Best 36" fixture

[pszemol]

Want to upgrade my home-made 2 x 96W power compact fixture sitting over my 58 gallons oceanic reef-ready tank...

Tank has an overflow in the middle of the back wall but no center brace between front and back walls.

I was thinking about getting some decent 3 bulbs 96W power compact lamp and run it with two 96W True Actinics 420nm and one white 10000K bulbs.

What would you recomend ? Is there anything interesting on the market currently or I have to go with another DIY project ?

 

[sds]

I just ordered an 36" aquatinics t5 fixture for my 58. I havent got it yet but it looks like a very nice light. Pretty pricy though. If you want to use pc bulbs look at ahsupply.com they have very good reflectors.

 

[GSMguy]

i second the aquatinics fixture powercompact is not worth the cost of materials

 

[sasscuba]

Have 2 of the aquatinics 36 inch fixtures on my 125 gallon in a canopy I built. Here's some pics.

 

[pszemol]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9087772#post9087772 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GSMguy
i second the aquatinics fixture powercompact is not worth the cost of materials

wow... that is very strong opinion would you care to elaborate ? I am very happy with power compacts now but - I admit - never experienced T5 yet.

I will look at aquatinics fixture - how is this 36" one called ?
Their website is kind of hard to find stuff you look for...
They are missing size categories to display products another way.

 

[GSMguy]

t5is highly efficent pc is not t5 has exellent bulb choices pc does not at all t5 is amazing beats vho in my opinion t5 has lots of PAR otherwise known as useable light t5 has way more lumens per watt
you think you would be very happy with the aquatinic or a tek light fixture aquatinics is great they have exellent customer service and their fixtures are designed to work on aquariums they mix the bulbs very well
t5 and powercompact are not the same at all and the old watts per gallon rule is whacked

 

[GSMguy]

you can buy both tek light and aquatinics here
http://www.aquariumobsessed.com/
t5 is on the same level as metal halide powercompact is on the same level as my butt i still use a powercompact fixture only because im waiting for aquatinics to release the 24inch light for the tank i have the powercompacts on
t5s with individual reflectors will grow all corals and anemones powercompact has many restrictions

 

[pszemol]

So you are saying power compacts will not grow corals and anemones ? What "restrictions" are you talking about ?
I am confused...

 

[GSMguy]

powercompacts will not grow anemones or high light loving corals t5s will grow as much or more than halides run cooloer and take up less space

 

[pszemol]

That is interesting, because I have quite a large bubble tip anemone with two maroon clowns breeding constantly in it under only two 96W power compacts and home made fixture for about three years now... And my home brew fixture is without even a parabolic reflector - just couple of pieces of mirror glass cut to size behind the bulbs so the light output from my power compact is probably impared greatly by a lack of proper reflector.

I am still confused why do you have such a bad opinion about power compacts... Is there PAR/Watt or lumen/Watt difference so significant between power compacts and T5's? Are there any test being made to back up this opinion ?

Is it not that I am going to convert you back to power compacts from T5 but stating that anemones will not grow under power compacts is totally untrue and I have one proof of this in my home.

 

[GSMguy]

bubble tip is the exeption to the rule
yes powercompacts are far less efficent than a t5
if you go t5 you wil not go back

 

[GSMguy]

my bubble tip is surviving under 130wpc but not thriving llike it will when i get the aquatinics

 

[Kayadad]

No personal experience here yet, but from reading hundreds of threads on the subject, GSMguy is telling the truth.

Now if we can just get him to use periods? :lol:

 

[GSMguy]

dude, that is never going to happen i dont use puntuation, when i dont have to.

 

[Kayadad]

lol, i guess it is just the tacher in me. i usually do not like capitals and could really care less about correct grammar. periods do make it easier to read though.

 

[GSMguy]

i know i can tell you ive had a very expensive education and never been able to learn punctuation, they think it is a memory recall problem i dont know for sure i think my memory is fantastic
i know i sound crazy raving about pc lighting but the difference in pc and t5 is crazy

 

[pszemol]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9088674#post9088674 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GSMguy
yes powercompacts are far less efficent than a t5
if you go t5 you wil not go back

Any data you could point me to backing this claim of pc being "far less efficient" than T5 ?

Thanks.

 

[GSMguy]

dude the lighting thread is full of them ask grimreefer he has done all the par tests what would be the reason to say this if its not true
here is the info
powercompact putsout like 50 lumens per watt t5 is 90 and when you add the individual reflectors they increase 60%more

 

[GSMguy]

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1023483

 

[GSMguy]

Individual Reflectors
To back up sjm817:

• PC lighting or pin-based high-wattage compact fluorescent lamps (HW-CFL) generate ~60 lumens per watt (http://lightingresearch.org/program...FL-efficacy.asp)
• T5 lighting generate 90-100 lumens per watt (http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/programs/nlp...s/lat5/pc1a.asp)

I recommend T5 fixtures with individual reflectors for each lamp, such as the Tek fixtures. Fixtures without individual reflectors, such as the Nova, do not take full advantage of T5 lighting.

t5 is just as good as metal halide for keeping corals maybee better this is 2007 the powercompact is so 2001