Coralife Lunar Aqualight T5HO

[androo303]

Looking at getting a new light. What are your thoughts on the one below? I can order it to the states and pick it up this weekend (luckily I am going camping in NY).

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_viewitem.aspx?idproduct=ES08604&child=ES08605&utm_source=mdamazoncpc&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=mdamazoncpc&utm_content=ES08605

I know this light is designed for saltwater setups, but i'd be using for a planted tank. I also like the night time effects so that I can see the fish, plants, and tank when the highpowered lights are out... Really nice effect.

So out to you professionals (or advanced fish keepers), what do you think?

[bt]

Not my area of expertise, but isn't 10k a bit high for planted tanks?  I thought you typically aim for 8k.  Or is that just because 10k is overkill, but would still work?  I suppose you could always swap in 8k bulbs, though.

I've got a Coralife MH fixture, and I've been pretty happy with it so far.  That one has a few more bells and whistles than mine does though.

[exv152]

I have one of these and to be honest it's just ok. One thing for sure, with 10,000k you're hardly getting any pink hues your plants really need. But you could swap the bulbs out for something more in the 6000k full spectrum range like

http://raysaquarium.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_2&products_id=146
combined with
http://raysaquarium.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_2&products_id=149

Also, actinics provide some light outside the useful range for plants, and to be honest they look good on a sw but not so much for planted tanks.

[daworldisblack]

Definitely looks nice for its features. The bulbs though need to be changed out for your application. Maybe they can do that for you? If not you'd probably need to get some new bulbs in the 67K +/- range. At least to replace the actinics at the very least.

[daworldisblack]

I have one of these and to be honest it's just ok. One thing for sure, with 10,000k you're hardly getting any pink hues your plants really need. But you could swap the bulbs out for something more in the 6000k full spectrum range like

http://raysaquarium.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_2&products_id=146
combined with
http://raysaquarium.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_2&products_id=149

Yeap thats the combo I have. Looks like they got them there too:

http://www.marinedepot.com/D_D_Giesemann_Powerchrome_Aquaflora_T5_High_Output_Fluorescent_Lamp_T5_High_Output_Fluorescent_Light_Bulbs_for_Aquariums-Giesemann_Aquarium_Lighting_Systems-GL2151-FILTBUT5HO-vi.html

http://www.marinedepot.com/D_D_Giesemann_Powerchrome_Midday_T5_High_Output_Fluorescent_Lamp_T5_High_Output_Fluorescent_Light_Bulbs_for_Aquariums-Giesemann_Aquarium_Lighting_Systems-GL2121-FILTBUT5HO-vi.html

[androo303]

Hmm, ok. What if i went with something like:

http://raysaquarium.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_28&products_id=60

coupled with:

http://raysaquarium.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_2&products_id=146
and
http://raysaquarium.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_2&products_id=149

This would cost me:
$55 for the light
$60 for two Aqua Flora T5HO lights
$60 for two Midday Sun T5HO lights
------
$175 total for the kit.

[daworldisblack]

Hmm, ok. What if i went with something like:

http://raysaquarium.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_28&products_id=60

coupled with:

http://raysaquarium.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_2&products_id=146
and
http://raysaquarium.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_2&products_id=149

This would cost me:
$55 for the light
$60 for two Aqua Flora T5HO lights
$60 for two Midday Sun T5HO lights
------
$175 total for the kit.

Erm.. TEK lights are one of the better ones up there so was wondering how it was $55 only.. turns out its just the reflector thats $55. The fixture itself is $270:
http://raysaquarium.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_28&products_id=54

The TEK is what I am ultimately saving up for - its also what Errol has on his set-up.

[androo303]

Erm.. TEK lights are one of the better ones up there so was wondering how it was $55 only.. turns out its just the reflector thats $55. The fixture itself is $270:
http://raysaquarium.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_28&products_id=54

The TEK is what I am ultimately saving up for - its also what Errol has on his set-up.

Dang!!

[Greatwhite]

  Darn the fine print... hehe

I had the lunar aqualight on my salt tank... it was the PC version, not t5.  I loved the night lights, and the rest of it was garbage.  You're much better off getting a decent fixture (like a TEK fixture) and buy a little lunar led kit to stick to it if you're after the night time lighting.

[exv152]

Andrew, honestly speaking, if you're gonna spend the money on anything it's worth getting a quality light fixture. I have a 24" tek light on my 25g and it's an excellent quality light. Especially the reflectors which make all the difference in terms of tank lighting. These fixtures have highly polished german made reflectors which apparently increase the intensity by something insane like 300%. Or you can do what I did, wait until one becomes available in the classifieds and get it for half the price (props to Errol). I paid $100 for mine and it was less than a year old.

[androo303]

Andrew, honestly speaking, if you're gonna spend the money on anything it's worth getting a quality light fixture. I have a 24" tek light on my 25g and it's an excellent quality light. Especially the reflectors which make all the difference in terms of tank lighting. These fixtures have highly polished german made reflectors which apparently increase the intensity by something insane like 300%. Or you can do what I did, wait until one becomes available in the classifieds and get it for half the price (props to Errol). I paid $100 for mine and it was less than a year old.

Sadly i know i have gotten in over my head now, with the CO2 and EI dosing!! 

But that being said, why bother spending all this cash on these thigns and cheaping out on a decent light which is where most of the photosynthesis happens. I am going to monitor the classifieds for them and hopefully Toronto or Ottawa throws one up soon. I have a 30" wide tank so the 24" wouldnt work for me (i don't have the gear to hang it, unless it is from the ceiling).

[exv152]

There's a hanging kit for the ceiling thing. Which is what I have.

[exv152]

They come up periodically, here's a 36" inch on usedottawa...
http://www.usedottawa.com/classified-ad/BM-Nac5-skimmer36-tek-light65g-drill--stand_17749832

[Greatwhite]

They come up periodically, here's a 36" inch on usedottawa...
http://www.usedottawa.com/classified-ad/BM-Nac5-skimmer36-tek-light65g-drill--stand_17749832

$300 for a used light is steep...  If he thinks he's giving a great deal because he's including bulbs, well - used bulbs are usually worthless because you'll want to replace them.  He'd probably say "oh, I only have 2 weeks use on them", which means ~1 year.

If you are interested in this fixture, offer $200 and point out that you have to replace all the bulbs to make it fresh water friendly.

(I got mine used through the OVAS classifieds for less than $300, and it's 48")

[androo303]

They come up periodically, here's a 36" inch on usedottawa...
http://www.usedottawa.com/classified-ad/BM-Nac5-skimmer36-tek-light65g-drill--stand_17749832

Thanks Eric. I saw this the other day on usedottawa and here on OVAS Classifieds (thanks OVAS!). I am going to keep my eyes peeled on Kijiji.

$300 for a used light is steep...  If he thinks he's giving a great deal because he's including bulbs, well - used bulbs are usually worthless because you'll want to replace them.  He'd probably say "oh, I only have 2 weeks use on them", which means ~1 year.

If you are interested in this fixture, offer $200 and point out that you have to replace all the bulbs to make it fresh water friendly.

(I got mine used through the OVAS classifieds for less than $300, and it's 48")

Yea I was thinking $300 is a bit steep. I also have a 30" wide tank, so I am unsure if i really want to have 6" of overhang from the light

[androo303]

I am looking for a light of approximately 30" because my tank is 30" wide. Is the coralife t5ho decent or is it not worth it? I am also looking at keeping the costs low.

I do see a couple of tek lights on kijiji but they are 36" wide and I am hesitant to put those over the tank because of the 3" overlap on both sides.

[exv152]

I am looking for a light of approximately 30" because my tank is 30" wide. Is the coralife t5ho decent or is it not worth it? I am also looking at keeping the costs low.

I do see a couple of tek lights on kijiji but they are 36" wide and I am hesitant to put those over the tank because of the 3" overlap on both sides.

The good thing about the tek light (actually there's a few up sides to it) is that it's a pendant light, and with its intensity you would suspend it at least 12 inches from the top of the tank anyway, so all the plants get an even distribution of light and it doesn't really leave any dead spots. So a 24" fixture would light a 30" wide tank and it wouldn't look weird at all.  If you were looking to place the light right on top of the tank I wouldn't recommend a tek light.  In that case the coralife would do an good job. I've read some reviews by others saying the lux and PAR values are low with these fixtures, but I've never tested it personally on mine.

[androo303]

The good thing about the tek light (actually there's a few up sides to it) is that it's a pendant light, and with its intensity you would suspend it at least 12 inches from the top of the tank anyway, so all the plants get an even distribution of light and it doesn't really leave any dead spots. So a 24" fixture would light a 30" wide tank and it wouldn't look weird at all.  If you were looking to place the light right on top of the tank I wouldn't recommend a tek light.  In that case the coralife would do an good job. I've read some reviews by others saying the lux and PAR values are low with these fixtures, but I've never tested it personally on mine.

I am deffinitely hesitent of hanging the light from the wall in a pendant style hangers, but if i had to, I am sure i could discuss with the misses (but i'd probably lose).

The 24" wide Tek Light fixture would have to hang due to the fixture being 6" less then the outside edges of the tank? Then that means i'd have to hang it anyways... Y'arg.

[daworldisblack]

You could use metal rods (conduits?) to hang it off of.. they'd be bolted to your stand. I've seen this as the alternative to hanging from the ceiling. Two popular variations I've seen:

[androo303]

Definitely nice setups!! Hrm... I will have to figure out a way to suspend mine without it looking tacky (sometimes the things i build are tacky ).

That being said, I've found an Aquatic Life T5 Light Fixture with 2x24watt. Can I upgrade these to T5HO bulbs or does that not work?