Lighting questions

danny zubot · #1 12-26-2009, 04:23 AM

Quote:

all depends what 4x24 watt fixture it is. depends on what type of reflectors it has. a single reflector fixture, nope. a Individual reflector fixture, yes. also depends on your bulb combo. Some t5 guys run pure actinic's to bring the par down for lower light corals while others would only run like a actinic plus to still get the highest par as possiable.

The one I had in mind is the New Wave 4 bulbs fixture. It's economical because it isn't pretty, but it would be housed in an enclosed canopy type thing anyway. It has individual "German" reflectors.

lorenz0 · #2 12-26-2009, 05:34 AM

with that fixture, you should be good for almost anything you wanted, depending on the depth of width of the tank

edit...

almost anything. lower light sps for sure near the top

fishytime · #3 12-26-2009, 02:43 PM

The "new wave" only has one cord, so no dawn/dusk effect....It also doesnt have polished reflectors.....and in case you didnt know, Im only running 6 bulbs

danny zubot · #4 12-26-2009, 04:47 PM

Well, something like the New wave then. I understand the importance of the reflector. Time to start shopping! Thanks everyone for your help.

danny zubot · #5 12-27-2009, 03:03 AM

I ended up ordering 2x 24" dual T5 fixtures (Nova Extreme). They have parabolic reflectors, but don't have fans in them to increase the cost. Each comes with a 10K and an actinic, which I'll likely swap out with my full spectrums since I already have actinics. I think this was the best bang for my buck and I hope that I made the right decision. Either way I look at it I was about to spend almost $200 on lights, on either a ballast or a fixture.