cmor1701d
Aquarium Advice Addict
The 6 bulb T5 with individual high quality parabolic reflectors should let you keep anything you want in the tank. That is not an inexpensive fixture. Quality reflectors add to the cost.
Patience sucks
- Thread starter fijiwigi
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
OP
OP
fijiwigi
Aquarium Advice Addict
This one is 299.99 Current USA Nova Extreme Pro T5 Aquarium Lighting Fixture, 6X39 Watt, 36 inch
Will this fixture allow me to keep whatever I want? its a 46g and its 17" from substrate to water surface and about 21" from substrate to light fixture.
Will this fixture allow me to keep whatever I want? its a 46g and its 17" from substrate to water surface and about 21" from substrate to light fixture.
Last edited:
Devilishturtles
Aquarium Advice Addict
Totally! Awesome unit. 
roka64
Aquarium Advice Addict
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2006
- Messages
- 13,858
That's one of the units I am looking at right now.
OP
OP
fijiwigi
Aquarium Advice Addict
will it give me coral freedom. I don't want to be restricted on what coral I can have.
roka64
Aquarium Advice Addict
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2006
- Messages
- 13,858
"Coral freedom" good one!
Devilishturtles
Aquarium Advice Addict
Keeping whatever you want = coral freedom.
MsBeanCtr
Aquarium Advice FINatic
You'll love this fixture! Nice and quiet-bulbs last longer than the pc bulbs. Ooooh! Clams now! you need clams......
pitt420dude
Aquarium Advice Addict
That's a nice light fixture, not overly pricey too. I'd go for it. I can't answer whether you'll be able to grow everything, but surely it will do better for you than PC would.
IMO, buying a purebred St. Bernard and a purebred English Mastiff, only to have them mate and produce mutts, is like buying two extremly expensive fine wines, and them mixing them together and throwing some beer in there as well. You're paying for everything you're not getting.
Still, you can rest assured that hip displaysia, cancer, or other problems with inter or in-breeding are not likely to be issues.
Catatonic, I don't like it when I see dogs caged or chained for long expanses of time (most of the time) outside. Sure, they're dogs and can handle it but it just seems wrong to me. Outside dogs wouldn't smell as bad or be as hairy or dirty if they were kept inside, so it's sort of tautological reasoning: I keep my outside dogs outside b/c they're dirty and smelly. Of course they are! You keep em outside! Just my opinion though. Ironically, I do agree with the annoyance at people treating their dogs like people. Clothes are for humans people!
FYI figiwigi, I hope you have a garden b/c with all that dogfood you'll be buying you'll have plenty of fertilizer as well!
IMO, buying a purebred St. Bernard and a purebred English Mastiff, only to have them mate and produce mutts, is like buying two extremly expensive fine wines, and them mixing them together and throwing some beer in there as well. You're paying for everything you're not getting.
Still, you can rest assured that hip displaysia, cancer, or other problems with inter or in-breeding are not likely to be issues.
Catatonic, I don't like it when I see dogs caged or chained for long expanses of time (most of the time) outside. Sure, they're dogs and can handle it but it just seems wrong to me. Outside dogs wouldn't smell as bad or be as hairy or dirty if they were kept inside, so it's sort of tautological reasoning: I keep my outside dogs outside b/c they're dirty and smelly. Of course they are! You keep em outside! Just my opinion though. Ironically, I do agree with the annoyance at people treating their dogs like people. Clothes are for humans people!
FYI figiwigi, I hope you have a garden b/c with all that dogfood you'll be buying you'll have plenty of fertilizer as well!
cmor1701d
Aquarium Advice Addict
In that light fixture the reflector looks like one reflector with bends around each bulb. Not nearly as good as individual parabolic reflectors but much better than a single reflector for all bulbs.
Take a look at the Tek Light T5 Fluorescent Aquarium Lighting 3ft 6 bulb 234W which have 95% reflective aluminum 9-bend reflectors.
Take a look at the Tek Light T5 Fluorescent Aquarium Lighting 3ft 6 bulb 234W which have 95% reflective aluminum 9-bend reflectors.
FishEggs
Aquarium Advice Addict
There is also this one 36" SOLAR T5 - 6 X 39W With Moonlights. It's not quite as good as the Tek but it has moon lights ooooooo aaaahhhhhh and it might be a little more in your price range.
cmor1701d
Aquarium Advice Addict
That unit has individual reflectors but they are flat on the back like a [ vs the parabolic that are W shaped with the bulb in the middle of the ^ part of the reflector. There is a very large difference in the amount of light hitting the tank based on the reflector design.
OP
OP
fijiwigi
Aquarium Advice Addict
I really like the Tek version. The price would total about 530dollars shipped There is also this Outer Orbit 1x150 HQI with 2x96w PC for 429.99 https://www82.safesecureweb.com/web...n=PROD&Product_Code=CU01041&Category_Code=COO
Big als will sell it to me with a 5% price match totalling like 430.94 shipped over 500dollars for the tek T5 I think is too much $ for me.
So I guess I am between the 6bulb nova t5 for 299.99 (234W of t-5)or
the outer orbit HQI/PC (150wHQI / 192wPC)=342W
This is where I am stuck PC bulbs are just ok, t5 is good, and metal halide is great.
Will the Outer orbit fixture be worth the extra $130.00
Can I have Coral Freedom with one of these?
I need help deciding the pro's and con's of the 2 Particular fixtures
Big als will sell it to me with a 5% price match totalling like 430.94 shipped over 500dollars for the tek T5 I think is too much $ for me.
So I guess I am between the 6bulb nova t5 for 299.99 (234W of t-5)or
the outer orbit HQI/PC (150wHQI / 192wPC)=342W
This is where I am stuck PC bulbs are just ok, t5 is good, and metal halide is great.
Will the Outer orbit fixture be worth the extra $130.00
Can I have Coral Freedom with one of these?
I need help deciding the pro's and con's of the 2 Particular fixtures
Kurt_Nelson
Aquarium Advice Addict
There is a big heat difference between T5 and MH, from my understanding. I have neither, so I can't speak from experience. Just don't forget to factor that in. You don't have a large tank, so you don't have a lot of water to soak up and "spread out" that heat from a MH that other folks' big tanks do. In addition, don't ignore that you live in a warm area and can expect pretty darn warm house temps (unless you're blessed with A/C) for several months of the year, which you haven't encountered yet with your current setup.
Just wanted to point out one of the "cons" on MH.
m3drver
Aquarium Advice Activist
Fiji,
I have the Nova Extreme Pro lights, as Cmor said the reflector is one continuous reflector bent around each of the bulbs. it has two power swtiches, one switch powers two bulbs the other powers 4 bulbs. the fans are not too noisy at all either. ( my skimmer makes more noise than the fans do ) . If you have any HOB equipment make sure that the lights will clear them. Otherwise you'll have to move the lights slightly forward which will make the ends of the fixture hang just past the bow of the tank. ( hope that makes sense)
I can't say much on your coral freedom question but I will say this, I have the same tank ,a 46 Gal bow, and i have a few frags mostly LPS and softies with one SPS all of which i recently aquired. So i'm giving it a go with these lights and see how the frags do.
I also have a friend, from whom i got my LPS from, that has many SPS corals in a 75 gal tank with T5HO( not the Nova fixture ) and has been very successful in keeping corals with high lighting needs. just my $.02. HTH
I have the Nova Extreme Pro lights, as Cmor said the reflector is one continuous reflector bent around each of the bulbs. it has two power swtiches, one switch powers two bulbs the other powers 4 bulbs. the fans are not too noisy at all either. ( my skimmer makes more noise than the fans do ) . If you have any HOB equipment make sure that the lights will clear them. Otherwise you'll have to move the lights slightly forward which will make the ends of the fixture hang just past the bow of the tank. ( hope that makes sense)
I can't say much on your coral freedom question but I will say this, I have the same tank ,a 46 Gal bow, and i have a few frags mostly LPS and softies with one SPS all of which i recently aquired. So i'm giving it a go with these lights and see how the frags do.
I also have a friend, from whom i got my LPS from, that has many SPS corals in a 75 gal tank with T5HO( not the Nova fixture ) and has been very successful in keeping corals with high lighting needs. just my $.02. HTH
OP
OP
fijiwigi
Aquarium Advice Addict
Thanks for the input I appreciate it however I am still up in the air on which to choose. Definately don't want to have to buy a chiller for really hot MH and I definately want the light output of a MH. I like the cheaper T5 bulbs and the fact that it runs cooler but will I get the light output I am after for future SPS corals
ccCapt
SW 20 & Over Club
T5's being cooler than MH is not entirely true. Without getting into the technical details of how energy=light and light=heat, here is a very indepth discussion on T5's vs MH.
cmor1701d
Aquarium Advice Addict
You should be ok with sps high in the tank wiht the T5. The only way to know for sure is to try it. Please report back as the more anectodal evidence we acquire, the better an informed opinion can be formed. My only problem with T5 fixtures is that they are all treated the same when in fact the refelctor used makes a huge difference in the light output that actually penetrates the water.
pitt420dude
Aquarium Advice Addict
Figi I was talkin about this thread last night with an employee at my LFS (I finally got my male krib a girlfriend, lol). Anyway he is VERY into corals, more than fish even, and he said that he has had great luck with T5 lighting. He said there isn't anything he hasn't been able to grow with them.
Still, (to make your decision harder) he said that he prefers the look of MH lighting. I think, though have no idea why, that MH just mimics sunlight better. Maybe the hotter temperature has something to do with this. I dunno really.
Still I'd tell you to go with T5s, JMO and what I've heard.
Still, (to make your decision harder) he said that he prefers the look of MH lighting. I think, though have no idea why, that MH just mimics sunlight better. Maybe the hotter temperature has something to do with this. I dunno really.
Still I'd tell you to go with T5s, JMO and what I've heard.
OP
OP
fijiwigi
Aquarium Advice Addict
What about a clam in the sand 21" below my fixture?
Or an anemone mid level inbetween 2 rocks partly shaded? I guess I don't want to guess. Then I am concerned about having too much light from what I understand some things too much light can lead to coraline bleaching. There are so many variables that make choosing a light fixture for a reef extremely complex. The Last light fixture I purchased I only looked for the cheapest one BIG MISTAKE Now I am only trying not to break the bank since I now have another overly expensive beast of a dog.
Similar threads
