lighting for reef tank

hbalagh

hbalagh

Member
have my 80 gallon tank (my first saltwater tank) with nothing in it right now, as its in it's cycle period.
I bought the tank used and from the looks of it it just has 1 Zoo Med RL-18 Reef Sun 50/50 48” 40 Watts (T8) bulb in it but has another unused lighting fixture. anyhow im wondering what i would need to do in regards to lighting to start up a reef tank. (on a limited budget right now)
 
wangotango

wangotango

Active Member
A good T5, or halide fixture would be the way to go. To new Nova Pro T5 fixtures are decent, and the price is managable.
-Justin
 
moprint

moprint

Member
Wattage is an outdated way of looking for lighting. The Nova Pro Extreme, it's a T5 HO fixture, is a very good buy. You can find it for $324 if you search a little.With a tank that deep you should look into a 6 bulb Tek, also T5 HO, fixture by Sunlight Supply. Or a halide T5 combo fixture. Just depends on what you wanna spend.
 
hbalagh

hbalagh

Member
i went to my lfs today and bought some LR while there i asked about the t5's and how bulbs i would need, he asked me what i was wanting to do and i mentioned setting up a reef and he said the t5's wouldn't be enough. How many t5 bulbs would i need?
 
big

big

Active Member
Originally Posted by hbalagh
http:///forum/post/2467607
i went to my lfs today and bought some LR while there i asked about the t5's and how bulbs i would need, he asked me what i was wanting to do and i mentioned setting up a reef and he said the t5's wouldn't be enough. How many t5 bulbs would i need?
Find a new fish store The Nova Extreme Pro will keep anything your heart desires in a 48 inch wide tank. The guy is behind the times on lighting, just does not know, or he is thinking of selling you something that cost a lot more????? The days that we had to have MH are gone, plus we no longer need chillers all the time with these new much cooler T-5 systems........
The old watts per gallon is becoming a misnomer. It is more a question of the kind of light and, water depth and light intensity. One thing though when shopping for T-5's be sure the fixture uses individual reflectors on the bulbs, it make a big difference. A lot of "fly by niters" are jumping on the T-5 boat and selling junk. Google the term "Nova Extreme Pro" and take a look....... Good Luck with this new obsession of a lifetime we have..........Warren
 
nietzsche

nietzsche

Active Member
hes probably thinking of the t5 fixtures without individual reflectors. the ones with individual reflectors is what youll need to look at. the good fixtures are Aquactinics and ATI. TEK and the new nova are good, but not as great as the first two
 
big

big

Active Member
Originally Posted by nietzsche
http:///forum/post/2467855
hes probably thinking of the t5 fixtures without individual reflectors. the ones with individual reflectors is what youll need to look at. the good fixtures are Aquactinics and ATI. TEK and the new nova are good, but not as great as the first two
Yep the Aquatics are nice but cost a lot more. In the price range for the Teks you give up two bulbs , 4 verses 6 for the NEP,l legs and bulb shielding. The new Nova is hard to beat dollar value wise. Plus I think their newest ones have much better reflectors than the ones when they first came out.
 
big

big

Active Member
For your size tank I fell the 6 bulb may be the way to go. Some folks think the Tek 4 bulb reflectors may be better and make nearly the same amount of light. But of recent most have been going with the new Nova Extreme Pro with 6 bulbs.
It comes down to an ability to keep just about anything including Anemones and hard corals too with these. They just seem to be the most "Bang for the Buck" out there now. Lighting is a very important decision and unless one has lots of cash to burn, right now this is the light may of us have moved up to. Also the one I would choose again, and I have seen the others to compare. Good Luck Reefing............ Warren
 
moprint

moprint

Member
I have had my Nova Extreme Pro tested against the Tek 4 bulb fixture, an ATI Powermodule and a couple of other fixtures. This was done by a well respected member of this forum and a couple of others. The Nova was just as good as the 4 bulb Tek, which is $330 with bulbs, but no legs or spash sheild add them and its up to $408. The Nova is only $324 complete. Of course the ATI was better but is almost twice as much. The Nova Pro is the best buy right now.
 
wangotango

wangotango

Active Member
Nova units have come a long way. Still not "individual" reflectors, but better than what they had before. The Pro would be a good choice, and you wouldn't have too many restrictions if you used better bulbs like ATI, Geisemann, or UVL. The ATI and Aquactinics would be first choice, but the prices are a bit steep (especially since Aquactinics just raised their prices).
-Justin
 
moprint

moprint

Member
Yeah the actinic(spl) bulbs are not the hot setup, I found some good replacments by Sfiligoi that are on sale for $9.95 and stocked up they were 50% off. The reflectors are not true individual reflectors it is just one sheet that is bent around each bulb. The stock bulbs are a little too white for me, but not bad.
 
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