New lighting question - which would you choose?

[ingg]

I'm trying to avoid making canopies, it takes too dang long, and adds too much cost.

Either going open top, or glass tops...

This pretty much kills DIY like AHSupply or TEK kits - these kits seems to be as expensive/more expensive than some of the decent fixtures anyhow!

So, Help me with this:

First, am I way off base on costs of those Retro setups? They'd need to be well under $100 to make putting a canopy on make sense v. premade fixtures. Can anyone make one for say, 60-70 bucks, full kit?

Second, which would you choose for a 36" tank, and why?

36" Coralife 1X96 watt PC
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/209476/product.web
or
36" 2X39 HO t5 Nova Extreme fixture.
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/236416/product.web

Or would you choose something different? What, and why?

I do light dosing, DIY CO2 (which won't change to pressurized for quite some time here, saving for a big tank first), hardest plants to date are like Blyxa, Downoi (failed utterly), Aromatica, HC is struggling along.

I really don't want to screw this up, already replacing my first DIY's which cost me half this to build anyhow...

I know from trading some pm's with Aaron he was suggesting to build a t5 setup - but the reflectors alone are over $50 shipped...can't see it making financial sense... or does it?

[Aaron]

Parts you need:

From Reefgeek.com

Bulbs - 2 x 39 watt Giessemann Midday (you can get others, I recommend these) $35.90
Reflectors - 2 x Tek II 36" reflectors $39.90
Endcaps - 2 pr. $3.90
Shipping - $6.95

Total = $86.65

From ballastwise.com

T5HO ballast $19.95 + shipping

Add in a powercord from Target and you're looking at about $120.00 for everything.

The cost is greater for quality T5 retro setups. The problem with most light fixtures is that they don't use parabolic reflectors. Good reflectors don't just reflect more light, they also reduce heat buildup and that means longer bulb life and less energy used.

It's one of those initial costs are greater, but it's cheaper and nicer in the long run situations.

I've tried overdriven shoplights, normal output shoplights, metal halides, compact flourescent fixtures and T5s. I've since converted almost all of my lighting to T5. It did cost me a bit more, but my energy bill went down and light production went up. If you don't want to build try looking for Tek 2 x 36 watt fixtures on ebay. You won't be disappointed.

[ingg]

Hmmm.

K, lemme work this out.

$120 for parts, say another $20 (at least) to build a housing/canopy setup of some kind...

$140 total.

If I go get that Nova fixture, I'm in for $80 with tax. About 85 shipped. It says it has parabolic reflectors, who knows what quality though, bulbs are probably iffy, but maybe workable.

If I end up replacing both bulbs and reflectors, I'd be into it for $80 + $83, say $160....

Only 20 bucks more to try it out and end up with replacements both bulb and reflector end; but still end up with a fixture that is sleeker than what I'd be able to build and having an integrated fan.....

I'm thinking I try out this Nova Extreme Fixture, waddya think? If the bulbs and reflectors both turn out to be god awful, I'm only out $20 to find it out, and if either or both is up to par, I'm ahead.

I did see the spectrum of their "pink" bulb one one of the darn sites I googled, looked awful close to that geisman in the spikes... grrr, you'd think I could find it now...

found it.

http://www.toofishy.com/product.php?pro ... t=0&page=1

[ingg]

K, noticing it isn't individual reflectors I don't think from that last link.... grrrrr...

[Cristy Keister]

I'm pondering a similar lighting problem for a 33 long. I'd like to do DIY T5, but my only hang up is building the wood canopy. I don't want a big heavy wood canopy. The fixture I could buy would be much easier to move around as needed.

[Cristy Keister]

We're talking about T5 HO, not VHO, in the Nova Extreme lights. The Coralife lights don't say they are HO, so are they NO? Are there 3 different quality T5 lights on the market - NO, HO, and VHO?

[DelawareJim]

If the Coralife lights don't say HO, they are NO fixtures and bulbs; 21 watts for a 36" fixture.

T5's do come in NO, HO, & VHO outputs.

Cheers.
Jim

[ingg]

Coralife fixture is HO - 39 watt bulbs for 36" length.

They do also make an NO version, it is really inexpensive, but doesn't work in light output for planted tanks...

[Aaron]

I did see the spectrum of their "pink" bulb one one of the darn sites I googled, looked awful close to that geisman in the spikes... grrr, you'd think I could find it now...

You'd think so, but I find that a lot of the bulbs claim similar spectrums and produce totally different light colors i.e. yellowish to a nice crisp white. The more expensive bulbs usually have a higher color rendering index (CRI). The Giesemanns have a great color and my plants are responding really well. Of course, you could always try them later down the road in the Nova fixture.

The Nova fixture will certainly work fine. It's a poor design though. Notice how close together the bulbs are to each other. That's going to be a source of excess heat and loss of efficiency. Bulbs shining on each other don't produce light in the aquarium where you want it. It's like you said though, if you don't like it you can always gut it and put the Tek reflectors in there later. That's always a good option to explore.

[ingg]

Think I'm going to. Two of the three tanks I want to upgrade are going to be absolute boogers to make canopies for.

I think I'll buy one, test it out, and I may then buy the retro setup and put it on the one tank that won't be a terribly involved canopy later down the road, give me a good comparison. That'll let me know if the time, effort, and choice curse words of building canopies on a flatback hex and a bowfront will be worth it, heh.