where to buy T-5 lighting....

[queenbee]

hello,i am looking to buy some better lighting for my 55g and am thinking of getting the nova extreme T-5 lighting with lunar lights...432 watts for $400.00,i would like to grow things for moderate to high light but mainly moderate.do you think this would work?or any other suggestions for lighting is welcomed,also what lfs would you recommend buying the light from?help

[Jflip2002]

championlighting.com I believe has the cheapest. I paid about $200 dlvd for my 4x24w 24" fixture.

[oyam123]

T5 retro....if you have a hood

[Clownnut]

T5HO stay with Tek hook or SLS retro(remeber to upgrade to IC reflectors)
we can order it for you just reefgeek price with out shipping charge.

[Sea monkey]

i really like my tek hoods

[armagedon48]

retro if you wana save some money, or go with a unit if you dont trust your electrical work.

im eventualy gona go with a 4 36" retro

[David Grigor]

Really you want to stay away from the Nova, Price is very attractive but because of the lack of good reflectors design you getting much lower amount of light and takes uses almost double the watts to do it. Your better off with better quality reflectors with half the amount of bulbs.

[epidemic]

hellolight has some cherap tek retros, Like $100 ish for 2 bulb retros, a few bucks diff for size, but only like $15 or so

[Twins Guy]

hellolights was including bulbs with the tek retros...diyreef.com had the best price i could find though and will upgrade the sls reflectors to icecap slrs for $4!
tg

[Sea monkey]

personally i wouldn't go retro to save money because i don't think you really save much after you account for the reflectors , wire, wood , ballasts, paint , screws, fans, electrical plugs,end caps and stand offs, hinges, separate shipping ..... In fact i think it might be substantially more .

custom aquatic has a 8 bulb TEK fixture like the one you fist posted for $400. http://www.customaquatic.com/customa...2Dsy&offset=30

I would base the decision more off things like wither you like the look of hoods or fixtures better, do you need the extra light the icecap reflectors/ballast will give you or is the tek good enough for your needs, would you like to try and go without fans , do you have any DIY ability or tools to even make a hood, would you prefer not to mess with it and just get a prebuilt unit that is ready to go out of the box... Stuff like that , I really don't think cost is the issues on this decision.

Personally i really like the tek fixtures because they are so low profile and attractive looking. If you get the cable hangers they are incredibly easy to raise and lower . I also don't have much experience in wood working so i don't know if my DIY hood would match the stand very well .

[REEFSTOCK]

Personally, I would go with the tek lights.

4 bulb set for 55, but if you think you might go to a larger tank one day, you may want to oversize it with a 6 bulb hood.

They are not as powerful as the retros (especially with ice cap reflectors), but really close.

Bah, I have to finish this thoght later.

[Sea monkey]

i didn't see the size tank you had there . I two bulb fixture would prolly be ok and 4 certainly enough . you don't need 432 watts of T5's nor would it even fit over a 55 .

[Sea monkey]

i just bought this light for my clown/rbta tank and it seems to work well . im sure the reflector inside isn't the best but for what i need it for this was a very affordable solution and came with bulbs

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merch...Code=Finnex-T5
.

[ksarauer]

Is the Tek fixture a T5HO?

[Jflip2002]

Originally Posted by David Grigor

Really you want to stay away from the Nova, Price is very attractive but because of the lack of good reflectors design you getting much lower amount of light and takes uses almost double the watts to do it. Your better off with better quality reflectors with half the amount of bulbs.

You can get better reflectors. They fit. Im content with mine on my 20 for now, but when I switch to my 60g, I'll probably upgrade the reflectors.