is this light good?

[Doma25]

Sundial T5HO

Lighting System – Total Control
Individually contoured reflectors for maximum light intensity
Dual integrated timers and automatic photocell for dawn/dusk and lunar lighting control
Cool running, performance-driven electronic ballasts
European style high output T5 lamps
Rear-mounted fans designed for standard aquarium canopy installations
Dimensions: 48.125" x 9.5" x 3.75"

i have one high light thing in my tank a maxima clam that i can keep up high. is this light a good one?

[Frogmanx82]

How many bulbs and what size is your tank? Individual reflectors and active cooling would seem to make it a good choice for someone's tank.

[Doma25]

4x54w

[Doma25]

its at marinedepot, i think it comes with lights will they be good?

[Frogmanx82]

The current fixtures are one the best budget setups. Again, what size tank? The bulbs can be improved upon. You aren't getting all the light you could using the actinics. Check out reefgeek.com for bulbs by ATI when it comes time to replace. 2 blue plus, a purple plus, and an aquablue would be the most recommended 4 bulbs to go with.

[Doma25]

sorry i should have described my tank better! i have an oceanic 90 gallon 48 x 18 x 29, should i sell the stock lights or they are not that bad. i currently have a power compact coralife 4x65 is the new light i am look at that much better.

[dch384]

i have a sundial T5 36 in and if i could do it over i would not have bought it . dont get me wrong it is a nice fixture for the dollar, but only good for an open top tank or a very low profile hood. i totally had to gut mine to retro fit it in the canopy and also know the fans are on the back so you have to have an open back hood or none

[Frogmanx82]

The new light will be less watts though probably would have better reflectors. If your going to upgrade you should get a 6 bulb unit which is a minimum recommendation you will find for a 90. It depends on what you want to keep of couse. I have 5 bulbs on a 90 with a Aquactinics TX5 which I'm happy with. My crocea clam does fine. 6 bulbs with good reflectors should be plenty.

One thing I really like about the Aquactinics light is that the fan is super quiet. I think I've heard people say the Current fixtures are a bit noisy. Probably not as big a deal if you are putting it under a canopy.

[username in use]

I have the 36" sundial.

1 - It's not individual reflectors, it is one reflector bent around each bulb. Not as efficient as individuals, but does pretty well.

2 - The stock bulbs are mediocre, I agree to check out the ATI's

3 - At the depth of your tank, I would run a 6 bulb, probably with individual reflectors.

[Doma25]

what about metal halide fixtures? will new led fixtures that are more affordable come out? will i need a chiller if tank is in a chilly room temp controlled.

[Frogmanx82]

An open top tank on T5s shouldn't need a chiller. A good fan on a MH should be fine. If you're planning on a lot of SPS, MH might be the way to go with a couple T5 bulbs for color. LED is up and coming, in fact already here, but I'm not sure what your options are.

[Doma25]

i would like to do the t5 fixture i am just nervous about the heat issue for metal halide, i no you recommend the 6 bulb fixture however the bow front is pretty narrow on top and the extra 3-4 inches can make opening the glass canopy hard. my rocks are set up so the front 3-4 inches of tank have a beach so alot of open space for my yellow tang to swim, so will the t-5 4x54 be good enough?

[monopolybag]

i have a sundial T5 36 in and if i could do it over i would not have bought it . dont get me wrong it is a nice fixture for the dollar, but only good for an open top tank or a very low profile hood. i totally had to gut mine to retro fit it in the canopy and also know the fans are on the back so you have to have an open back hood or none

I agree here. I think there are better options.

Look at Aquaticlife t5 HO fixtures. They are very very nice. I have sued a 48" one on a tank and like it very much. Seems to work well even with a canopy on top of it.

4 48" T5 HO are not enough for clams. Halides are bad with the ehat, don't go there. Look at an open top 6 bulb fixture.
Tek Light Elite (http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=6228)

LED Lights would be best. You would not need to change the bulbs and they could do the clam easily.
LED (http://www.ledwholesalers.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=512)

AI LED (http://www.reefledlights.com/led-fixtures/ai-led-lighting/)

[monopolybag]

Also Marineland LED Reef Capable Lighting

And Wavepoint is coming out with LED lighting this summer.

[Frogmanx82]

It will be OK. You'll have to put some stuff higher in the tank. It depends what you want to keep. The fixture I have, Aquactinics TX5 is also 9.5 inches wide and has true individual reflectors. You lose the moonlights, but you can probably get better ones. I use R2 solutions extreme. Very small, very bright.

If you've already decided on the Sundial, you could do worse. They are regarded as reasonable quality at a good price, just a bit undersized for a 90 if you want high light clams and sps. I would not use the actinic bulbs and go with the ATI blue plus as a replacement. The ATI blue plus has very high PAR values (light output)

[Doma25]

thank you both you have been a great help! i think i will be happy with the t5s, i feel like leds will be going down in price really soon!

[monopolybag]

thank you both you have been a great help! i think i will be happy with the t5s, i feel like leds will be going down in price really soon!

Possibly, but probably not. They are more expensive to make. The thing with LEDs is that over a long time you will save a bunch more money. No need ot replace bulbs that are $20-$30 each, electric bill, and no heat. LEDs are the equivalent to Halides in most cases.

[Ranchero]

I had one and liked it

[Doma25]

i think the sundial is the best for me i dont keep anything really on the sand bed and if i want sps maybe try it very high up!

[Doma25]

or the tek light

[Doma25]

maybe the tek?

[Doma25]

what i am trying to say is which light will i have better results with does it matter there are no lunar lights in the tek? and is the tek that much better then the sundial?

[89Foxbody]

Check out the Deep Blue Solar Xtreme fixture as well. I like mine a lot. It has similar features to the Sundial. Individual reflectors, timer, dual channel light, moonlights, cooling fan, gfci plug, etc. Comes with bulbs as well. The 48" is 319.99 at my LFS. I haven't heard anything but good things about them.

[username in use]

what i am trying to say is which light will i have better results with does it matter there are no lunar lights in the tek? and is the tek that much better then the sundial?

Yes, you will get a lot more light out of the tek. The reflectors are very good in it. Even if you only get the 4 bulb tek you will be better off with that depth tank.

[Doma25]

does it matter there are no leds? and can that light rest on the tank or do i need th brackets
?

[username in use]

The led's are just for moonlights, and honestly, I don't use the sundial moonlights anyway, they suck. I use RKL Extreme moonlights attached to the back of the light. You can get legs for the tek to put it on the tank.

[monopolybag]

what i am trying to say is which light will i have better results with does it matter there are no lunar lights in the tek? and is the tek that much better then the sundial?

Make sure it is the tek light elite you are looking at. That one has fans to properly cool the lamps.

The tek light is much better than the current USA sundial fixture. You will get better coral growth even with the 4 bulb as the reflectors are better, and if you use better bulbs as well.

[Doma25]

what about to 120 w leds fixtures? would that have better growth then the t5 i can get a great deal on them

[wrott]

Which 120w LED fixture are you refering to, I'm interested in something like that also?

[Doma25]

i forgot the name but i wanted to do 2 120 w led fixtures, each fixture has 120 1 w leds, apparently 1 watt are crappy? somone said not to do 1 what but i don't know what to think, anyone have any information!?

2" depth - 1537 Par

12" depth - 423 Par

24" depth - 182 Par

those are the par numbers apparently for the fixtures.

[torero500]

I think we're still 3 years off on LEDs being the right power in the right configuration for the right price. I have the Sundial 36" T5 4 bulb and it's a decent fixture. It's a bit cheaply made, but does deliver alot of light, 2 timers and moonlights with low profile. The stock fans are really loud, I took the light apart and installed two Silenx fans as soon as I got it. Made it dead quiet. Those cost around $30 for the pair.

One of my timers acts a little funny from time to time in terms of shutting off, but only on occassion. I kinda miss the metal halide look so got another Current fixture, an outer orbit one, with 1 hqi lamp and t5s to supplement, to have a different look. But for the price, the sundial will do you pretty good for awhile and you can set it right on top of your tank and run it with a canopy or no canopy. Also the stock bulbs are just pretty so/so, you'd do better replacing them after awhile with some ATI aqua blue specials, blue +, and/or actinic bulbs, maybe fiji purple, mixed to your light color preference.

[Doma25]

so after alot of thinking going from sundial, to tek, to 120 watt leds, i finally made a desicion because it had moonlights all incorporated timer, and great customer reviews.

AquaticLife™ 24 Inch T5 High Output Lamps with 2 Lunar LEDs

T5 HO Light Fixtures These AquaticLife™ T5 HO fixtures offer 420/460 nm, 700+ nm and Lunar light in one streamlined unit.
Timer controls T5 HO Fluorescent Lamps and Lunar LED`s independently.
Adjustable width Aquarium Frame Mounts support fixture above the aquarium.
Gloss finish front side compliments the matte finish on top and ends of the fixture.
German-made specially angled reflector maximizes light by directing it into the aquarium.
Suspension Ports allow connection to optional cables for various mounting configurations
Four Sleek Fixtures

Lamps Included:
(2) 24" T5 HO 24W 420/460 Lamps
(2) 24" T5 HO 24W 700+ Lamps
(2) 1W Lunar LED`s