Lights Lights Lights

Upgrading my 75G from a FOWLR to Soft/LPS and lighting is about to make my head explode. At $400ish, I can't afford to make the wrong decision.
I'm currently using a Current PC 4 X 65W hood which only gives me 3.5 watts/gallon. The concensus seems to be to upgrade to T5 HO Hood.
To get to 5 watts/gallon (I do understand that PAR, LUX, etc is more important than watts, but trying to figure it out that way seems practically impossible) I have been lookoing at T5 HO 8 x 54W that would give me roughly 5.5 watts/gallon. With reflectors and fan, they run like $450.
Then I read about people that have the same tank as me using only a
T5 HO 4 x 54W and having good luck with SPS and clams!!!

What should I buy?????

My tank is 48"L x 18"W x 20"H
Don't want to buy Metal Halides because I don't want to end up running a chiller and spending a fortune on bulbs.

 

i have 8 t5's and love them. on my 75

 

if you have the money 48" constellation by aquactinics is a good buy

 

i have aquactinic tx5 which is only 5 54 watt t5's and i keep anything under it, it is a very bright fixture, good individual reflectors make a big difference.

 

tx5 is like 460 bucks i think, nova pro is 370.00, constellation is 600+. i have both nova pro and tx5, tx5 real nice light nova pro is good but i would change bulbs out to name brand bulbs like geisemann and ATI.

 

Darrick/James

The Tx5 vs the Nova Extreme:

Aquariumpros.com has the Nova Extreme 8 x 54W for $435
Wouldn't that be better than spending the same money (roughly) on the Tx5 with only 5 x 54W?

Or is it a metter of the nicer reflectors producing essentially the same amount of light as 8 bulbs, at a lower energy cost?

Even though my tank will contain mainly soft and LPS, I'd like to at least be able to add a brain coral and not have to worry.


Thanks

 

the nova extreme does not have independent reflectors. and the Tx5 i believe does have the IR's so your basically getting the same out put from those 5 bulbs as a 10 bulb fixture at a lower cost to you in the long run

 

It's been said that having individual reflectors doubles the amount of light that reaches your tank, so choosing 5 bulbs with IR vs. 8 bulbs without will save energy and give you the same results.

 

dont forget money saved in bulb replacement

 

I like to add that good individual reflectors helps penetrate the water better.You will get more usable light deeper in the tank than with a single reflector.It's a no brainer for me,if you want clams and SPS corals,go with the TX5 or better yet the Constellation or Solarflares(which is probably more than what you want to spend.).

 

i would recommend constellation first choice, tx5 second choice and nova extreme pro
3rd choice since its like 360.00.

 

If I may, parabolic reflectors increases light reaching the tank by 300% versus using a stand alone lamp. This in turn will reduce the number of bulbs needed. Plus the reflectors are not all that much more.

Here are 2 samples of very good reflectors:
http://www.aquacave.com/t5-reflectors-withbr-clips-by-sunlight-supply-1065.html

http://www.aquacave.com/slr-t5-reflectors--brby-ice-cap-1851.html

I bought the retro kits and put them together myself. They are a lot cheaper than to by a unit. Plug this to that an so on. Here is an example of a retro kit. Keep in mind I use this site as an example I've never bought anything from them.

http://www.aquacave.com/36-2-lamp-complete-t-5-brretrofit-kit-by-icecap-1843.html

If you notice this comes with a choice of bulbs, so the price is kinda high. If you do the research you can build your own light system for about half the cost, and end up with a better unit than the pre-built ones. But thats just IMO. For example I have 8 of the 60 inche bulbs, 8 reflectors and 3 ballast and I think my total cost was around $500. Of course I had to put it all together and wire it all up to.

 

these have good reviews online also

http://www.aquacave.com/aquactinics-t5-reflectors-br-wclips-2278.html