LIGHTINGS OPTIONS
LIGHTINGS OPTIONS
For those of you who have been following my thread, you know that I have in these past months been down with luck from an almost wipe out from Ich in my tank to high PO4 and worst is my lightings woos….
Well, after much thoughts, I decided ENOUGH is ENOUGH and it’s about time I take some serious steps to fix those problems and one of the major one is my lights.
With that I decided to return my I-Series Solaris LED lights, despised what I think it’s still a wonderful technology but the poor build quality is just too much to bear, even for someone as patience as myself.
So below are a couple of lightings option I have and I’m hoping for some end-user experience??
First is the famous MH vs T5?? Which would be a better light for my tank of L:200cm x W:80cm x H:70cm to give the best growth, colors and of course $$ on electricity (if possible) and easier maintenance and trouble free?? I have never used T5 before but surely love the colors these lights brings out of our corals but also concern if the lights are good for my tank with a depth of 70cm (27.6inch)….
I listed down a couple of options below so please feel free to chip in??
MH with T5 Combi Options
Giesemann INFINITI HQ / T-5 1800 mm (3 x 250W / 4 x 80W)
Advantage
- Adjustable HQI lamp and reflector to precisely focus the light on a specific area within the aquarium
- Pretty looking fixture especially if one day I decided to go rimless and open top
- Of course glitter from the MH and still have color supplements from T5 so best of both world
- Used DE bulbs
Disadvantage
- Only comes in 150w and 250w so not sure of 250w is sufficient for the width and dept of my tank??
- Fix length fixture so for future upgrade of wider or longer tank will be an issue
- No Moonlight LED
- Not sure if light spread is sufficient for my tank ☹
- Heavy when want to change bulbs/ T5 tubes as I might need to remove the whole fixture each time
Giesemann MOONLIGHT HQ / T-5 dim. 1800 mm (3 x 250W / 4 x 80W)
Advantage
- Comes with a build-in computer to control dimming/ sunrise, etc. Basically similar features like my Solaris but with all respect, not much review from end-user and not sure if this ‘build-in’ computer will only complicate things and create more future problems for me (like Solaris)
- Used DE bulbs
- Pretty looking fixture especially if one day I decided to go rimless and open top Of course glitter from the MH and still have color supplements from T5 so best of both world
Disadvantage
- Only comes in 150w and 250w so not sure of 250w is sufficient for the width and dept of my tank??
- Fix length fixture so for future upgrade of wider or longer tank will be an issue
- Non adjustable HQI lamp and reflector to precisely focus the light, unlike Infiniti
- Not sure if light spread is sufficient for my tank ☹
- Heavy when want to change bulbs/ T5 tubes as I might need to remove the whole fixture each time
Giesemann SPECTRA HQ (E40) / T-5 1800 mm (3 x 400W / 4 x 80W)
Advantage
- Choice of 250W or 400W models with greater light spread due to the SE bulb.
- Pretty looking fixture especially if one day I decided to go rimless and open top Of course glitter from the MH and still have color supplements from T5 so best of both world
Disadvantage
- Non-movable HQI lamp and if I were to go with 400w will mean more electricity cost $$
- No LED Moonlight so might want to source for alternative LED light to be used as moonlight
- Fix length fixture so for future upgrade of wider or longer tank will be an issue
- More heat issues going with MH400w
- Heavy when want to change bulbs/ T5 tubes as I might need to remove the whole fixture each time
- Used SE Bulbs
SLS LumenMax 3 (250W DE)
Advantage
- I have read that they our performed the Lumenarc's when tested offering the highest Par!! With that I think using 3 single unit of 250W with IceCap 250W Metal Halide Ballast (220V) and retrofit 4 x 80w T5 in my canopy top (for color combi) should give sufficient light for my tank thus saving on electricity $.
- Flexibility for future upgrades, as I’m not constraining with a fix length lightings fixture.
- If any unit is not working, you can just repair/ replace that unit instead of sending the whole fixture for repair, thus’ leaving your tank with no lights at all
- Of course Lumen offer the largest reflector so give better light spread
Disadvantage
- Have to make a light frame and a hanging system = more work and more delays
- Messy wiring thus increases the risk of mistakes or accidents, if not set-up and installed properly.
- Not splash proof and of course the add fans in the hood to cool down the light fixture
- No open top with this reflector as the glare will just kill me
T5 Options:
ATI Power Module T5 880mm 10 X 39W
Advantage
- One of the most establishes brand names for T5 lighting fixture.
- Build-in cooling fans to extend the lifespan of T5 tubes
- Also by using T5 will mean lower electricity bills $$
- Color combi is just never ending with T5
- Less heat issues
Disadvantage
- Costly maintenance and non-dimmable
- Will need 2 units of 88mm each to cover the length of my tank as their longest fixture is only 150cm in length
- My distributor don’t carry them so will make the exchange a bit more tricky
ATI Power Module T5 Dimmable 880mm 10 X 39W
Advantage
- One of the most establishes brand names for T5 lighting fixture.
- Build-in cooling fans to extend the lifespan of T5 tubes
- Also by using T5 will mean lower electricity bills $$.
- It’s dimmable which I can hook up to my GHL Controller
- Color combi is just never ending with T5
- Less heat issues
Disadvantage
- Costly maintenance and will need 2 units to cover the length of my tank
- My distributor don’t carry them so will make the exchange a bit more tricky
Giesemann MATRIX T5 900 mm 8 x 39W
Advantage
- One of the most establishes brand names for MH lightings but T5 lighting fixture is a new thing to them.
- Spoken to Giesemann and they can retrofit a dimmable ballast for these units (if I so required)
- Color combi is just never ending with T5
- Less heat issues
- My distributor carries them :lol2:
Disadvantage
- No build in fan to cool the T5 tubes but fixture seem to be design for good ventilation but problem is I will be using it in my Canopy so not sure if that will cause a problem?
- Untested as I’ve yet to see any user review on this so not sure if it’s advisable or if better than the ATI modules.
- Costly maintenance and will need 2 units to cover the length of my tank as their longest unit is also 150cm in length
Question I have is the dimmable version worth the extra $ or by having different T5 switch on at different interval would have achieve the same effect? Reasons I ask is my current Solaris have all this cool features of dimming, etc but like I say, I don’t think it really benefit our reef as much?? To get the sunrise/ sunset effect, we can simply place timer to switch on/off different T5 at different time interval
Choices Preference:
My current distributor carries all the above EXCEPT for ATI so preferably would like to go with something my distributor carries to make the exchange simple or alternatively to exchange for other ‘products’ and fork out some more $$ to buy those ATI units separately??
I like T5 for the colors (no, I don’t mind the lost of glitter as it’s easy to hook a local-made LED as an add on if I want to get back the glitter) but concern is if it’s sufficient for the depth of my tank. So far, I’m leaning towards the Spectra as the best option of both worlds.
Any thoughts/ suggestions guys??