Made the switch to T5

[Stones]

So I decided to finally bite the bullet and make the switch from metal halide to all T5 lighting for my 90 gallon SPS reef.

After being on the ATI powermodule waiting list for countless months, I finally threw in the towel and went with a similar fixture from Sfiligoi since the waiting list was only one month long as opposed to indefinate with ATI.

Upon unpacking the fixture and installing it, it seems very comparable to the ATI powermodule. That said, there are several major differences that I have yet to find out if they will be good or bad.

The 1st would be that the Sfiligoi fixture has the active cooling fans placed on the ends of the bulbs blowing across the entire 48" length as opposed to the ATI powermodule having the fans blowing on the approximate center of the bulbs from the top of the fixture down. Both the ATI and Sfiligoi employ 1 fan per 2 bulbs.

The 2nd would be that the Sfiligoi fixture uses a glass bulb sheild instead of an acrylic shield which is used on the ATI powermodule. Although this adds extra weight to the fixture, there were bowing issues with the hot acrylic on the ATI fixtures.

The 3rd and probably most important difference is in the reflector style. The Sfiligoi fixture I purchased has reflectors very simialar to the TEK 2's released by Sun Light Supply, however, they are not TRUE individual reflectors. Each reflector actually houses 2 T5 bulbs with only a half reflector between the bulb centers. Although this allows for a wider spread of light, it probably isn't the most ideal setup for an 18" wide tank. The ATI powermodules however offer TRUE individual reflectors that are more similar to the TEK 1st gen reflectors from sunlight supply.

Additionally, the hanging kit was very easy to install and took about 20 minutes to measure and securely mount into the ceiling drywall. Very clean and "modern" look as well.

The fans also feature adjustable speed control via a variable voltage converter. Like the ATI powermodule, Sfiligoi also suggest running the fans at 4.5v, at which level they are not even audible.

Here are a few pics of the new lighting fixture. I will post a before and after full tank shot in a few weeks time to compare how things looked under my previous 2 x 250 HQI Radium 20K + 54W actinic + 54W Fiji purple to the new Sfiligoi all T5 fixture.

Top down view


Bottom view


Bulbs installed, from top to bottom they are: Aquascience 22K, Sfiligoi Pure Actinic, Aquascience 15K, Kz New Gen Coral Light, Kz Fiji purple, Aquascience 22K, Kz New Gen Coral Light, Aquascience 22K


Installed above my 90 gallon


With all T5's lit, looks even brighter than my previous metal halide setup