Opinions on light fixture

pkumar

pkumar

AC Members
Dec 22, 2008
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So Cal
Hello,

After a lot of going back and forth - plants..no plants, discus...no discus. I'm going through with my initial goal of planted discus tank. Would like to start ..low light, low tech. Vals, crypts, Amazon sword, etc. Any opinions on 72 in T5 fixtures. Aquatic Life is one that seems to have a clean design. Would love to hear peoples thoughts and any suggestions on fixtures. :help:Thanks very much in advance.
 
Doesnt freshwater need to be 1white:1 pink ratio? I really like the price on this. A whole lot cheaper than Current or Hagen.
 
carolinyens said:
Doesnt freshwater need to be 1white:1 pink ratio? I really like the price on this. A whole lot cheaper than Current or Hagen.
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well for freshwater planted i would go this route.
4x10k white which comes with it.
2x6700k aquaflora geissman
2x6k midday geissman

for general freshwater i would stay white imo.
actinic is blue and reminds me of salt setups but i prefer white.

you will have to buy 4 bulbs to replace the actinic but i think you can choose all whit bulbs when ordering.

Simon is the guys name and he is extremely nice to deal with.

total cost with purchasing plant bulbs $300 ish...

fyi it is NOT equal to tek/current. doesnt have fans, doesnt have individual reflector, yet the price is great an it works flawlessly and comes with mounting legs...kinda cheesy legs, yet sturdier than coralife.
i added computer fans to my hood to control heat, but if not under a hood your all good..lots of air holes..
very slim design.
 
some things to consider if opting for either of these two fixtures.
reflectors, bulbs etc.

one fixture has 8 39 watt bulbs the other 4 80 watt.(comparing similar output)
if you are referring to the catalina 8x you are getting 8x80 individual reflectors..= mass light ;)

one also has individual reflectors which helps with directing the light into the tank..
 
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Star_Rider said:
some things to consider if opting for either of these two fixtures.
reflectors, bulbs etc.

one fixture has 8 39 watt bulbs the other 4 80 watt.(comparing similar output)
if you are referring to the catalina 8x you are getting 8x80 individual reflectors..= mass light ;)

one also has individual reflectors which helps with directing the light into the tank..
Click to expand...

very true on the wattage but the 8x is like $700 yikes!!!
reflectors make a huge difference.
i only thru this on my non planted cichlid tank so the reflector for me was not a huge concern...
i'm sure i'll plant with it, yet my main plant tank has a current usa unit with all the bells and whistles and am overly satisfied thus far....i even dropped it in the tank once lol....works perfect...
 
the individual reflectors may allow the use of less light but really it would enhance the current set up.
i am not sure I would compare the two based on features etc. they are not similar enough to make a fair comparison. but if you are looking for T5 with individual reflectors
the catalina is $425 for the 4X80(320 watt)
the fishneedit model 8X39 with similar wattage(312 watt) is$239( a pretty good deal deal)
but lacks individual reflectors.

I wonder if anyone has tested the actual light going into the tanks and compared the models? hmmm ;)
 
DiezelEinstein said:
thats a nice light also.
but you need 72 inches not 48 and the 72 is waaaaay more expensive for the 8x.
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I should have also included that MG reccomended this for my 125 g tank, which is 72 inches. I just decided not to go that route with that tank abd put it over my other 75 that didnt have lights on it.

For the plants that you have listed, it would be fine.
 
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