ATI vs Constellation T5

t5Nitro

New member
Just curious mainly for the ATI users, how long have you owned the fixture and has anything gone wrong with it?

I really want to buy 2 36" ATI fixtures but don't like the fact that if something would ever go wrong you need to send it overseas and then doesn't it need to go through all this paperwork ect.

Do the fixtures differ that much or is constellation really the way to go and have "in-nation" customer service?
 
Greg at Reefgeek(California)would deal with any problems you may have with it. The most that could really go wrong is a ballast, endcap, or fan problem- all of those are easy enough fixes yourself without shipping the whole fixture back.

You cold also do an 80 watt ATI fixture. If it is for a 6 foot tank, you won't notice the missing 6 inches of light on either side- and it could be good for lower light coral. Alot of the ATI Powermodule fixtures are cheaper or not much more than the Constellation. The ATI is better in terms of build quality, performance, and noise.

I owned one for several months, but ended up switching back to halides mostly for the look and shimmer.
 
Good point James, but honestly when you think about it, you know the shimmer is there but you forget about it (like fan noise). With my halides now I never notice the shimmer much since I never think about it. :lol:

2 PMs and bulbs would run like $1500 from reefgeek and the constellation with bulbs would run $1200 or so. ATI is supposed to be really good but so is aquactinics and with them you get an additional 2 bulbs to put in the fixture. Also leads to more cost in the long run? :)

I don't know. Hanging the PMs from a ceiling is no problem right? I heard they are really heavy. How heavy is really heavy?

I was originally looking at the 72" constellation or 2 36" powermoduls. I didn't know you could buy 80 watt bulbs here. I just checked out some websites and sure enough.

I really like the ATI idea because I like having the "known top notch" stuff. :lol:

Would 2 36" 6 bulb (39w) fixtures be better or 1 60" (8 bulb 80w) or 1 60" (10 bulb 80w) be best of those three choices? I'd hang it from the ceiling over my 6' tank.

I've talked about this the last year on switching. I kind of want to do the fixture swap before summer rolls around. My halides reside hanging in a 13" canopy and they get really hot. Computer fans are in there to cool them down. In the summer the temperature spikes to 84 and then I have to pull the lights early and they're only on for 6 hours a day if they ran full length.

Would I have to hang the ATI from the ceiling or could they be hung inside the canopy? I'd really like to actually use the canopy the way it was meant. :lol: I think it'd be cool to actually close the top to create a nicer effect/appeal.

Say I wanted to save some money, would the 8x80w be enough to run 7 hrs a day max or should I go with the 10x80w fixture if I want to do that?
 
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The 8x80 should be enough, one thing i'd point out though, there are currently fewer bulb options available in the 80w size compared to the smaller sizes. For instance I don't believe UVL makes any 80w, so in that regard it may make for better options going with the 2 x 39w fixtures. A potential issue with the ATI fixtures in the canopy is that the fans are the top of the fixture, not sure how much clearance they would require to effectively do their job.
 
If you are set on using a canopy, I would do a retro-although it is a bit of a pain, you'd save hundreds more. Either fixture would work in a canopy, if proper venting was provided for their fans and exhaust. ATI Pms look fantastic hanging from the ceiling- they are heavy, but not obscene. My 8x54 was ~35# IIRC.

As Divewsharks pointed out, the 80w T5s are a little slimmer in the selection, but you still have the ATI blue+ and Aquablues- some of the more popular ones- on Reefgeek there are about 12 80w T5s to choose from.

If your tank is 18" wide- you'd need no more than 8 bulbs across, and could even do it easily with 6. If you were to do 6x80, you could go for the ATI Sunpower- about $700 with bulbs included(I think). Not as pretty as the PM- but just as effective.


1000 :celeb1: :celeb1: :celeb1:
 
The bulbs I'd buy are 6 ATI blue+ and 2 KZ fiji purples. Both of which are made in the 80w 60". I'd be good to go there. I know they do look really nice. The canopy doesn't have to stay. I just really never got to use it what it was made for haha.

How does that work when you order from reefgeek "with bulbs". I did a fake order like going through with one and seen nowhere to place which bulbs I wanted. I'm just thinking the bulbs I want are made in the 60" 80w and if I do that 8x80w fixture I could save myself a few hundred dollars.
 
When you place the fixture in your shopping cart, just below the shipping cost, you'll see a comment box that says Product/Bulb Options. List what bulbs you want in that comment box.
 
Hello Everyone... I'm looking into either the ATI PM 48X 10 or the Giesmann Matrix 48 X 12. I know that the Giesmann does not have active cooling, but it does have two extra bulbs for a premium (about 500 bucks more). The tank that I am having built is 180g 48 X 36(front to back) X 24 (high)...

Any and all opinions will be greatly appreciated..
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14708834#post14708834 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jbanks
Hello Everyone... I'm looking into either the ATI PM 48X 10 or the Giesmann Matrix 48 X 12. I know that the Giesmann does not have active cooling, but it does have two extra bulbs for a premium (about 500 bucks more). The tank that I am having built is 180g 48 X 36(front to back) X 24 (high)...

Any and all opinions will be greatly appreciated..

ATI PM -- it is top of the food chain for T5 Fixtures.
 
Thanks divewsharks! I actually ended up going another route due to a referral I received from someone in the hobby.. I really hope I do not regret my decision.. I really like the ATI fixture.. It just scares me that there is no real local support for it here in the states..
 
I ended up going with an Aquatinics Solar Flare.. The thought was that the focal point of my tank where the SPS will be placed will be perfectly lit.. This would be the center of the tank going across.. Leaving the lower light areas for some LPS species that don't like direct T5 light. The fixture was pretty pricey.. I just hope that it gets the job done.. It's currently still in the box.. My tank just finished being put together on Monday.. I have about ten days before I will start setting everything up..
 
solarflare is a very nice fixture. I think it doesn't get reco'd very often because of it price tag, and if you don't need to overdrive bulbs, then the price seems even higher, and if you do need to overdrive bulbs, those folks often buy retros with IC660 ballasts, and do it themselves.
 
Buy American.

I have the TX5 from Aquactinics so I may be biased.

The ATI is very nice, as is the Constellation. I think the performance is roughly equal. So, in my mind at least, it comes down to BMW vs Cadillac.

With the economy the way it is, and the way places like Wal Mart/Home Depot/etc have driven the marketplace to only a few suppliers, I want to support the home team when I can.
 
I'll tell you Rob,
I did feel a sense of pride when I saw the made in the U.S.A. sticker on the box... :lol:
 
john i have the same sized tank and i am having the same decision to make, and im leaning towards the ati
 
TandN,

My suggestion would be to go with the ATI PM if that's what you really want. The solar flare is a nice fixture and super bright, but everyone I know with one have tanks that are no more than 24 inches in width. I may stay where I am, but if I could do it over again, I would have probably stuck with the ATI PM. My reasoning, is that I can't get comfortable knowing that only a fifteen inch width fixture (solar Flare) will hang over a 36 inch width tank.. The other thing that is starting to worry me a bit is wondering how long the lights will last being over-driven. Maybe vthondaboi can comment on that. I should have taken more time to think about these things before I purchased my fixture, but after being out of the hobby for three long years I was a bit anxious.
 
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