Aquantics vs Sunlight Tek T5 fixture

[Phanman]

Hi guys,

I need some advice as to what lighting fixture to buy. I got a 120 gallon tank from a fellow canreefer and I only want to buy 1 lighting fixture that I dont need to upgrade down the road. Well until i get a larger fish tank, lol.

The tank is 60L 18W 26H with canopy and stand. The lighting fixture will be hidden from view due to the canopy so looks isnt a factor. As well, the canopy has 2 built in exhaust fans so heat isnt an issue either.

Im deciding on a 48'' fixture either going with Aquactinics (constellation) or the sunlight tek T5 fixture. The only difference i see between the two units is the Aquaantics is 7 bulbs and the sunlight unit is 6 bulbs. I know the ballast is slightly better in the aquactinics and it also has a built in cooling fan (which i dont need). Both are 54W...

The Aquactinics is priced at $700ish and the sunlight tek fixture is $420... is it REALLY worth it? I want to keep mainly SPS corals and fish of course.

Any advice or opinions would be GREATLY appreciated.

Sunlight Tek - http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_pages/details/l-fl-hood2.php?product_ID=sl-t5tl4806

Aquactinics - http://www.aquactinics.com/pages/72-Constellation.html

John

[Joe Reefer]

Any reason as to why T5's? I would consider a MH/T5 combo fixture if your thinking of having a sps dominate tank.

[Phanman]

Just for long term replacement bulb cost, and electricity. I've been told that T5's will be fine for an sps dominated tank. Plus with 6-7 bulbs i should get enough light im hoping.

[fkshiu]

Doesn't the Aquactinics fixture use an Icecap 660 ballast? If so, that's a definite plus over the Workhorse ballasts that the Tek uses although it comes at the cost of somewhat higher electrical usage and shortened bulb life because of the overdriving.

Secondly, if the Aquactinics also uses Icecap SLR reflectors, they also have an advantage over the Tek reflectors.

Lastly, having an extra bulb could be a big difference if it's a good PAR-heavy German daylight bulb. If you are going to keep SPS mainly, then you'll want to wring every last bit of light you can get out of your fixture.

Good fans are a must for a T5HO system to be optimised as well.

[whosinpower]

I have the aquatinics constellation fixture - 7 t-5 bulbs that you were speaking of.

I faced the same sort of decision as you did - however, my tank is a 90 gallon. I wanted a fixture that would work on a 120 gallon if I chose to upgrade.

However, I decided to not have a canopy, and so the fans were important to me, as well as one extra bulb. The ballasts are overdriven, so keeping the heat down is important for the life of the bulb.

My fixture is not housed in a canopy, but hangs instead. I totally love it! It has three seperate switches with three seperate power cords. This enables quite a bit of flexibility in regards to lighting schedule - and is nice to be able to reduce lighting to acclimatize new occupants. I have each cord on its own timer - set it and forget it.

Can't say anything about sps corals - I'm just a newbie, and tank has only been up a couple of months, so I am slowly adding beginner type corals - no sps yet.

[Phanman]

Heat wont be an issue, i have two large fans built into the canopy, so the bulbs life shouldnt diminish from the heat.

So better ballast = better shades of light - aquactinics
better reflector - aquactinics
3 switches vs 2 for dusk dawn effect - aquactinics
price - Sunlight Tek 5

what to do, what to do..... wow this is a tough decision.

If there is anything else im missing please let me know.

[reptile guy]

don't forget tek lights come in 8 lamp as well not just 6 and for I'm sure still less money than aquantics

[Delphinus]

I wrestled with this issue for my planted FW tank, a 65g, wasn't sure whether I'd go Tek 4, Tek 6, or the Aquatinics with 5. Although I didn't end up doing anything just yet, I did at least look at these fixtures with an eye towards what I wanted to get "one day."

Anyhow, one thing I noticed, and this is important if you have a canopy that you don't want to modify - the Tek's ventilate (fan location) out the back, the Aquatinics ventilate out the sides.

So if you have a canopy and you went with the Aquatinics, you'd have to cut holes in the canopy for the fans.

[whosinpower]

Fans and vents on the aquatinics fixture are located on top of the fixture.

[Delphinus]

Sorry, I didn't realize John was looking at the Constellation (guess it helps if I read things :redface: ). I had thought maybe the TX5 since it's in the same price category as the Tek 6 lamp.
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=AT-TX53600&Category_Code=Aquactinics

The Constellation fixtures and the Solar Flare fixtures are considerably more expensive, so it's probably not a fair comparison to look at those versus a Tek. You usually get what you pay for.. They likely wouldn't sell too many otherwise. If you can afford the upswing in cost, go for it.

[Phanman]

Thx guys, i guess the real question i was trying to ask is if i could get away with just the Tek5 fixture for sps. and get good polp ext. and color. But for an extra few hundred i might as well go all the way.

Now another question for you guys. I can get my hands on an ATI 48" 6x54W Powermodule T5. Is this fixture way better then the aquatinics?

http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/ATI/Powermodule_Fixtures/48_inch__6x54W_Powermodule_T5_High-Output_Fixture_by_ATI

Thanks for helping, i really want to make the right decision here, and not have to upgrade the lighting right away.

Oh and ill be starting a tank journal once the tank is fully cleaned and ready for plumbing assembly :biggrin:

[Delphinus]

Honestly, I seriously doubt one is going to notice a significant difference at this level of lighting. Ie., I'd be surprised if you found yourself kicking yourself in the butt thinking "Man oh man WHY oh WHY did I buy the ATI instead of the Aquactinics?" (or vice versa).

I could be wrong, but that's my take on it nonetheless. :) I'm sure either fixture will give very good results.

If it was me, I'd go with whatever fixture suits your budget, tastes, and what's easier to order. If they are otherwise equivalent in these factors then I dunno how to pick one over the other. Good luck! And I can't wait to see the tank in action! :)

[golfbomber]

no matter what you pick don't go with the sls tek, the par sux compared to the other simply due to the fan and individual reflectors.

[kwirky]

If you put a lighting fixture into your hood, your hood fans will swirl air around the fixture but won't directly deal with air trapped inside the fixture. A fixture with active cooling built in will give you 30-50% more light output.

You could install fans in the Tek light fixture if you feel like voiding your warranty. Just don't install a 120cfm 50db noise-monster like I did lol

As for overdriven T5's, normal HO T5's are super bright as it is. I was bleaching a lot of my corals even in the lower extremities of my 24" tall tank with my teklight 8 bulb unit (over a 120g 48x24x24).

I'm trying MH next over my new tank to see how I like it compared to the T5 fixture I had before. I like the idea of versatility in MH's. They work for all sorts of lengths and widths in case you're upgrading the tank down the road. And the new advancements in reflectors is making MH's just as new and exciting as T5's new bulbs (fiji pink for instance).

And "picking the right such-and-such technology so I don't have to buy it again" never works according to plan ;). I've noticed reef equipment is almost like computers and they become obsolete to something else in a short period.

Oh and that ATI fixture's supposed to be the best you can get in north america. Dig around in RC for Grim's thread on the ATI fixture if you like

[fkshiu]

Oh yeah, that ATI fixture is supposedly "da bomb", as they say, when it comes to T5 fixtures. May be a bit of a chore getting one up to Canada, though.

[Skimmerking]

I just purchased the new T-5 * bulbs tek system for my 120 gal. on the tek system each bulbs has its own reflector, and that is what you want dont buy the huge reflector that goes over all the bulbs you won't get the spread that you need and require. Wendall at oceanaquatics gave me a smoking deal on my 8 bulb fixture and a smoking deal on thebulbs too.

Thanks WENDALL.

[golfbomber]

Does the new Tek unit have built in fans? If not it will significantly reduce par output readings after hour of running. the key is to have individual reflectors and air movement around the bulbs for optimal output for par.

[kwirky]

Oh yeah, that ATI fixture is supposedly "da bomb", as they say, when it comes to T5 fixtures. May be a bit of a chore getting one up to Canada, though.

I thought Albert at Gold's can get it?

[Phanman]

Thx for the help guys, i dont know if albert can get the ATI units in but i know he has the aquatinics in stock.

[Phanman]

Ok one last question before I make my decision.

Is the Aquactinics Solar Flare better then the Constellation? I was reading the specs and it looks better but i just want to confirm this before I make my choice.

I read Grims thread on RC and he says that the Solar Flare and the ATI Power Module are the 2 best fixtures output wise. He doesnt compare the constellation against the ATI so im not too sure.

thanks,
John