PAR Readings Taken for Ghetto 24" T5 setups

[redfishsc]

Alright folks, I have always wanted to see how my tank's lighting stacked up. Thanks to Raaden (member at Reef Central) I did just that today! We used his Apogee Quantum to take these readings. I'm neither a scientist nor the son of a scientist, but Raaden knows his meter well. Many thanks to Raaden.

 

I must say to begin with that my first T5 was this Nova Extreme, and it was bought out of ignorance and ambition. It is one year old. The reflector is a lousy single "German Parabolic" that covers all 4 bulbs at once.

 

The other tank has an altogether odd T5 that has better reflectors and a Workhorse 5 ballast. Results are below.

 

Well anyhow, here are the specs on the first tank. It's a standard 25g "tall"--- water depth is kept at about 19", and the Nova Extreme 4X24" sits on the legs, which put the light tubes about 5" from the surface.

 

This Nova has the following bulbs:

 

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ATI Blue Plus (4 months old)

Giesemann Aquablue Plus (12,000K) ---(2 months old)

KZ Fiji Purple (4 months old)

Giesemann Actinic Plus (2 months old)

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This second tank is in the same system, but comes with a huge "WORK IN PROGRESS" disclaimer. This tank had a big bryopsis/cyano outbreak when I put in two old Current Slimpaq 10,000K (before the bulbs, no cyano and not much bryo). After two weeks of mayhem, I had to take the frag rack out and set it aside. Please forgive all the algae and total lack of rock.

 

This is a 20-Long and the light unit is an unusual light--- it's a Sunlight Supply "New Wave 24", which is mostly made for hydroponics. You can find this light online often for around $100 and it kicked the pants off of the Nova. The reflectors are NOT parabolic, in fact they are just one big sheet of aluminum with very deep "V" shapes bent into them. But, they certainly prove to be better than the Nova. I added a fan to one end of this to cool the bulbs, and I think it helps.

 

This setup has the following bulb combo:

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UVL 75/25 (7 months old)

ATI Aquablue Special (2 days old, brand new)

ATI Blue Plus (2 days old, brand new)

UVL 50/50 (7 months old)

 

 

 

 

Just for giggles, I checked the PAR of the 6500K CF lamp on my fuge, and was actually quite surprised. This bulb comes with a reflector built in, and this one is about 4 months old.

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some pics of the "New Wave 24" I thought I'd share with you.

 

 

 

 

[Timanator]

Thanks, great tests.

[corallineadam]

good to know type-a stuff!

[Mr. Fosi]

Glad to see other people around here testing the more practical aspects of the hobby.

[Weetabix7]

VERY interesting, thank you!!!

Those reflectors on the New Wave sound like the same thing found on the TEK units, which are also made by Sunlight Supply.

[ihatesears18]

Has anyone tested the new Nova Extreme SLR model?

[redfishsc]

VERY interesting, thank you!!!

Those reflectors on the New Wave sound like the same thing found on the TEK units, which are also made by Sunlight Supply.

 

 

They aren't, though. I've seen the original TEK reflectors before, and they are much shinier and more parabolic in shape than what's on the New Wave. The New Wave has much more of a distinct V shape rather than a parabolic curve.

 

 

Either way it beats the living snot out of the old style Nova.

[Weetabix7]

You got a linky for where you bought the New Wave fixture from?

[redfishsc]

Lol, I have no idea where I bought it from other than it was a hydroponics supply place.

 

If you google "New Wave 24" you'll get a good number of hits.

 

They are numbered/named this way: the "24" means 2ft, 4 bulbs.

 

They have a 2ft, 2 bulb (New Wave 22), a 4ft 2 bulb (NW 42) and a 4ft 4 bulb (44, but they oughta call it the 4X4), and I think they even have an 8 bulb fixture.

 

 

The trick is finding a place that doesn't sell them with pre-installed lights. I found this light without bulbs for around $100 brand new. Most places want an additional $30 for 6500K lights, which I'd never personally use in a 4 tube system.