T5 Tek Elite 4ft 8bulb-what bulbs?

[Sohal Tang Tim]

Hi there.
My reef is 8ft x 28deep x 24high...and will become sps dominant.

Getting 2 x 4ft fixtures... Tek Elite 8x T5 54w each.

What bulbs where you recommend to help the corals pop andddd
would you consider adding an LED power bright strip for even more pop?

Thanks,
Tim

[rtparty]

Can you hang the fixtures? For that size tank and SPS dominant I would look into an ATI Sunpower at a minimum.

Anyways for 8 bulbs I would get 5 ATI BLue plus, 2 ATI Purple Plus and 1 GE6500k

[jscarlata]

just out of curiosity, why do you recommend the sunpower? they're all 8 bulb fixtures with the same bulbs, and wattages etc? what would the difference be for the light output between the Tek and ATI, other than the manufacturer and the price?

[david pinder]

Im running both fixtures Id give the ati an edge as far as color and growth, you cant go wrong either way, am getting ready to switch to leds hope I dont go wrong.

[rtparty]

just out of curiosity, why do you recommend the sunpower? they're all 8 bulb fixtures with the same bulbs, and wattages etc? what would the difference be for the light output between the Tek and ATI, other than the manufacturer and the price?

Wattages actually won't be the same. Spec T5 ballasts will run the bulbs to different wattages depending on internal pressure of the lamp. A spec T5 ballast will slightly overdrive a bulb if you keep the T5 bulb at the correct temp.

The ballasts on a Tek are Workhorse and do not have this feature. When you compare a Workhorse ballast to a spec t5 ballast, the Workhorse will be in a 10-15% hole right from the get go.

An ATI Sunpower puts out about 25% more PAR than the competing Tek Elite. Teks just have a little bit better spread overall because of their reflector design.

[Sohal Tang Tim]

I agree that the ATI is approx 20percent more par then the tek elite...
but..I have seen both beside each other and both are very impressive....
but I could see the ATI was superior...but...the Elite still looked exceptional.

The tek being about 1/2 price just makes more sense for me at this time and if I am not satisfied I will upgrade to ATI later no problem....

The tek elites have new improved fan larger and have the same reflector or very similar to the ATI ... There is a difference absolutely in the way the two ballasts fire up...one has some type of delay the other does not....
but..I am not going to tell my corals that!! lololol I dont think they will know! lololol

I sure hope the 8 bulb Tek Elite is powerful enough for my tank...it should be I am told by many...Tank is only 24 high but is 28 deep....I will just put the SPS in the top 1/2 of the tank is all....should be good??? More comments
pls on that point...thanks

The nicest reef I have ever seen in person..out of hundreds..had a TEK light on it....so..I knowwwww that major beauty is possibly with that light....
and the Elite is even better so....I should be ok????

Again...comments/suggestions welcome...
What order of those bulbs do you suggest for placement in fixture? thanks.

Tim

[rtparty]

I agree that the ATI is approx 20percent more par then the tek elite...
but..I have seen both beside each other and both are very impressive....
but I could see the ATI was superior...but...the Elite still looked exceptional.

The tek being about 1/2 price just makes more sense for me at this time and if I am not satisfied I will upgrade to ATI later no problem....

The tek elites have new improved fan larger and have the same reflector or very similar to the ATI ... There is a difference absolutely in the way the two ballasts fire up...one has some type of delay the other does not....
but..I am not going to tell my corals that!! lololol I dont think they will know! lololol

I sure hope the 8 bulb Tek Elite is powerful enough for my tank...it should be I am told by many...Tank is only 24 high but is 28 deep....I will just put the SPS in the top 1/2 of the tank is all....should be good??? More comments
pls on that point...thanks

The nicest reef I have ever seen in person..out of hundreds..had a TEK light on it....so..I knowwwww that major beauty is possibly with that light....
and the Elite is even better so....I should be ok????

Again...comments/suggestions welcome...
What order of those bulbs do you suggest for placement in fixture? thanks.

Tim

You will have success with either light. Lighting is only a portion of a reefs health. Water quality and flow are much more important.

The Tek Elite isn't half the price of an ATI Sunpower though.

Tek Elite 8x54w with bulbs - $628.95
ATI Sunpower 8x54w with bulbs - $709.95

Those prices are straight from Reefgeek's website. I just know on an SPS dominant tank I would want the most light I could get. Why limit yourself to where you can place corals? Especially when they are so close in price to begin with.

The human eye is a TERRIBLE PAR meter. Get the right wavelength and you will say it is bright as the sun and yet the PAR could actually be very low. The human eye doesn't see light the way corals do.

For the placement of bulbs:

Blue
Purple
Blue
GE 6500k
Blue
Purple
Blue
Blue

Might need to tweak it slightly for dusk/dawn stuff.

BTW - how a bulb is fired by a ballast is pretty important. Not using spec T5 ballasts will shorten a bulb's life because the Workhorse ballasts don't use a programmed start. Also last time I checked, Workhorse ballasts still don't have an end of life circuit protection on them. If a bulb burns out the ballast will still send power to it. That is a fire risk waiting to happen. Will a fire happen? I highly doubt it. I bet a bulb could burn out 1,000 times and nothing bad ever happens but I sure won't risk my tank, family or house for a few bucks.

[Sohal Tang Tim]

Ryan you have been extreeeemly helpful! Thanks very much!
I am re-assessing completely. I had not checked Sunpower I had checked
only powermodule....

I am wondering as I type if the Sunpowers have the same par as the powermodules....


thanks again,

Tim

[rtparty]

Ryan you have been extreeeemly helpful! Thanks very much!
I am re-assessing completely. I had not checked Sunpower I had checked
only powermodule....

I am wondering as I type if the Sunpowers have the same par as the powermodules....


thanks again,

Tim

The Sunpower is within 5% of the Powermodule PAR wise. If you have the money, the Powermodule is worth it. I used a Sunpower for 8 months before I had to sell my tank and I LOVED it! Best light fixture I have ever used.

[Sohal Tang Tim]

mmmmmmmmmm you have me sniffin at the Sunpowers...
They have 8 bulb 4ft if I go dimmable....
They do not appear to have an 8 bulb non dimmable is that correct?


Tim

[rtparty]

mmmmmmmmmm you have me sniffin at the Sunpowers...
They have 8 bulb 4ft if I go dimmable....
They do not appear to have an 8 bulb non dimmable is that correct?


Tim

No they have 8 bulb in either setup. The dimmable is super nice and I recommend it if you want to spend the money for it.

Dimmable 8x54w:
http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/ATI/Dimmable_SunPower_Fixtures/48_inch__8x54W_Dimmable_SunPower_T5_High-Output_Fixture_w!_Controller_&_Bulbs_by_ATI

Non-Dimmable 8x54w:
http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/ATI/SunPower_Fixtures/48_inch__8x54W_SunPower_T5_High-Output_Fixture_w!_Bulbs_by_ATI