Can anyone recommend a good T5 setup?

[Flobajob]

I am getting a 50 gallon aquarium that is 48"x16"x20" (roughly). I want to have good enough lighting so that I can keep almost anything, and I want to have T5s. I need the setup to fit inside the hood. The problem is that I live in England, and you can't get all the same equipment here as you can in the US. I can only find 2 tube setups (e.g. the arcadia i bar) that have a total output of around 100W max, and that's probably not going to be enough. Can anyone recommend a setup that will give me more output? Also, can you use any bulbs with any setup (if they are the right size), or does that cause problems?
Thanks a lot for your help,
Flobajob

 

[moonpod]

look around for an ATI hood.

 

[Flobajob]

I can't find ATI hoods anywhere - I tried google but it just came up with a load of computer parts. Does anyone else have any suggestions?

 

[moonpod]

http://www.sewatec.de/Aqua_Connect_....html?osCsid=0bd821320528fdfe897b4deb0eae0d8e

aquaconnect 4x54w

 

[moonpod]

http://www.aquapro2000.de/Lightning...4x54_Watt_activ_cooling_complete_pack.2014.ht

ATI Powermodul 4x54w

 

[Flobajob]

Is there anything I can just mount inside the current hood, or will I have to remove it?

 

[moonpod]

Ah, you want a retrofit setup? Doesn't Arcadia make those?

 

[Flobajob]

I was thinking something like this. (if you can get it in the UK)

 

[Flobajob]

I was looking at the arcadia stuff, but I would need two of them because they only do around 2x50w max, and I'm not sure that would fit.

 

[moonpod]

You want a PC setup? Why?

Look around for T5 retrofit kits. Arcadia makes 'em, though you need to get reflectors for them. ATI makes "double lamp" kits that come with reflectors. I believe Aquaconnect and others do as well. In the US, we have retrofit kits from Sunlight Supply and Icecap, but the ballasts aren't compatible.

You can't fit 2 ibars over the tank?

 

[Flobajob]

I thought with the ibars, seeing as they said that you could use them to replace the middle 'strut' of your hood, that you could only fit one (as there is only one middle strut.

 

[moonpod]

I dunno, b/c we don't have 'em here, but I'd imagine that you can "fix" the thing to anywhere in your hood that'll hold a screw.

What you want is this:
http://www.reefgeek.com/products/categories/lighting/104068.html

there's gotta be someone somewhere in the UK that sells something similar. You could do something similar by using "parts" that Arcadia sells and mounting the reflector to your canopy.

 

[Flobajob]

BTW, is it true that I can't import a US setup and use it with the English power supply?

 

[Flobajob]

That's incredible! I was on the page you sent me for that link about 20 seconds before - I was gonna ask if it was any good (hence the - "can i use us setups")

 

[moonpod]

import everything except the ballast. Buy the arcadia ballast.

Yeah, the electrical is different.

 

[Flobajob]

I could always buy a transformer - that'd be around Ã"šÃ‚£25 and would save me the cost of two new ballasts.

 

[Flobajob]

Although the change in frequency might not be so good - Uk mains is 50Hz, but US mains is 60Hz, right? WOuld that be a problem?

 

[moonpod]

Don't buy the US ballast. Just buy the other parts. In fact, I still have a hard time believing you can't find endcaps, bulbs, reflectors and ballasts in the UK. Aquatics-online I know has the majority of that stuff.
endcaps:
http://www.aquatics-online.co.uk/Z052162.asp
reflectors:
http://www.aquatics-online.co.uk/Z045150.asp

Go to industrial lighting sites for T5 ballasts--I think they call 'em controllers in "proper English".

 

[Flobajob]

Ok, I'll have a look.

 

[mburnickas]

why not get a hood from Reefgeek.com? Get an SLS model.