Ati dimmable 6x39 or 8x39 regular?

[Coralmassa]

After some harrowing flight mix ups with delta, I was given a thousand bucks n target gift cards, so I'm trying to find an outlet that would work for buying a light.nbdcuase it looks like I'm limited to either eBay or Amazon, the ati fixtures I've narrowed it down to are the 8x39 watt sunpower(Amazon) or the ati dimmable 6x39 sunpower ( new on eBay). If I had to pick any, I'd go with a dimmable 8x39 sunpower, but I'm limited to the selection in those two outlets. Wanted to get some opinions on which is better for sps, an extra two bulbs or being able to dim them. I'm kind of leaning towards the 8 bulb fixture because I've read that dimming t5s wears them out quicker but idk yet

 

[water is wet]

I can tell you that if I were to purchase another ATI fixture I would skip getting the dimming unit. I purchased two a little over a year ago and both of them flicker occasionally which is annoying I've also read about others with similar issues. It's too bad because I enjoyed watching the tank wake up slowly and really enjoyed watching it shutdown.

HTH

 

[DaveRaz]

I have the dimmable and it's nice for sunset along with Reefbrite led supplement in the evenings. I do not dim channel 2, they run 4 hours during peak photoperiod.

 

[Mark426]

I like the my dimmable...but...given you said your choices are a 6 lamp dimmable OR 8 lamp standard, I would think it boils down to which one works best for your tank.

 

[Myka]

What are the dimensions of the tank? If it's wide enough, you'll want the 8 bulbs for sure. I have the dimmable 6-bulb, and it's kinda nifty, but it's certainly not needed, and in the future I probably wouldn't bother with the added cost. I don't really use the dimmable feature much - just 30 minutes ramp up and down at the beginning and end of channel 1. The other thing to note is that all new bulbs have to be burned in (no dimming) for 50 hours. I have an old 2-bulb fixture that I put new bulbs in and run it for 50 hours straight with a fan on it. It's a pain in the butt. :facepalm:

I do not dim channel 2, they run 4 hours during peak photoperiod.

I do the exact same thing.

 

[Leonardo_]

If you care for the dimming effect go for the dimmable. But it hasn't any benefits for the corals. More light from front to back has (depending on rockwork, tank depth and coral placement). You have more options with bulb configuration also.

I would go for the 8x39 watt.

Leonardo

 

[Coralmassa]

Yep it's a cad lights artisan 70 gal. It's 36x22x18 so having an extra two would be nice. I think I'll go with the eight after all. Thanks for all the responses!

 

[gveng]

Yep it's a cad lights artisan 70 gal. It's 36x22x18 so having an extra two would be nice. I think I'll go with the eight after all. Thanks for all the responses!

8 bulb is over kill on a 22" wide tank. I have a 6 bulb on a 48"x24" tank and it's plenty! Save some money and go with a standard 36" 6 bulb and be done with it.

 

[Coralmassa]

Well i ordered the 8 bulb fixture, with four ati blue plus, two ati coral plus, one kz purple, and one kz new generation. As for whether this combo will work, we will see, but it's better than what's on there currently. If it's too much light, I can always take out a few bulbs or sub them for led strips for some shimmer. I figured it's always better to have more than what you need, with the ability to downsize, than regret not having enough.

 

[Mark426]

good move

 

[Myka]

8 bulb is over kill on a 22" wide tank. I have a 6 bulb on a 48"x24" tank and it's plenty! Save some money and go with a standard 36" 6 bulb and be done with it.

Agreed. My tank is 21" wide and 6 bulbs is plenty. With 6 bulbs you could run a couple actinic if you want though.

 

[dkeller_nc]

Well i ordered the 8 bulb fixture, with four ati blue plus, two ati coral plus, one kz purple, and one kz new generation. As for whether this combo will work, we will see, but it's better than what's on there currently. If it's too much light, I can always take out a few bulbs or sub them for led strips for some shimmer. I figured it's always better to have more than what you need, with the ability to downsize, than regret not having enough.

Correct call. There's very little difference in price between the 6 and 8 bulb fixtures, and more slots means more color fine-tuning you can do if needed. The only time I'd suggest someone get a fewer-bulb fixture in T5HO is if the bigger fixture is actually as wide as or wider than their tank.

Even better, if at some point you decide to do so, it's fairly straightforward to strip out the center bulbs and ballast and install Kessil 360w's or Radion XR15w fixtures for dusk/dawn and shimmer.