Going to be buying a T5 fixture this August and wanted some suggestions. A few Q's.

[STiTCH87]

Looking at the following:

1.) 4x24 +1w x 9 LED Finnex T5
Anyone know anything about these? Anyone own one? Is it any better or worse than the Tek Light? It has individual independent parabolic reflectors, 9 x 1W Blue LEDs, and 4x24 bulbs. I'd eventually upgrade the bulbs to a daylight, a Blue +, and the 4th bulb would depend on what I ultimately would decide to keep in the tank.

2.) 4x24 Tek Light (I know I turned down a copy of it from a fellow member, but i'm still not fully sold on this model anyways).
Is the Tek Light really that great? I hear everyone talking about them as if they're the only way to go, but I would think any 4x24 T5 with parabolic reflectors would be the same with the exception of a few being better than others because of their different ballasts, correct? I like the Finnex, but is the Tek really better?

3.) 4x24 AquaticLife T5
Looks decent. I do like the single cord design actually, and the built-in timer is convenient, but I think i've heard issues about these fixtures? Something about poor quality and flimsy and crummy ballasts or something?

Out of those 3, which do you honestly think I should go with? I'm currently leaning most toward the Finnex but would like someone who owns one to chime in possibly?

Also, I am 100% open to any and all suggestions. I have about $400 or so to spend on a fixture including bulbs, so please don't suggest an IceCap Reef Illuminations, even though it's the easy answer, haha.

 

[STiTCH87]

Oh and here's a link to the Finnex for those of you who don't know the one i'm talking about:
http://www.aquacave.com/finnex-24-ledt5-combo-br-aluminum-light-fixturebr-4-x-t5--9-x-led-2550.html

Can get it for $289.95 with shipping on AquaCave with my 5% off coupon.

Here's a pic of the fixture on a 30g Finnex tank. Looks like it has very good illumination similar to a Tek Light if not better with the LEDs.

 

[UncleJT]

First we need to know what kind of livestock you want to keep but, given those choices, I prefer the TekLight. The TekLights have always been the preferred lower-budget lights from everything I've read. Most local stores, especially Skipton's and CRA, are able to support them well as well. You may want to also consider an ATI Sunpower unit. The 2' versions, with lamps of your choice, are ~$420 at Reef Geek but I am sure Skipton's or CRA could come close saving you cash on shipping. I will be building a 24" cube system soon and will likely be going with a 6x24 ATI Sunpower unit as SLS doesn't make a 2' 6-lamp fixture.

 

[STiTCH87]

Well I already have softies and zoas so I want to keep those, and I have a frogspawn, an orange digi, and an elkhorn antler SPS thing (IDK the exact name).

I want to keep my softies and zoas, get a little more LPS, but definitely dip into the SPS side of things because I am a huge fan of acans and also would like a birdnest of some form eventually. Also plan to keep some acro.

If possible, I would definitely like to keep some type of clam, especially something like a maxima if I can, i'd keep it on a rock up high within a foot or so of the light fixture.

What is the difference between the ATI Sunpower and the ATI PowerModule? There is a rather drastic price difference, and yet the product descriptions are the exact same for both fixtures, except one says "economical". Is this an aesthetic difference only, or is it a performance difference as well?

I know Tek lights are being recommended by everyone and their brothers, but it leaves little room for other great fixtures to get out in the open when such things happen because for all we know the fixtures people overlook, a few of them could be as good if not better which is why I figured i'd ask about the Finnex.

I have been on the fence with the ATI as well, though it is a little pricey ofcourse especially since if (more likely when) I upgrade my tank i'll feel foolish having spent so much on a light i'd likely sell for hundreds and hundreds less. I talked to Greg at Underwater World and he did offer some good prices for a Tek fixture but I hate how the tank mounts are sold separately for like $60. It's just another way of a company charging anything they want to charge for what they make. I hate how most saltwater stuff is rediculously overpriced (like $500 when it costs $25 for them to make) and they can charge whatever they want because every other company charges around the same.

I'm not saying there isn't a different in coloration and PAR between a Tek, Finnex, ATI, IceCap, and any other brand, but is the difference really THAT noticeable to justify hundreds of dollars more or less in pricing?

 

[UncleJT]

What is the difference between the ATI Sunpower and the ATI PowerModule? There is a rather drastic price difference, and yet the product descriptions are the exact same for both fixtures, except one says "economical". Is this an aesthetic difference only, or is it a performance difference as well?

I believe it is mostly aesthetics. If you look closely the description for the SunPower it says "Contemporary Design" where the PowerModule says "Stylish European Design" -- I mean, that's $200 right there for Euro styling.. no? The PowerModule is also a tad wider and has two more fans.

Although I haven't used any Finnex product recently, they've always been pretty bottom of the barrel items as far as I'm concerned. When I worked for Sea Dwelling Creatures a number of years ago, I sold their products to pet stores and had a hard time doing so because I didn't care for the quality. Things may have changed over the years but the majority of T5 aficionados still seem to recommend SLS TekLight and ATI fixtures so I will stick by their recommendations as I evaluate them for my own needs.

 

[STiTCH87]

Some very good info. TY very much. Now i'm 50/50 between a Tek or an ATI. I've seen the Tek at Underwater World and liked the coloration and it was housing SPS an LPS just fine so I know it'd work, but I wonder if I should go ATI or not? I think the Tek fixture is ugly looking personally, but to save the money of getting an ATI maybe I could deal with it's looks.

 

[UncleJT]

I've seen the Tek at Underwater World and liked the coloration and it was housing SPS an LPS just fine so I know it'd work, but I wonder if I should go ATI or not?

Well, this is all dependent on lamp choice. I don't think you could go wrong either way. Decide on a fixture you like aesthetically and then chose lamps to match your corals and eyes.

 

[STiTCH87]

Well lamps I know i'd get a IceCap 10k, 2 ATI Blue +, and 1 ATI AquaBlue Special. Or something very similar to that setup.

I was told if I wanna keep a maxima clam that I may need 2 daylights however?

 

[UncleJT]

I was told if I wanna keep a maxima clam that I may need 2 daylights however?

Some others will have to reply because I am mostly familiar with MH lamps. However, I've seen many heavily acropora and clam populated systems without a single daylight T5. I am probably going to run 4 x Blue+, 1 x KZ Fiji Purple, and 1 x AquaBlue Special on the new system I am setting up but this is merely based on one of my favorite tanks - DML08 on R2R.

 

[STiTCH87]

I want to tinker with a Fiji Purple eventually myself, but not until I get comfortably situated with T5 lighting first in case getting a Fiji Purple would be a bad decision for a 4x24 unit, i'd rather not get one right off the bat and find that out.