Looking for 36" T5's online or in Calgary

[fishytime]

Originally Posted by kadaytar

I saw Hagen individual reflectors and some T5 HO bulbs but no ballast. Are there complete fixtures or retros as well? Any online vendors selling them?

They come both ways, as a retro fit kit and as a fully assembled unit.

Moogled I suspect you would take offence too , if someone running a LED system said they wouldnt use a tek light without ever using one. Josh asked for T5 lighting options and where to look.I offered my opinion. Which you promptly shot down. As for it being two units instead of one, I find it kinda handy not having to remove the whole light when doing maintenence( I only remove the front one). No I havnt tried the sps lower in my tank because I do know the limitations of my lighting. But I find that a mute point as the vast majority of sps keepers place them in the top third of the tank regardless of their lighting system.

But enough bickering ...Josh what are the dimensions of your tank and what do you think you would like to keep as far as corals go. If a softie orriented with a couple lower light sps tank like mine appeals to you then you dont need to spend the big bucks. If you want a sps and lps dominated tank then you will need to cough for a meatier lighting system.

[Moogled]

Sorry, but the line between a Tek Light and MH/LED Lighting is very clear. Only someone that hasn't researched the pros/cons of the lighting in question would take offense - which I don't. There's no point in creating a hypothetical situation about my Tek Light and LED systems and then assume my actions, especially since there's a very real example in this thread here.

I shot down your opinion? Brother, please. I made a suggestion where I blatantly state that a Tek Light is better overall than 2 Hagen light fixtures - plus technical features that define the essential success. Remember, I said that it isn't a question of whether your light works or not - it does - it's a question of which one is better and I answered that promptly.

Coral placement says alot about a lighting system - it's not a "mute" point.

Come to think of it, you're pretty much saying what I said several posts earlier.

"Yeah, the Hagen light fixtures work, but if you want to keep SPS and LPS - then you'll need to buy a better light system. I only keep my SPS frag at the top because I know my limitations."

Good - I knew your limitations too. Once again, not knocking your choice but making a very objective analysis.

BTW, I don't find this bickering seeing as how I try to make valid points. You might find my biases a bit strong but everyone is opinionated.

[Moogled]

http://www.canreef.com/ftotm/may06a/index.php

http://www.canreef.com/ftotm/sept06/index.php

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-05/totm/index.php

These tanks all have acros on the lower portion of their tank - possibly deep water acros. Like you said, alot of reef keepers like to keep acros high up for two reasons:

1. Aesthetics - corals grow upwards.

2. Maximize (keyword) SPS growth.

The light you're using serves a third reason - your acro would most likely not thrive if it was placed lower in your tank due to a lack of light penetration. If that's the case, how many acros would you keep? The point being illustrated is that a better lighting system also allows a larger variety of locations for coral to be placed.

[JOSH]

thanks for all the opinions. The tank I'm considering building will only be 12" deep, 36" long and 16" wide. I doubt i'll require the lighting strength of MH. I would prefer to use T5 as as I understand it they are cheaper to run, bulbs last a long time and the bulbs are cheap to replace. I would like to keep mainly lps and some sps.

thanks again for your help

[Ruth]

Excellent choice for that depth of tank The only thing you might want to research further is the price of replacement bulbs. For good quality bulbs they are not cheap.

[Moogled]

German ATI bulbs cost roughly $25 each.

[Ruth]

Boy those prices have come down - mind you when I replace mine I am looking at 4 60" bulbs so they were running me about $50 a piece. Which reminds me I should look at replacing mine

[albert_dao]

Of note, I sell HOT5 retrokits YAY!

[kwirky]

Originally Posted by JOSH

thanks for all the opinions. The tank I'm considering building will only be 12" deep, 36" long and 16" wide. I doubt i'll require the lighting strength of MH. I would prefer to use T5 as as I understand it they are cheaper to run, bulbs last a long time and the bulbs are cheap to replace. I would like to keep mainly lps and some sps.

thanks again for your help

Hey Josh,

For your application, I would suggest starting with a two bulb HO T5 setup for your application. Trust me, T5's are BRIGHT.

I have 4 bulbs per foot and it's so powerful I can't keep corals in the top 6" of my tank. If your tank's only 12" deep, I'd suggest way fewer bulbs.

Sunlight supply DOES make a 3', 2 bulb, T5 Tek retrofit fixture that'd be round $130. I think that would be almost perfect in build quality and price. Ask around at the LFS's if they'd order you one, or e-mail jlaquatics.com and ask if they'd special order one.

Start with two HO bulbs with individual parabolic reflectors, and it'd be fine for what you're starting off with, then upgrade down the road if needed. I can pretty much assure you you won't have to upgrade though

btw how come most T5 threads get SO heated?

[JOSH]

Thanks Guys, couple more questions...

How long can I expect a T5 bub to last?
Will a 2 3' long bulbs cover the width of a 16" tank?

thanks again