Unexpected Purchase

[chrisstie]

While I will say calling your tank "brighter" based on your visual perception of light isn't very accurate, don't anyone go knockin' T5s If anyone has seen my tank or pictures I've been running a teklights setup with the individual reflectors. I've got clams sps anemones you name it and the color and lighting is pretty amazing. Since I changed out bulbs after they were a year or so old I'm running a slightly different Kelvin combination thats a tad whiter and my growth has just skyrockted. Really amazing. And at 4x54W versus 2x250W MH the power bill is much more sympathetic and the heat output is low enough where I don't need to run a chiller.

The nova extreme fixtures are fine for most softies and quite a lot more, I just recommend caution when trying anything that requires higher light. Use a test subject first instead of that coral or critter you've been saving up for a month for - everyone's tank is different and some people are able to stretch the limits of their light and others cant for whatever reason. It also depends a lot on your husbandry and water quality too so just take it slow and a day at a time

 

[tangers]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12543280#post12543280 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The_Browns
Maybe the extended polyps are becuase they are trying to get more light....

I highly doubt. I'm sorry I didn't clarify it as good as Christie did, but when I mean polyp extension I was talking mainly sps. I too, am running a tek kit, retro though. 8x 45 overdriven by icecap ballasts, so that is technically almost 8x80. All with ATI anc UVL bulbs on individual reflectors. Although the tank does "appear" at least 3 times brighter, the actual par has not been read. I do know however due to the polyp extension, and the fact that my growth has also trippled, something must be better.