definitely 8 bulbs for 36" wide. In terms of length, if you want wall to wall corals, 36". If you're someone who likes a little space between the corals and the sides or wants to keep a few lower light corals, 24" should be fine. I have a 60" over a 72" x 36" footprint without any issues.
ATI Powermodule Hybrid Club
- Thread starter rodneyri
- Start date
definitely 8 bulbs for 36" wide. In terms of length, if you want wall to wall corals, 36". If you're someone who likes a little space between the corals and the sides or wants to keep a few lower light corals, 24" should be fine. I have a 60" over a 72" x 36" footprint without any issues.
sahin
Ultimate Reefer
Jeffie:I would go for a 36inch 8 tube LED Powermodule.
Have a look at this link: http://www.atinorthamerica.com/cmsAdmin/uploads/ATI_LEDpowermodule_1sheet_vf2.pdf
According that that spec sheet, for a 134G ie your sized tank, you would need 36inch x 8 tubes.
Personally, regardless of that spec sheet, I think you ought to go for the one I recommend due you keeping a lot more SPS corals and due to your rock structure.
I have the 24inch with 8 tubes over a 47G tank. Its overkill on my tank, but I bought it with a 93 cube tank upgrade in mind. The 93G would be about 30x30x24.
Having said that, IF you keep the acros within roughly 30 x 30 area, you could get away with a 24inch with 8 tubes.
Also, the 36inch will have two LED clusters...but I am not sure if you price difference is a big jump. Decisions Decisions... LOL.
Whichever you decide, you will love this light! :lol2:
Have a look at this link: http://www.atinorthamerica.com/cmsAdmin/uploads/ATI_LEDpowermodule_1sheet_vf2.pdf
According that that spec sheet, for a 134G ie your sized tank, you would need 36inch x 8 tubes.
Personally, regardless of that spec sheet, I think you ought to go for the one I recommend due you keeping a lot more SPS corals and due to your rock structure.
I have the 24inch with 8 tubes over a 47G tank. Its overkill on my tank, but I bought it with a 93 cube tank upgrade in mind. The 93G would be about 30x30x24.
Having said that, IF you keep the acros within roughly 30 x 30 area, you could get away with a 24inch with 8 tubes.
Also, the 36inch will have two LED clusters...but I am not sure if you price difference is a big jump. Decisions Decisions... LOL.
Whichever you decide, you will love this light! :lol2:
I agree with sahin (usually a good idea lol). BTW, fantastic looking tank. We need more pics.
FWIW, I have acros and lps that aren't directly under the light that do fine. Still, the 36" gives you a couple of led clusters, which will be better spread, and allows you the option to do all sps without any concerns and possibly helps with any future upgrade.
FWIW, I have acros and lps that aren't directly under the light that do fine. Still, the 36" gives you a couple of led clusters, which will be better spread, and allows you the option to do all sps without any concerns and possibly helps with any future upgrade.
sahin
Ultimate Reefer
You can disagree with me.
Doesnt mean I am right.My suggestions costs Jeffie more $$$$$ too :lol2: Being an SPS freak, I want the maximum light coverage over any tank.
And you made a very valid point: a lot of people buy T5 fixtures 1ft shorter than their tanks and grow corals on the ends just fine.
plasma327
Member
I am ready to drop the hammer on the 8bulb hybrid. Right now I am using the 8 bulb dimmable sunpower and have it in a canopy. The new hybrid will go in this canopy for now. It is a 90 gallon with canopy. I the summer next year I will upgrading to a 60x24x24 tank and want the 8 bulb fixture now. My question is will the new 8 bulb hybrid fit in my canopy now? I looked on the site and it is listed 46" and I have 48 3/4" in side my canopy now. I realize it will stick out the back some as it 20" wide but not a issue for now. Can some one with the 48 inch hybrid measure it for me asi see the power cord protrudes out the end and I am unsure how much length it will ad to the over all length. I have 4 150 CFM sunnon fans in the canopy so I have no heat issues. They are on controllers and I can adjust the speed as needed. They keep my sunpower at 34c when both channels are at 100 percent. I just need someone to measure there hybrid with the cord and give me an over all dimension please.
mark54321
Active member
Yes I saw it too, Andrew's tank looks great !
rtparty
Raise The Reef!
I have the 24" version and the power cord is very thick and protrudes quite a bit. I wouldn't put one in a canopy for any amount of time personally. This can void warranty and cause premature failures.
I would probably go with the 60" 4 bulb unit and get the extra LED cluster and not replace 8 bulbs a year if it were me. I usually like the shorter fixtures on bigger tanks but the 4 bulb units can cover 24" front to back quite nicely.
But if you are planning a ton of SPS, the 8 bulb is a great choice.
plasma327
Member
I am thinking on the 8 bulb as the new tank will be 60x24. That is why I want to buy one of these just once and get the 48" 8 bulb on a 60" I really do believe there will be no heat issues if it will fit in my canopy as it is completely open on top and 600 CFM of air flow through it. Just would like to know the length with the cord on the 46" inch unit. Thanks for the advice.
sahin
Ultimate Reefer
If you are definite on an upgrade, then get the 8 tube version (since we are using T5 tubes, most of us factor in tube costs into the whole maintenance costs anyway). As for the fitting inside the canopy:
1. If your canopy is open top with air blowing across it as well, then I dont see issues with cooling. In any event, you will know if there is inadequate cooling as the ATI Controller tells you the temperature of the LED heatsink. The system will go into SAFE MODE if the temp goes too high. This forces the whole unit (T5's and LED's) to run at lower wattage.
If you see this you know you need to make changes. But as you say if the canopy is open top then there should be enough clearance for ATI unit to vent out the hot air effectively.
2. With regards to the clearance needed for the thick cable, you will need 3inches (may get away with 2.5") in addition to the length of the ATI unit to bend the cable round. Hope that makes sense.
See top down photo:
OR OPTION B: you can make a hole on the side of the canopy (about 2inch diamter) and bring the cable out that way, and route it neatly down to the Controller.
So either way, I dont see an issue.
I just looked at your canopy photos again. I think you will need to go with option B: Because you want enough clearance on the side with the HOT AIR EXIT vents for the T5's. You dont want that side to be sitting against the inside wall of your canopy.
You dont want to be retricting those vents. It will cause the whole unit to retain heat. So, I would say make a 2inch hole on the side of your canopy. Feed the cable through and hook up to controller. You have like 2.5 to nearly 3inches gap lenthwise inside the canopy? Use that space to provide the side air vents sufficient clearance.
OR mount the whole unit on top of the canopy. You will still have use of the canopy in that stray light will be taken care of, and you wont have any other worries.
Anyway, hope this is useful.
Last edited:
Moser
Active member
1.7 ft tall..... You will be roasting some SPS with that fixture!... Bring on the colours!.
Mo
Big E
Premium Member
That's one sexy light..............I really like the seperate controls for each diode color.
Just some comments for getting the best color for acros----
My preference would be to run the blue and royals blues at the same % and then run the whites at 20% of the blues.
The reds I'd run 10% of the blues.
The first bulbs would be the coral+ flanking both sides of the LEDs and work out alternationing with a blue+.
I'd keep the white LEDs down at that 20% or less level.........focus on getting the white ambience from the bulbs. if you can't get it white enough you can use a few AB specials instead of the coral+ or use more coral+ than blue+.
If I wanted more 420 I'd add a few antinics. It seems this fixture is a par monster so a couple antinics won't matter.
I prefer to keep the spectrum balanced throughout the tank, so if I had the 8 bulb unit, I'd run the 4 bulbs on each side with the same bulb combo mirrored.
Just some comments for getting the best color for acros----
My preference would be to run the blue and royals blues at the same % and then run the whites at 20% of the blues.
The reds I'd run 10% of the blues.
The first bulbs would be the coral+ flanking both sides of the LEDs and work out alternationing with a blue+.
I'd keep the white LEDs down at that 20% or less level.........focus on getting the white ambience from the bulbs. if you can't get it white enough you can use a few AB specials instead of the coral+ or use more coral+ than blue+.
If I wanted more 420 I'd add a few antinics. It seems this fixture is a par monster so a couple antinics won't matter.
I prefer to keep the spectrum balanced throughout the tank, so if I had the 8 bulb unit, I'd run the 4 bulbs on each side with the same bulb combo mirrored.
plasma327
Member
If you are definite on an upgrade, then get the 8 tube version (since we are using T5 tubes, most of us factor in tube costs into the whole maintenance costs anyway). As for the fitting inside the canopy:
1. If your canopy is open top with air blowing across it as well, then I dont see issues with cooling. In any event, you will know if there is inadequate cooling as the ATI Controller tells you the temperature of the LED heatsink. The system will go into SAFE MODE if the temp goes too high. This forces the whole unit (T5's and LED's) to run at lower wattage.
If you see this you know you need to make changes. But as you say if the canopy is open top then there should be enough clearance for ATI unit to vent out the hot air effectively.
2. With regards to the clearance needed for the thick cable, you will need 3inches (may get away with 2.5") in addition to the length of the ATI unit to bend the cable round. Hope that makes sense.
See top down photo:
OR OPTION B: you can make a hole on the side of the canopy (about 2inch diamter) and bring the cable out that way, and route it neatly down to the Controller.
So either way, I dont see an issue.
I just looked at your canopy photos again. I think you will need to go with option B: Because you want enough clearance on the side with the HOT AIR EXIT vents for the T5's. You dont want that side to be sitting against the inside wall of your canopy.
You dont want to be retricting those vents. It will cause the whole unit to retain heat. So, I would say make a 2inch hole on the side of your canopy. Feed the cable through and hook up to controller. You have like 2.5 to nearly 3inches gap lenthwise inside the canopy? Use that space to provide the side air vents sufficient clearance.
OR mount the whole unit on top of the canopy. You will still have use of the canopy in that stray light will be taken care of, and you wont have any other worries.
Anyway, hope this is useful.
Thanks You Sahin! Never thought of an access hole for the power cord. Problem solved. Thanks!!
sahin
Ultimate Reefer
Many thanks for posting this Big E.
For anyone who doesnt know of Big E's tank, here is a link: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2197142
Have a look in thread, if you've never seen his thread, you are in for a treat.
I have the following combo (from front):
Blue+
Coral+
Blue+
Coral+
LED LED LED
Coral+
Blue+
Coral+
Blue+
Its a copy of Big E's T5 combo. LEd have been set up as per Big E's recommendation. Every tank is different, but I will try this for until until the end of the year. I will change if the corals dont respond well.
tbone28
Active member
sahin
Ultimate Reefer
My 8 x 24 didnt have a clip either. I made clips myself.
On the vent end I used battery cover. Cut it up and clip it on: I had to take photo at an angle: so during the day its not actually noticeable.
On the other end I cut up an old Iphone 4 cover:
:lol: Together they hold the acrylic sheet very well. With the width of the 8 tubes and LED unit in middle the cover will definitely sag.
My quick contraptions worked out quite well. The battery cover is soft and bendy...took less than 1 minute to cut up with a large scissors. The Iphone cover hacking up took about 10 minutes to cut up neatly with a hacksaw.
On the vent end I used battery cover. Cut it up and clip it on: I had to take photo at an angle: so during the day its not actually noticeable.
On the other end I cut up an old Iphone 4 cover:
:lol: Together they hold the acrylic sheet very well. With the width of the 8 tubes and LED unit in middle the cover will definitely sag.
My quick contraptions worked out quite well.
The battery cover is soft and bendy...took less than 1 minute to cut up with a large scissors. The Iphone cover hacking up took about 10 minutes to cut up neatly with a hacksaw.
tbone28
Active member
I really am trying to do a simple tutorial. I'm already at 40 hours for the week (work) and still have 2 days left....:facepalm:
The software can be "scary" at first but once you mess around a little and really play with it, it makes total sense and is easy.
*****First and foremost, check www.atinorthamerica.com and make sure you have the most current version. (As of today it is 1.2.0.0) Please, please, please read the entire tutorial before starting.******
1) Plug lamp into control box
2) Plug control box to power
3) Plug control box to computer
4) In the upper right hand of the screen there are 2 circles. One is labeled "USB" and the other is labeled "LAMP". They should both be BLUE. If they are NOT both BLUE: exit the software and try steps 1-3 again.
*******THIS NEXT PART IS VERY IMPORTANT*********
5) Click "File" in the upper left hand corner and click new. A box will appear with 4 different selections. Choose the one that corresponds to the lamp you have. If you have 1 LED cluster select "LED 1/T5". If you have 2 LED clusters select "LED 2/T5" and so forth.
6) A graph will appear on the screen. There are 3 boxes in the lower left corner of the program. Two are labeled (Mode and Day Preview) and one is not. The one that IS NOT labeled will be known as Command Center (I made this up. It isn't a technical term used by ATI or anything.)
7) Click "Play" in the Day Preview box. A line will start scrolling across the GRAPH. As that line gets to each "circle" (this is known as a SETPOINT) it will command the lamp to perform something i.e. turn the LEDs on or change color etc. etc...
8) Once the Day Preview has finished, you should have a better understanding of what we are going to do from there.
Here is a picture of my current graph....(don't worry about the CUSTOM colors on the bottom of the screen. We will set those up later. The defaults are just fine for now.)
(You will notice there are a lot more dots on my graph than normal. This is a quick and easy fix. Go to the top and click "Settings". A box will appear and find SpacingTime and SpacingIntensity. Change both to 5 and select OK. Yours should now look the same as mine. This is optional though depending on what you like.
Each dot on the graph corresponds to a "time" and "intensity". That is what those dots are. You can drag setpoints to a dot and that will order the lamp to perform a function.)
For right now I will recommend that most new users leave the default program on and just adjust your intensities above. This should get most started and on their way.
After you have adjusted the graph to your liking, check it out in the Day Preview box by clicking PLAY and watching what your light does.
Once you are happy, select LAMP in the upper LEFT hand corner. Click "save in lamp" and wait. A box will pop up showing that it is saving. It will start counting UP to 100%. Once that is done, you can exit the software and disconnect your control box from the computer.
You will need to make sure your control box is set to the correct time. This is really easy.
Press the center button on the control box and select clock. Set the correct time. It uses a 24 hour time format AKA military time. Pretty easy to change. Once you have the time, press the center button and select YES. (YES and NO correspond to the buttons on the control box.)
You are done. Get a drink of water and stretch to properly cool down.
PS - Do NOT try to make changes from the control box alone. I know that ATI says you can but I HIGHLY recommend against it. You can mess things up pretty easily and you will spend HOURS trying to scroll from 0-255. It isn't worth it at all.
I will get a ton more pictures up another day with more on screen instructions. It is time for dinner and family time. I hope this helps a few people out.
Ryan
Thank you so much for this! Made setup easy breasy! That shimmer is just WOW WOW WOW.
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