majorpayne360
New member
I have a question, Is the Nova Extreme T-5 48in 432 watts 8-54 watt Fixture w/Lunar Lights any good? Anything would be great thanks Craig
T5 light unit
- Thread starter majorpayne360
- Start date
acidlittle
New member
I bought mine used and it kicks some major butt.... looks clean too even without a canopy...
edwing206
New member
not really because they do not have individual reflectors, they have one big reflector for all 8 of the bulbs. heres a better fixture
http://www.cadlights.com/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=81
http://www.cadlights.com/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=81
majorpayne360
New member
Thanks for the info.
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
Watt for Watt, it only puts out about 40% the light that a Tek or Aquatinics can because it lacks individual parabolic reflectors. Yes... only40%!!!
Well, it might do better than 40% of the Tek. The Tek loses intensity because it doesn't have fans, which the Nova does. However, the Aquactinics 5-bulb would put out about a much light (maybe a little more) as the 8-bulb Nova. The fixture isn't much more expence, and in the long run bulb replacement costs will be lower.
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
Thats true, but its easy to set up a fan and correct the cooling issue with the Teks. You cant correct a crappy reflector though.
You want a real nice unit for only about $100-150 more than a Tek? Get a fauna-marin. They have avtive cooling and heat-sensing ballasts, individual reflectors that are the best around, waterproof endcaps, etc. They include the bulbs as well... a bonus over the Teks that makes up the price gap.
You want a real nice unit for only about $100-150 more than a Tek? Get a fauna-marin. They have avtive cooling and heat-sensing ballasts, individual reflectors that are the best around, waterproof endcaps, etc. They include the bulbs as well... a bonus over the Teks that makes up the price gap.
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
Lol, I could do that test, but its been documented on a few euro sites like korallenriff.de. They tested a fauna-marin vs. a reflector that used a single large parabolic reflector... one would think this wouldnt be so bad and in fact be better than a flat refector at least... but not really. The output of the single reflector unit was 40% that of the fauna-marin. I think Grim ran that test as well.
mrpet
Member
hahnmeister im getting ready to purchase a t-5 light set up for
my new tank. its 72x48x24 was going to use ice cap reflectors
run 54 watt bulbs on a 660 ballast. are the ice cap reflectors any good? i want individual reflectors are the fauna-marin better?
and where can i purchase them...thanks
my new tank. its 72x48x24 was going to use ice cap reflectors
run 54 watt bulbs on a 660 ballast. are the ice cap reflectors any good? i want individual reflectors are the fauna-marin better?
and where can i purchase them...thanks
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
They are so close I wouldnt bother trying to get my hands on the FMs. They are both top-notch reflectors. Reefgeek.com
mrpet
Member
hey hahn was looking at the tek light the 48" hood with 8 54w
t5s in it only 389.00 need 2 of them so thats 778.00 if i were to
buy the ic retros would be 1458.00 the tek hood does not come with bulbs but i can get them wholesale so 16 bulbs at an avg of
say 17.00 a bulb is another 272.00 for a total of 1050.00 about
400.00 less then the ice cap retros my questions is, are the ice cap retros that much better? money is a small issue want whats best but if i can save 400.00 why not. plus no dyi on the hoods as well... just wanted to see what u thought...
t5s in it only 389.00 need 2 of them so thats 778.00 if i were to
buy the ic retros would be 1458.00 the tek hood does not come with bulbs but i can get them wholesale so 16 bulbs at an avg of
say 17.00 a bulb is another 272.00 for a total of 1050.00 about
400.00 less then the ice cap retros my questions is, are the ice cap retros that much better? money is a small issue want whats best but if i can save 400.00 why not. plus no dyi on the hoods as well... just wanted to see what u thought...
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
Okay, back up once. The Icecap retros are more expensive because they are using the Icecap 660 ballasts that overdrive the bulbs to 80watts each. What can do that makes more sense is to get the Tek retrofit, with normal spec T5 ballasts, and call Greg at Geek to have him swap out the Tek reflectors for the better Icecap SLRs. They are a much nicer reflector than the Tek, and only cost you a few $$ more per bulb... so much less money than the 100% icecap retro.
These are retros though, and so if you dont want to DIY, then retrofits are out. Fauna-Marins, ATIs, and possibly the Teks. I do have one warning about the Teks though... you get what you pay for. The reflectors are corrosion prone, and the passive ventilation isnt enough to keep the bulbs as cool as they should be. The heat buildup kills anywhere from 10-20% of the bulb's output, and the acrylic sheild that protects the reflectors makes it even worse. The best solution I have come up with is to use a cross-flow fan attached to the Tek on one end that blows air across the bulbs across the bottom. The acrylic sheild can help in this case then... if you take one end, and notch out about 1/2" in width, and 2" in length at the corners, you can then heat-bend the acrylic so it has a lip and opening at the end where the fan is... so the fan output gets blown up into the reflectors, across the entire bulb, and out at the other end. This also keeps the reflectors protected from splashing, so its a win-win. But its another cost and time issue. FWIW, the Fauna units might be a bit more, but worth it. They use coated reflectors that you can easily snap off for cleaning, and they dont corrode. They have better ballasts and active cooling built in, as well as nice waterproof endcaps. The FM doesnt come in a 8x54watt unit, but the better reflectors and tech that is built in makes the 6x54watt unit just as bright... so its a electricity savings for one. The 6 bulb unit is $579... but includes the bulbs, so its really only $70 more than the Tek (and the extras for the Tek if you do the ducting mod or add fans makes that amount trivial). If you want to stick with 8x54, you can mount 4x54watt units together, right against each other... they are $449 each though... $900 total. But you intend on using two of the 8x54watt fixtures somehow... perhaps three of the 6 bulb units from fauna would do... or just two of the 6 bulb.
These are retros though, and so if you dont want to DIY, then retrofits are out. Fauna-Marins, ATIs, and possibly the Teks. I do have one warning about the Teks though... you get what you pay for. The reflectors are corrosion prone, and the passive ventilation isnt enough to keep the bulbs as cool as they should be. The heat buildup kills anywhere from 10-20% of the bulb's output, and the acrylic sheild that protects the reflectors makes it even worse. The best solution I have come up with is to use a cross-flow fan attached to the Tek on one end that blows air across the bulbs across the bottom. The acrylic sheild can help in this case then... if you take one end, and notch out about 1/2" in width, and 2" in length at the corners, you can then heat-bend the acrylic so it has a lip and opening at the end where the fan is... so the fan output gets blown up into the reflectors, across the entire bulb, and out at the other end. This also keeps the reflectors protected from splashing, so its a win-win. But its another cost and time issue. FWIW, the Fauna units might be a bit more, but worth it. They use coated reflectors that you can easily snap off for cleaning, and they dont corrode. They have better ballasts and active cooling built in, as well as nice waterproof endcaps. The FM doesnt come in a 8x54watt unit, but the better reflectors and tech that is built in makes the 6x54watt unit just as bright... so its a electricity savings for one. The 6 bulb unit is $579... but includes the bulbs, so its really only $70 more than the Tek (and the extras for the Tek if you do the ducting mod or add fans makes that amount trivial). If you want to stick with 8x54, you can mount 4x54watt units together, right against each other... they are $449 each though... $900 total. But you intend on using two of the 8x54watt fixtures somehow... perhaps three of the 6 bulb units from fauna would do... or just two of the 6 bulb.
mrpet
Member
thanks again hahn the t5 master where can i find the fauna
units? i still may do the retros and bulid my own frame to hang
the retros on the tank is going to be in wall and in my garage.
its 72"x48"x25" so thats why i keep going back to the 8 bulb
retro or hood. think i will need 16 bulbs with the size of my aq.
now im thinking 60" bulbs not 48" as the tank is 72" long. with what i have told you what would you do? screw the cost just want it right the 1st time thanks again hahn sorry for all the questions im new to the t5 game always had mh and vhos...
scott
units? i still may do the retros and bulid my own frame to hang
the retros on the tank is going to be in wall and in my garage.
its 72"x48"x25" so thats why i keep going back to the 8 bulb
retro or hood. think i will need 16 bulbs with the size of my aq.
now im thinking 60" bulbs not 48" as the tank is 72" long. with what i have told you what would you do? screw the cost just want it right the 1st time thanks again hahn sorry for all the questions im new to the t5 game always had mh and vhos...
scott
mrpet
Member
hahn i checked out the fauna hoods u were talking about slick looking units. do u think 2 of the 6 bulb 80w units would be enough for my aq? going to be 90% sps and clams. also guess if i go with those will have to get thier bulbs. if so which bulbs would you choose. sucks cause i wanted to mix it up with ati etc...
thanks again
thanks again
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