# Thinking of ATI T5HO fixture for 38 gallon high tech planted tank...Thoughts?



## AquaSox (Jun 9, 2010)

http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5..._4x39W_SunPower_T5_High-Output_Fixture_by_ATI
There is also a dimmable version (but this might be overkill):
http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5...r_T5_High-Output_Fixture_w!_Controller_by_ATI

The choice is between the ATI and TEK lights and perhaps Vertex LEDs. According to Tom Barr it has higher PAR readings than an equivalent TEK light fixture. I also like the aesthetics of the aluminum frame. I should also mention I plan on hanging the fixture so I can easily adjust the PAR readings in the tank.

*1. Anyone have any experience with the above fixture?
2. If I hang the fixture can I get away with the 24 inch instead of the 36 inch due to the light spread created by the extra height?*

*BTW I plan on purchasing a 90x45X45 ADA or DOAqua tank in the future, replacing the 38, so the fixture would have to work for that too.*

*I'm going to use the charts in here to get the proper PAR levels when hanging the fixture:*PAR vs Distance, T5, T12, PC - New Chart

Hopefully I can find someone that has a PAR meter.


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## Captured Moments (Apr 22, 2010)

if your tank is 36" in length, you should stick with a 36" light fixture and not go with the 24" unit and rely on hanging it higher to increase spread to compensate. You would raise or lower the fixture to control par but it would be very difficult to control spread and par at the same time with a shorter fixture. Par values vary depending on the distance and whether the point of record is directly beneath the light or further diagonally away from it. Your best setup with the right length would help you achieve best Par value symmetry throughout the entire tank area, not when you have to play around with spread and par.


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## AquaSox (Jun 9, 2010)

Captured Moments said:


> if your tank is 36" in length, you should stick with a 36" light fixture and not go with the 24" unit and rely on hanging it higher to increase spread to compensate.


Yeah this seems logical (i did see a thread on plantedtank.net suggesting that the 24 inch would be more than enough...I can't seem to find it now). Also I've seen a number of ADA tanks with the light being less than the length of the tank and it was more than adequate, but I guess in terms of PAR uniformity throughout the tank it would be hard to achieve.

I will be hanging the fixture regardless of it's length.

I'll stick with the 36 incher to be safe. Any thoughts on the ATI fixture itself?


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## Captured Moments (Apr 22, 2010)

I don't have an ATI fixture so I can't comment but I do have a TEK light (36" 6 x T5HO) with individual reflectors. The casing is black and I don't hang mine but I use the legs. Running 4 bulbs on the TEK is more than enough light for me and the few times when I did run the 6 bulbs altogether, it was like the sun. The plants grew like mad and it was difficult to keep the algae from growing on my glass even with a good amount of vegetation and ample Co2. I guess the decision for you is coming down to price and the look especially if you want to achieve the ADA look.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Those are great fixtures, and as you've noted, Tom Barr loves them and several people on his forum use them. I think they great lights based on the specs, but IMO, way overkill for most people. I think even the Tek is overkill for most people. At that kind of pricing, I'd look at AquaRay's or the Vertex units. Big upfront cost, but lots of power and heat savings in the long run. I don't think three are any people on BCA with these, as they're pretty hardcore, unless some reef guys have them (you might try posting in the salty section or Canreef).


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## AquaSox (Jun 9, 2010)

Captured Moments said:


> I don't have an ATI fixture so I can't comment but I do have a TEK light (36" 6 x T5HO) with individual reflectors. The casing is black and I don't hang mine but I use the legs. Running 4 bulbs on the TEK is more than enough light for me and the few times when I did run the 6 bulbs altogether, it was like the sun. The plants grew like mad and it was difficult to keep the algae from growing on my glass even with a good amount of vegetation and ample Co2. I guess the decision for you is coming down to price and the look especially if you want to achieve the ADA look.


Thanks...I'm trying to get in the range where I can grow pretty much anything, but still have good control over algae. Sounds like 4 bulbs running at once would be too much, although I would only run all 4 for a very short period.



2wheelsx2 said:


> Those are great fixtures, and as you've noted, Tom Barr loves them and several people on his forum use them. I think they great lights based on the specs, but IMO, way overkill for most people. I think even the Tek is overkill for most people. At that kind of pricing, I'd look at AquaRay's or the Vertex units. Big upfront cost, but lots of power and heat savings in the long run. I don't think three are any people on BCA with these, as they're pretty hardcore, unless some reef guys have them (you might try posting in the salty section or Canreef).


Going back to the charts/graphs in the planted tank link it looks like I only really need 2 bulbs or possibly 3. If I had two bulbs spaced not too tightly together it might be even better. I want to stay within the medium range-lower high range. I agree that it might be overkill in terms of light....it does have 2 on/off switches, so if I did get it I would probably run 2 for most of the photoperiod. One of the things I like the most about the light is the aesthetics of the fixture itself...obviously this is not the most important criteria when choosing the fixture, but I would like my tank, stand and light to blend with the furniture and not a bunch of unsightly pieces of equipment slapped together.

I'm not familiar with AquaRay's. Are you referring to an LED system?
As mentioned I'm also considering a Vertex unit because of energy savings and bulb replacement issues. How controllable are these fixtures....do all the LED modules turn on at once or is there some independent light control?

The budget would be between $250-$500 for the fixture itself....I only run 2 tanks and the other one is not going to be high end.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

AquaSox said:


> Thanks...I'm trying to get in the range where I can grow pretty much anything, but still have good control over algae. Sounds like 4 bulbs running at once would be too much, although I would only run all 4 for a very short period.
> 
> Going back to the charts/graphs in the planted tank link it looks like I only really need 2 bulbs or possibly 3. If I had two bulbs spaced not too tightly together it might be even better. I want to stay within the medium range-lower high range. I agree that it might be overkill in terms of light....it does have 2 on/off switches, so if I did get it I would probably run 2 for most of the photoperiod. One of the things I like the most about the light is the aesthetics of the fixture itself...obviously this is not the most important criteria when choosing the fixture, but I would like my tank, stand and light to blend with the furniture and not a bunch of unsightly pieces of equipment slapped together.
> 
> ...


With CO2 injection, you can go lower light. With adequate CO2, and EI dosing, all the plants need to do is grow. That was a point Tom Barr made over and over when he was here at the Vancouver Aquarium talk. I think it's wise that you are thinking medium light.

And yes, the AquaRay's are LED's: http://www.jlaquatics.com/info/418/Aqua+Ray+LED+Lighting+Fixtures.html

I have a mini-tile over my ADA cube, in case you're wondering how they would look on an ADA tank....Amazing is how they look:









My journal for that tank is here: http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/tank-journals-16/ada-cube-garden-1-01-2012-a-23405/

If you want to see how they look on bigger tanks, look for Tony1928's 400 gallon discus journal. He has 4 XG tiles on it.

As for whether they can come on at different times, they are dimmable, just like the pricier ATI, but you do need to buy their controller as other controllers will not work with it.

I like the Vertex lights, but without trying them myself, I would be concerned about light spread, as they are quite narrow.


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## Algae Beater (Apr 21, 2010)

2wheelsx2 said:


> Those are great fixtures, and as you've noted, Tom Barr loves them and several people on his forum use them. I think they great lights based on the specs, but IMO, way overkill for most people. I think even the Tek is overkill for most people. At that kind of pricing, I'd look at AquaRay's or the Vertex units. Big upfront cost, but lots of power and heat savings in the long run. I don't think three are any people on BCA with these, as they're pretty hardcore, unless some reef guys have them (you might try posting in the salty section or Canreef).


the Vertex Units are solid i have been using a few of them over my 50 gallon and a few of my shrimp tanks for the past 8 months or so. the plants love them and the not replacing bulbs every few months is a huge +1


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## AquaSox (Jun 9, 2010)

2wheelsx2 said:


> I have a mini-tile over my ADA cube, in case you're wondering how they would look on an ADA tank....Amazing is how they look
> If you want to see how they look on bigger tanks, look for Tony1928's 400 gallon discus journal. He has 4 XG tiles on it.
> 
> As for whether they can come on at different times, they are dimmable, just like the pricier ATI, but you do need to buy their controller as other controllers will not work with it.
> ...


It works very well for your tank. The linear ones don't fit my tank length. I take it you can join these together (modular)? Or would you recommend hanging one or two tiles?



Algae Beater said:


> the Vertex Units are solid i have been using a few of them over my 50 gallon and a few of my shrimp tanks for the past 8 months or so. the plants love them and the not replacing bulbs every few months is a huge +1


You have two over your 55 gallon? The picture is blinding me lol... It looks good and it seems like you have no algae issues. Any problem with bba from too much light?


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## Algae Beater (Apr 21, 2010)

there is some BBA as in any plant tank. I have a 75 gallon using HO t5 and algae growth is the same in LED lit tanks 

yes the tank is using two illumilux units. some of the plants are getting WAY too big. the Echinodorus 'veronica'in there was merely about 16" tall in my 38 gallon ... now its about 1/3 of the tank.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

AquaSox said:


> It works very well for your tank. The linear ones don't fit my tank length. I take it you can join these together (modular)? Or would you recommend hanging one or two tiles?


They have a modular mounting system. Mine is just the one arm. You can get 2 arms and have rails which allow you to slide the tiles along it. And yes, in a 90 cm tank, you'll have to use 2. But you'd probably want to dim it to keep it lower light. Or you can using a single tile and have a linear one on each side maybe. They are all modular, and can be joined or separated. If you're interested, you should go to J&L and talk to Jeff about which is the best solution. It might turn out that you would get more out of something like the Vertex, or you might not. I had Jeff demo the spread of the mini-tile for me and he was really good about it.


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## plantbrain (May 12, 2010)

2wheelsx2 said:


> Those are great fixtures, and as you've noted, Tom Barr loves them and several people on his forum use them. I think they great lights based on the specs, but IMO, way overkill for most people. I think even the Tek is overkill for most people. At that kind of pricing, I'd look at AquaRay's or the Vertex units. Big upfront cost, but lots of power and heat savings in the long run. I don't think three are any people on BCA with these, as they're pretty hardcore, unless some reef guys have them (you might try posting in the salty section or Canreef).


Yep, they are more for the guy who has too much money and true plant zealot who also wants a high light tank.
Folks spend more $ on ADA lights and they offer less than ATI does, so...........ATI is good for the $ relative to ADA lighting.

But.........these are not cheap lights.


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## rwong2k10 (Dec 27, 2010)

where's the best online shop to get ati t5ho light fixtures that you have personally use or recommend?


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