huskysglare1]

does SPS need more Llghts than LPS?

[huskysglare1]

anyone knows lf SPS wlLL be flne?

[xenon]

Originally posted by huskysglare1
does SPS need more Llghts than LPS?

Yes they do.

Most people keep their SPS corals mounted on the top of their rocks.

[silverwolf72]

if you have a canopy go with a retro that will save you a ton. Keep the SPS up top and you should be ok, 6-8 bulbs would be more of what your looking for though if you plan on the higher light demanding SPS

[pledosophy]

I keep SPS in the first 12 inches of my water column with a 4 bulb 39W tek T5 fixture. I see no reason why you could not do it with the ATI.

JME

[Mark426]

You should be good. Might want to take a peek at the Aquactinics, gives you 5 lamps which is really a help in getting the colors right. I was in the same boat as you and couldnt decide between the two. Went with the Aquactinics and couldnt be happier (and saved money). I installed mine the same way as your going to do.

Mark

p.s. The ATI is one nice looking fixture though.

[huskysglare1]

Grlmreeper dld a test and found that 4bulbs aquactlncs outputs 194 par whlLe 4bulbs ATl Glves 309 par. so, wlth 5 bulbs aquactlnlcs only glves 240lsh par vs 309 ATl. does that mean ATl ls more powerful, and therefore, better?

[hahnmeister]

Originally posted by huskysglare1
does SPS need more Llghts than LPS?

Depends on the species, but for the most part, yes. There are exceptions though... like a Galaxea, which is a LPS, and loves ALOT of light... and then a deepwater acro, like a suharsonoi, which doesn't like ALOT of light compared to most acros.

I would suggest a 6 bulb Powermodul over the 4 bulb for a 50g. 4 is cutting it close unless all you plan on using for bulbs is 2x 6500K and 2x blue+... a very 'daylight' combo for max output. If you like a slightly bluer tank, I would stick to 6 bulbs though, so you can use aquablue bulbs and actinics.

[huskysglare1]

lsn't 4x39w ATl better than 5x39w Aquactlnlcs?

[huskysglare1]

does anyone have ATl 4x39W for thelr Tank 36" tank? can you tell me the results?

[nikon187]

ATI is the most powerful T5 unit out there ATM. They are worth every penny and the long wait. I agree 4 will probably be allright but depending on what colour tank you like you may not be able to achieve it with just 4 bulbs. 6 would allow you to keep anything anywhere in the tank

[huskysglare1]

so, 6 would definitely yield better growth and better coloration? does anyone knows the % of increase?

[ReefEnabler]

Originally posted by huskysglare1
does anyone have ATl 4x39W for thelr Tank 36" tank? can you tell me the results?

IMO its perfect for a 36" tank. I just received my 4x39W for my frag tank recently. Tank is 36x18x12.


It's maybe 10" above the water. Its got 2 Blue+ and 2 Aquablue Special.

According to my apogee PAR meter, I am getting over 600 PAR just under the surface, and 300 something at the bottom of the 12" tank. However the spread is not totally uniform across the 18" width. at the edges of the tank (front-back wise, not lengthwise) the par is much less (maybe 2/3). So in that respect I think Hahn is dead on to recommend a 6x39w fixture if you want even spread front to back on a wider tank.


This is just about the same as I get from the 250W MH lights with XM10k bulbs in my main tank, using crappy spider reflectors.


So I'd venture to say that you could easily use the 4x39w ATI fixture on a much larger tank, since we know alot of people get away with growing every kind of SPS in large tanks using 250W metal halides with crappy spider reflectors.



But Hahn is right to suggest 6x39w if you wanted better spread front to back on a wider tank (like the OP which was 24" wide) But is it necessary? Not in my opinion, but certainly could not hurt


For the record I am planning to upgrade my spider reflectors to Lumenarcs... since I want more PAR in the display tank since its much deeper.

[huskysglare1]

my tank isn't very wide, but it's tall though. 36" length x 24" tall x 16" wide. 4 bulbs is 509 6 bulbs is 740(OUCH!) ^_^

[ReefEnabler]

IMO the 4 bulb fixture would be fine.... better than what alot of metal halide users might see in terms of uniform spread. youd have no trouble with SPS or clams. others may disagree.....

[hahnmeister]

I dont think the Powermodule has THAT much of an advantage over other well designed units like the Aquactinics TX5.

The reflectors aren't 'all that' compared to Tek2's or Icecap SLR's. The real advantage of the powermodule is that it has a well designed cooling system, and a sheild so you can get the unit closer to the tank w/o worrying too much. The reflectors themselves aren't a geometric wonder... they use nice material for slightly better reflectivity as a material than regular Miro 4 (when they are talking 95% vs. 96% reflectivity, they are talking about the material, not the reflector geometry itself which has more of an impact on actual output). The advantage of the Powermodul reflectors is that they are narrow, so each bulb only needs 2" of space... allowing for a higher 'power density' (more wattage in a smaller area up top, also allowing for more bulbs over the tank). But if you opted for another brand like the Aquactinics, I dont think you would be at any loss.. both use quality ballasts, both have active cooling, and if anything, the reflectors on the Aquactinics most likely have a better geometry.

I cant say for sure though... ATI never came up with the reflector samples they said they would for the T5 reflector shootout.

[huskysglare1]

hahnmeister, what are you waiting for from those Light manufacturer? what kind of tests are you going to be doing?