Catalina Aquarium Light OR Nova Extreme??? Please Help!:)

TheFishBoss97

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Feb 12, 2011
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Hi
sorry for posting so many posts about the lighting for my 72 gallon bowfront which is 48 inches long.

I was planning to buy the nova extreme t5 HO fixture which had 2X54 watts with reflectors.
http://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Fresh...I50C/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1298956979&sr=8-5

BUT I WAS BROWSING THE WEB AND I JUST FOUND THIS!!!

This is a Black Solar t5HO 48" lighting fixture with 3X54 watts with an individual reflector for each bulb.

SO......
I don't know whether on to buy the 2X54 or the 3X54 for my 72 gallon which is pretty deep, and is going to be my first high tech planted tank.

Right now, I am thinking about getting the 3X54 because I will have more lighting, and since each bulb has an individual reflector, will have a higher light output than the NOVA EXTREME 2X54 which has a single reflector for 2 bulbs.

Please Help!!!
Don't know which one is better, and do not want lots of algae(some algae is okay).

If anybody has a picture of their tank with a catalina aquarium FW fixture, could you please post a picture because I do not know how bright it will be.

thanks
 
no
not at this time
but if I get the Catalina fixture promotes too much algae growth, I can just use only one/two of the bulbs.
 
If they cost about the same i'd always go with the better fixture. I just looked it up and that is a sweet fixture, I'd definitely go with it that way you have room to go high tech in the future if you choose to do so.
 
so what bulbs should I get?
I am thinking
-1 plant grow
-1 6500 K
but what other bulb for FW?
would the 10000K, 5000K OR 3000K be better for a FW planted aquarium with the bulbs i have already chosen.

thanks
 
so what bulbs???
 
Depends on what you want the tank to look like. I'm assuming the 'plant bulbs' are the pinkish kind, so I wouldn't get those for aesthetic reasons. I'd probably just go with all 6500k bulbs. Maybe put 1 10000k in there if you want a whiter light effect.

I use 6500k on my planted tanks.
 
if im correct the 10000k are URI and i used the vho of that it grew plants amazingly. what if fish boss put a 65k in the front a 10000k in the middle and a plant bulb in the back get the best of all 3 worlds?
 
if im correct the 10000k are URI and i used the vho of that it grew plants amazingly. what if fish boss put a 65k in the front a 10000k in the middle and a plant bulb in the back get the best of all 3 worlds?

I think I will just do that.
:)
 
I've got that some 3x54 watt fixture on my 75 gal. I use two of the three bulbs. (which can sometimes grow enough algae!). Ive never even needed to turn on the 3rd bulb.
 
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