Good or Trash?
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: Equipment
Forum Description: This is the place to ask question about reef equipment.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=43191
Printed Date: June 12 2026 at 12:56am
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Topic: Good or Trash?
Posted By: arthuriv
Subject: Good or Trash?
Date Posted: September 03 2010 at 5:28pm
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Does anyone here own one of these AquaticLife T5 lights or know anything about them? If so what do you think about it. I'm considering buy the 72" 12x39 with 6 LED lunar lights for my 210 gallon tank.
http://www.marinedepot.com/AquaticLife_T5_HO_6_Lamp_Light_Fixture_w_Lunar_LEDs_36_Inch_T5_Fluorescent_Light_Fixtures-AquaticLife-AK01191-FILTFIT56U-vi.html - http://www.marinedepot.com/AquaticLife_T5_HO_6_Lamp_Light_Fixture_w_Lunar_LEDs_36_Inch_T5_Fluorescent_Light_Fixtures-AquaticLife-AK01191-FILTFIT56U-vi.htmlThank you!
Arthur ------------- Quality Marines Aquaculturing & Captive Breeding program! Presented by Ashley & Chelsea from Reef On Thursday 6 Oct 2016 |
Replies:
Posted By: arthuriv
Date Posted: September 04 2010 at 11:06am
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No one?
------------- Quality Marines Aquaculturing & Captive Breeding program! Presented by Ashley & Chelsea from Reef On Thursday 6 Oct 2016 |
Posted By: SGH360
Date Posted: September 04 2010 at 11:12am
| if your going to spend money on one of this consider buying a tek light fixture or better yet an ATI fixture |
Posted By: kody72
Date Posted: September 04 2010 at 12:11pm
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http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/ATI/SunPower_Fixtures/60_inch__6x80W_SunPower_T5_High-Output_Fixture_w!_Bulbs_by_ATI - http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/ATI/SunPower_Fixtures/60_inch__6x80W_SunPower_T5_High-Output_Fixture_w!_Bulbs_by_ATI
http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/Sunlight_Supply/Tek_Light_Fixtures/60_inch__8x80W_Tek_Light_T5_High-Output_Fixture_w!_Bulbs_%28Black%29_by_Sunlight_Supply - http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/Sunlight_Supply/Tek_Light_Fixtures/60_inch__8x80W_Tek_Light_T5_High-Output_Fixture_w!_Bulbs_(Black)_by_Sunlight_Supply
look at this much better product for the money ------------- http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=60612&title=kody72-fishroom" rel="nofollow - KODY72 FISHROOM BUILD 281g DT 187g Rimless Frag ATI PM lighting SRO DSCR-300ext 8013908179 |
Posted By: arthuriv
Date Posted: September 04 2010 at 6:32pm
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So what makes the TEK or ATI light fixtures better?
------------- Quality Marines Aquaculturing & Captive Breeding program! Presented by Ashley & Chelsea from Reef On Thursday 6 Oct 2016 |
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: September 04 2010 at 6:34pm
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Better components all around! ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: arthuriv
Date Posted: September 04 2010 at 7:05pm
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Better components? What ballast, fans, reflectors? Bulbs don't count!
------------- Quality Marines Aquaculturing & Captive Breeding program! Presented by Ashley & Chelsea from Reef On Thursday 6 Oct 2016 |
Posted By: Ryan Thompson
Date Posted: September 04 2010 at 7:05pm
ATI's put out about 25-30% more PAR than the Tek fixtures. I recently read a thread where a guy tested the Aquatic Life against an ATI and the ATI was putting out about 40-45% more PAR. The ATI's are better because everything they are built with is better. Better cooling, better ballasts, better reflectors and much better bulbs. You can get better bulbs for the Aquatic Life but you will drop $20-$30 a bulb. If you can hang the fixture, use a 60" over your 72" tank. An ATI Sunpower will be plenty for anything you want to do.
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arthuriv wrote:Posted By: Ryan Thompson
Date Posted: September 04 2010 at 7:07pm
Bulbs do count. ATI bulbs are better than Aquatic Life bulbs. When ordering Tek or ATI stuff you get to choose your bulbs. When you are talking about dropping that kind of money on a fixture (the Aquatic Life) and then having to replace all the bulbs? It gets even more expensive.
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Posted By: Will Spencer
Date Posted: September 04 2010 at 7:38pm
| If you would consider a MH and PC fixture I have a 72" Aquaspace light with 3 150Watt DE MH bulbs and 4 24 Watt PC bulbs for sale for $200. It needs to be cleaned up a bit and needs all new bulbs, but that is a steal for a really nice light fixture. Of course if you are set on T-5's it won't help you much, but I just wanted to throw it out there. This fixture originally cost almost $1400. |
Posted By: arthuriv
Date Posted: September 05 2010 at 2:29pm
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Bulbs don't count because I can put any bulbs I want in. I'm comparing hardware. The only real difference I believe there may be is ballast!! Reflectors are either made by the same company or made of the same material, but could possibly be formed differently. Fans are fans. What else is there to a T5 fixture not much but housing and extra luxuries! The AquaticLife fixture has LED lunar lights and a built in three way timer which TEK and ATI don't have. So I really don't see how they could be better!!!
------------- Quality Marines Aquaculturing & Captive Breeding program! Presented by Ashley & Chelsea from Reef On Thursday 6 Oct 2016 |
Posted By: sterling18
Date Posted: September 05 2010 at 3:33pm
Your right it is the ballasts because they can drive a bulb to perform that much better. As for timers, don't depend on OEM timers as they might fail. Go for a controller. I don't know what I do without one. |
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: September 05 2010 at 3:35pm
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Apparently you are pretty set on this fixture. I would really like to know how well it works. ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: Ryan Thompson
Date Posted: September 05 2010 at 4:14pm
Actually you are mistaken. A fan may be a fan but how it cools the bulbs can be totally different. A T5 bulb needs to maintain a temperature of 95F at the cold spot for maximum performance. To date I haven't found another fixture outside of ATI that can do this. A reflector isn't a just a reflector. Almost all of them are made out of different materials or coated differently. Also how they are shaped plays a huge role in how much light gets redirected back into the tank. A crappy design can cause what is called restrike. Where light hit the bulbs again and doesn't find its' way into the tank. If a timer and lunar lights makes a fixture "better" to you. Then get that fixture. But what makes a fixture better to me and most others is how much light is it giving my corals. Two very different ways to look at a fixture.
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Posted By: arthuriv
Date Posted: September 05 2010 at 4:17pm
Its not that I'm set on this fixture, its just I like the idea of having the lunar lights tho I've never had them and the timer is just a bonus. Also I'm able to purchase this light at wholesale for a lot cheaper. I can also get the TEK's wholesale but only 36" and 48" at this time. Ultimately I would love to get one of the Ice Cap fixtures but they cost much more and I can't convince the wife to let me spend that much and if I do I have to let her spend that much as well. Currently I'm running UV lighting T12 bulbs with an Ice Cap 660 ballast bulb I need new bulbs and would like to upgrade to T5's at this time and rewiring the 660 ballast to T5's and buying reflector cost as much as buying a fixture. So the idea is to eventurelly replace the ballast in any fixture I buy with the Ice Cap 660 ballasts and run UV lighting T5 V-HO bulbs. ------------- Quality Marines Aquaculturing & Captive Breeding program! Presented by Ashley & Chelsea from Reef On Thursday 6 Oct 2016 |
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: September 05 2010 at 4:22pm
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Actually I would like to get rid of my Icecap 660 and change to 2 regular ones. I really don't like overdriving! The ends are already turning black and I have 3 fans running whenever the lights are on. ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: Luckedout
Date Posted: September 06 2010 at 12:14am
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This may be off topic, but what good are lunar lights anyways?
------------- -Ben 90g Mixed reef www.body-balancechiropractic.com |
Posted By: SGH360
Date Posted: September 06 2010 at 12:19am
| they kinda look cool at night stimulate nightfall. honestly you can purcahse them seperatly, and get a good fixture. |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: September 06 2010 at 3:14pm
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Also, There are now PC-R tubes that do better than ordinary PC's with a reflector and can make coral look colorful too. If it was me, I'd take Wills offer. That's the best lighting for the $. Oh and moonlights can be purchased at Walmart for $5 ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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Posted By: SGH360
Date Posted: September 06 2010 at 3:15pm
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what does R stand for Reloaded? Any info of what brands carry this fixture
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Posted By: Will Spencer
Date Posted: September 07 2010 at 10:29am
| R stands for "Reflector". |
Posted By: rwccomptech
Date Posted: September 07 2010 at 12:34pm
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BTW fans are not just fans, you need to look at rpm vrs power consumption. Most of the fans you get for cooling on a light fixture have the same hardware as a computer fan, Anything with a higher rpm will be better. Their is also the chance that the fan will be advertised as a 3500rpm and when tested it only runs 1700rpm. Most companies will do this because on over clocking it can run that fast. If you buy something with cheaper components look for a cheaper result IMC.
------------- Ron 20g 60x turnover 30" current pc fixture |