t5 - 8 bulbs over 24" tall 120 . . . ?

R

recreative

New member
hi there -

researching some lighting (only somewhat confusing . . .) i have an oceanic 120rr 48"24"x24".

Curious if an 8 bulb 4' t5 hood would be enough to keep sps, a bit more than 400+ watts of t5 with individual reflectors?

are the tek fixture good quality?

thanks.
David
 
Tek are great fixutes. I would say that would be plenty of light provided you keep the fixture close to the surface of the water.

Whiskey
 
cheers Whiskey!

from what i have read, many ppl love them.

question. for those who run tanks without covers and have hoods above them, what do you to protect the fixture from the water?

thanks.
David
 
the teks come with a shield, or at least should since they are an additional but necessary accessorie.

head over to the sunlight supply forum, and they clearly warn not to use the fixture without a shield since the reflectors will tarnish/stain permanently.
 
I have the retro over my 50, it has no cover but it does have waterproof endcaps. I do get salt on the reflectors and bulbs but I wipe them down monthly.

Whiskey
 
whiskey,

just to restate, the reflectors (at least the tek) will be ruined by salt spray, not to mention that both the bulbs and reflectors become less eficient when soiled.

just passing along info, not sure if you already knew.
 
yup, its a coop venture with aquactinics.

head over to their sponsored forums for some detailed info. i posted a question about price and arrangement of the reflectors, but nothing yet.

unfortunately, it doesnt sound like they are eager to build less than 48". i think they eventually will, but wont help those, like me, who need lighting now not next year.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7835999#post7835999 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nemo g
whiskey,

just to restate, the reflectors (at least the tek) will be ruined by salt spray, not to mention that both the bulbs and reflectors become less eficient when soiled.

just passing along info, not sure if you already knew.
Click to expand...

I have been told that the salt spray will not perminitally damage the reflectors by the sight at which I bought the retro, it sounds like I need to do some reading.

Thanks,
Whiskey
 
my reflectors are all stained but I'm not sure ruined. I'm wondering how much a difference it really makes, as far as light getting down to the tank. Probably some but enough of a % to really make a difference? I don't know.
Now that this has come up I'm wondering if I could buy a new reflector kit from Tek to replace my 1.5 year one? If anyone knows, chime in.

If I could do it differently I would def. get the shield but I wouldn't use the whole thing. I would cut it to cover the endcaps and about 1" of the bulb. This would protect the caps and then get 100% light over the tank.
 
for those that dont use a shield, and dont want to, why?

this confuses me, as i dont see a benefit to not using one.

the advantages are obvious.
1- reflectors wont become get damaged (even if minor its still less light being reflective)
2- bulbs get spray and also reduces light that could be going into the tank
3- a lot more time consuming and a pia to have to get into the fixture to clean the bulbs remove bulbs to clean shield. lot easier and quicker to do a daily or bidaily wipe of an acrylic/glass shield.
4- plus the obvous benefits of protecting end caps that are not water resistant.

what am i missing?

if its the notion that the shield reduces light, that may be so, but i dobt its anywhere near what a dirty bulb and reflector do, no?
 
Heat is the major issue. Also Tek does not make a shield for the 6 x 54 fixture.


<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7837411#post7837411 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nemo g
for those that dont use a shield, and dont want to, why?

this confuses me, as i dont see a benefit to not using one.

the advantages are obvious.
1- reflectors wont become get damaged (even if minor its still less light being reflective)
2- bulbs get spray and also reduces light that could be going into the tank
3- a lot more time consuming and a pia to have to get into the fixture to clean the bulbs remove bulbs to clean shield. lot easier and quicker to do a daily or bidaily wipe of an acrylic/glass shield.
4- plus the obvous benefits of protecting end caps that are not water resistant.

what am i missing?


if its the notion that the shield reduces light, that may be so, but i dobt its anywhere near what a dirty bulb and reflector do, no?
Click to expand...
 
my2girls are you sure they dont make a shield for it?

that would be really odd designing, if all the others do and if the 4x54 and 8x54. what makes the 6x54 so special not to get a shield???

i did some quick research and i think you may be mistaken because reefgeek doesnt have them listed.

but you can get the 6 bulb shields for both the 39w and 54w teks here:

http://seedsetc.com/

http://specialty-lights.com/960040.html
 
I talked to Greg at Reefgeek when I ordered my 6 x 54. I wanted the fixture with the shield but he said it was not an option.

Thanks for the links. I also have heard of reefers buying it at HD or Lowes.
 
really, thats odd. considering they sell larger and smaller fixtures with the shield option. hmmm....

my2girls, im probably picking up a new tek soon and will be getting the shield. however, i am going to use the shield as template for a glass shop to cut me a piece of tempered glass. i feel it has these positives over the acrylic:

1.will tolerate heat better, sls used to not recommend using it due to the warping of them, but also recommends their use in order not to stain the reflectors, go figure.

2.clarity will last much longer. salt spray can be abrasive and ive already have a shield that after just a month has a bit of hazing on it, but never an issue with my glass tops/shields.

just a thought.

good luck
 
Yeah they don't come with any accessories. I do not yet have a shield, but my Oceanic tank has a glass cover anyways.
I will probably buy their shield soon.
Apparently, their acrylic shield is not regular acrylic, and it is more heat resistant and can allow more high frequency light waves to pass through.
 
I have a couple thoughts. I think it is lame that the Tek fixtures do not come with a shield or mounting legs included. Don't get me wrong, I am happy with the fixture in terms of the light it provides my corals. I had an Aquactinics halide fixture that was great. It had fans and splash shield included. When I went pure T5 (excellent move on my part) Aquactinics only offered a 5 bulb fixture which I didn't think would be enough.

As far as the heat issue of the splash shield- the way it was explained to me was that the acrylic retains the heat of the bulbs, in turn heating the water and reducing the life of the bulbs.

BTW- it is also lame that the Tek fixtures do not have waterproof endcaps. How can you not include a shield and not have waterproof endcaps? W T F ?
 
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