Nova Extreme Pro lighting

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ldallen95219

New member
I just purchased a Nova Extreme Pro (6 lights -T5) for my 55 gallon tank - Is that going to be too much light for my fish and soft corals? Also, the instructions say that the light fixture must be used with a glass top. I have it mounted on the tank as opposed to hanging it as I am renting and did not want to put holes in the ceiling. Do I need to use a glass top? I would prefer to use a crate which I purchased at Home Depot. I do need want to use some type of top as I have lost 3 fish due to them jumping out. Please advise. Thanks
 
No to glass top. Yes to egg crate.

The light is not too much, your corals will thank you.

When you get some extra money change out the stock lamps. They leave a lot to be desired.
 
Thank you for the input. I do plan on changing the lights out, have any suggestions which bulb combo to use to achieve max growth and color. I would like it more on the bluer side if possible. And, can the dusk/dawn lights stay on for 24 hours? Don't the fish need it dark at all?

Just got a call from a rep from the manufacturer of the fixture (Current-USA) and he said that the glass top is necessary to keep salt creep from getting up into the ballast. He said if I do not use the glass I should clean the splash lens every two weeks which will be a pain as the fixture is quite heavy for me. So, since my glass top is divided with a plastic strip so I can open half of it, I decided to take off the one half and cut a piece of egg crate to only fit the front half of the glass top. That way the majority of the tank is still covered with the glass. What do you think. Have you heard of anyone having problems with getting salt creep up in the ballast of the light while using a crate? Thanks.
 
The splash lens slides out from the side so you don't have to remove the fixture. I don't have a cover on my tank, and have not had any problems with the light. HTH
 
Thank you aajd. However, I forgot to mention that the tank is situated in an "alcove" so to speak so there are walls on three sides (back and both sides). It fits in there perfectly so therefore, I cannot slide the lens out unless I take the fixture off completely. To be honest, I don't see where salt creep would get in, but I will keep an eye on it. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to get such a large lighting system, but it sure does make my tank look nice. I was checking on new light bulbs but to change all 6 of them I see it can cost me about $120 so might have to wait a bit. Also, do you know if it is okay to leave the two blue lights on all night? I have them coming on at 6 p.m. and going out at 7 a.m. Don't the fish need to be in compete darkness at all?
 
I recently got the same exact fixture with my 58 setup purchase. Change out the stock bulbs, they are garbage. I put in 2 ATI Blue Plus and 4 ATI Aquablues and it gives it a great 14k look. This also increased the PAR by 25% over the stock bulbs! 25%! That is almost like running 2 more bulbs without paying the electric bill. I know its $120 but well worth it.

If you want a 20k look go with 3 ATI blue plus and 3 ATI aquablue.
14k 2 ATI blue plus and 4 aquablue. This setup matches my old 14k Phoenix colors pretty good. I like ATI bulbs because they have great PAR and colors

No glass cover needed.

No, do not run the blues all night. T5 blue bulbs have a lot of PAR to them, you will/may burn you corals.
 
I had my NEP on my 55G no issues at all. I did not use a glass top, but I did use Egg Crate for Jumpers. I had it for about 8 months over my system and it work out great. I also switched out my OEM bulbs with

3 ATI Blue Plus
1 UVL Actinic White
1 ATI Blue Plus Special
1 GE 6500K Midday

My SPS and other Coral are extremely happy with the lighting...
 
from what i've seen, throw the actinics (pretty much the blue lights) on a bit before the whiter lights. right now i'm acclimating my corals to a new t-5 fixture, so i don't run them too long, but my actinics turn on at 10am, everything else at 11, off at 5, actinics turn off at 6. you can read up on some other threads to see when people turn on and off their tanks (i check tank of the month and see what others use for the same corals i have to get an idea). also, don't need the glass top. that'll actually cause a lot more evaporation. egg crate will diffuse some of the light, i built a mesh top that works well. http://www.*********.com/forums/f30/clear-mesh-top-5124.html

goodluck on whatever you choose to do
 
sjfishguy - I think I will go ahead and get new bulbs. I see that Grim on the T5 lighting chat room suggested the following:
Front
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Actinic White or KZ Fiji Purple
Ati Blue Plus
Kz Fiji Purple if used in slot 2 or ATI Aquablue if actinic white
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Blue Plus

My question is do I leave these lights to go and off at the same time or have the bulbs in slot 1 and 5 (which are powered on a different cord) go on and off at a different time? I do have a timer so I can time the two different settings. Thanks for your input
 
Yeah, Grim gave me a suggestion too and it looked terrible. Not that others arent happy with his suggestions, but I think he likes the actinic/purplish look more than most. With that bulb combo its gonna look REALLY purplish blue. Just letting you know ahead of time. I think he uses way too many blue pluses in a lot of the suggestions he makes. But each to their own.

I turn my lights on and off all at once. You can stagger it too, but I don't see the need.
 
Does anyone have a picture of what each of these bulb combos look like? I am thinking about getting the extreme pro and switching for ATI Bulbs too. I have been using a glass hood on my tank, but was thinking about switching. No egg crate? What to use then? Sorry to hijack!!
 
Yes, it would be nice to see some pictures of tanks with these color combos in them. I already ordered by lights. If it looks too blue (although I do like the blue look) I can replace one. What is the difference between blue plus and aqua blue? - they are both blue. As for the Figi purple - I have know idea who makes it. Also, I think the reason Grim mentioned that color combo is because the person who asked for it wanted the bluer look.
 
Those fiji's look really nice, not as purple as I expected.
I have one bright 12k daylight to offset blue/purple.
I don't use a glass cover either, as long as high enough above water/splash should be fine.
I think they like to cover butt, reason for glass cover suggestion.
The fixtures are pretty light, doubt taking off to clean will be a prob for you.
I also prefer the bird net if you need a cover.
 
davocean - I have not heard of the bird net - what does it look like and where would I purchase something like that. What I have done is use half my glass top and half crate. The back part I have the glass on it and the front part the crate. I like the crate as the holes are big enough for me to drop the food in. Also, I ended up buying 4 ATI Blue Plus, 1 12000 ATI Aquablue Special and one UVL Actinic White 12000 - do you think my tank will look too blue - hope not as I just spent $148 on the lights. The shipping alone was $20 (ugh). Plus, will the lights I bought give growth to my corals (soft only)?

One more question - which is out of this topic - what salt is the best to use. I have been using Instant Ocean but not sure if I am pleased with it.
 
Go over to the DIY forum for the bird net top, there are some threads on it. Its the netting you put over an outdoor pond. The guys are taking custom window frames from home depot and putting birdnetting in them. Costs like $30 or something to do, well worth it with all your light getting through.

IO is fine as far as salt for fish and softies, I use Reef Crystals which is the same except it has higher Ca, Alk, and Mg for stony corals. There are 1000 salt threads in the chem forum.

I know its confusing with the naming of the T5 bulbs, the Aquablue Special is white, the Blue Plus is royal blue.
 
Finally got a pic, here is my tank with 4 Aquablue and 2 Blue Plus
588-09.jpg
 
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