sprite Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 Looking for t5 suggestions besides the ati... thanks! Link to comment
Horerczy Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 Hamilton makes a good t5 light. Link to comment
bdevillier19 Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 I used the aquatic life 4*24w t5 with the built in timers and it worked awesome. Others have reported the fishneedit t5 fixture is good as well. Link to comment
sprite Posted April 19, 2015 Author Share Posted April 19, 2015 Does the aquatic life have individual reflectors? Link to comment
Paleoreef103 Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 Does the aquatic life have individual reflectors? They do. IIRC correctly, most non-ATI T5 fixtures (including Aquatic life) don't use ballasts designed for T5s which cuts down on the life span of the bulbs. If you're capable, it would be a sound investment to replace the stock ballasts with electronic, programmed-start ballasts (HEP and Advance) are trusted brands. Link to comment
sprite Posted April 21, 2015 Author Share Posted April 21, 2015 Thanks for replies everyone. I bought the aquatic life Link to comment
bdevillier19 Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 as stated above the aquatic life does not use the most ideal ballast, however, with 4x24w over a 20 long you can afford to lose a little output. the reflector is some what individual. its a single piece bent into 4 reflectors. also, the bulbs can be a little difficult to grab ahold of due to the reflectors. but over all its a good little light and worked very well for me Link to comment
sprite Posted April 21, 2015 Author Share Posted April 21, 2015 I have ati bulbs on the way to replace stock bulbs.. won't even fire them up lol Link to comment
Brads_Reef Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Aquaticlife uses ballasts meant for HO t5...so above information is incorrect. Grimm did a long study on these fixtures vs ATI. While ATI did perform favorably (by 20% increase in PAR) these fixtures still provide moonlights and a timer and more than enough power for your tank. Link to comment
Paleoreef103 Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Aquaticlife uses ballasts meant for HO t5...so above information is incorrect. Grimm did a long study on these fixtures vs ATI. While ATI did perform favorably (by 20% increase in PAR) these fixtures still provide moonlights and a timer and more than enough power for your tank. I can't find any information on the start type of the ballasts which does not lead me to believe that they are program start ballasts. Actually, the only reference I can see to them maybe being program start is from the Grim Reefer. I'm not saying they aren't, but I'm also not finding a lot of evidence that they are especially because the lightpark ballasts used in their fixtures are not commonly sold outside of Aquaticlife fixtures. If they are, kudos to Aquaticlife. I'd rather have an Aquaticlife than a tek or an old current fixture, but that's not exactly informative praise. Link to comment
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