need opinions please-lighting 75 gallon

joenels

New member
Setting up a 75 gallon sumpless and looking at lighting fixtures.Budget is low(~300) and looking at the 48" 6x54 tek vs the 36" 6x39 tek elite.would prefer the fans on the elite but not sure the 36 inch fixture will produce enough light.this will be mostly softies/lps with a few easy sps like birdsnest and caps...maybe a few acros way up high.Bulb choices will be ATI blue plus and a fiji purple with a 6500k or blue special.can I get away with the 6x39?I am actually worried about too much light for my zoas and acans ...have heard the ATI 6x54 fixtures can make lps unhappy in some cases on shorter tanks.
 
The 6x39" will work fine. Lots of people use fixtures that are shorter than their tank. Plus this way you'll have some areas that don't get direct light (the ends of the tank), which will give some of your low light stuff a place to be.
 
I guess the question is with both fixtures being the same price which would be the better choice for a 75?Does the addition of the fans on the elite make it worth getting a 36 inch elite over a 48 inch non-elite if the prices are fairly equal?
 
go with the 36 inch tek elite if you are going to hang the fixture or the 48 inch if you want to use the tank mounts.
 
I read a thread on here where some dude cut his tek up and added fans and his par increased by like 20%. Cooling the bulbs will increase par and extend bulb life. I say go elite, and put the light demanding stuff in the middle of the tank.
 
i am lost, why would you want a 36" fixture over a 48" tank even if your gonna hang it? I would look for a 48" fixture, the tek will work just fine if you want fans then go to wal mart and pick up a cheap 8" clip on fan to blow accross the bulbs
 
I use a 36in 6x39 watt Nova Extreme Pro on my 75 gallon mixed reef (sps,lps,softies). It is plenty of light. I would go with the 36in Tek Elite for all the reasons mentioned above.
 
The other thing is I am putting it under a canopy about 8 inches tall that is open in the center.I refuse to pay an additional $60 for legs so will either be haning it inside the canopy or rigging some other method of mounting it in there.Probably should go with the elite for the fans...I had a tek on another tank last year and those suckers get hot without any type of fan.I would go with the 48 and just add as fan as mentioned but again if I can get the fan built in plus better reflectors(I believe?)on the elite for the same price I am torn hence my question.Has anybody actually compared the elite to the non-elite to see what the increase in par is?
 
Not sure I understand the pricing on these guys either...the 6x39 non-elite is 280 the elite is 310.the 6x54 non-elite is 300 the elite is 450...go figure.
 
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