Hydroponics

Does anyone know if you can use a hydroponics t5 light unit for a reef?

Are you referring to the fixture or lamps?

Yes, on the fixture. Although the reflector is not so great.
No, on the lamps, unless you use 6k-6500k lamps with other reef spces lamps from ATI, Geiseman, or KZ.

I have seen the reflector on the Giesemann Matrixx II and it is identical to the one in the Hydrofarm T5 unit. Needless to say the reflector on the Giesemann does not warrant the price tag. If you are spending that kind of coin ATI is superior and if you don't have the cash then the Hydrofarm is not a bad fixture at all. With a ballast upgrade to programmed start like the Giesemann you are basically there at a fraction of the price.

[MENTION=7176]gus6464[/MENTION],
What are your thoughts on the PacSun T5 fixtures. Are they on par with the ATI?

Diuna's are basically identical to Powermodule which are full parabolic miro-silver. Sunpower is a hybrid mix of specular angles bent to a parabolic style. On avg full parabolic like Powermodule has 10-15% more output than the equivalent Sunpower. PM uses the 99% miro-silver while Sunpower uses a lower grade 97%. Giesemann is basically specular. Now of course there is a slight difference which will be horizontal dispersion. Giesemann has a wider angle while PM and Diuna are very focused as the photons firing toward the reflector are reflected straight down.

So basically:

Strongest Light
PM and Diuna

10-15% less output than above
Sunpower

10-15% less output than above
Matrixx II

Giesemann already trails a decent chunk below the Sunpower in output so the difference between Matrixx and PM/Diuna is quite large.

Sunpower


Diuna


Powermodule


Matrixx II


Hydrofarm


Why is Hydrofarm so cheap? Ballasts. They use Fulham Workhorse. Has low ballast factor and it's instant start to it kills bulbs faster. But the light comes apart very easily and it's not hard to take out the Workhorse and install some replacements. Also the wider dispersion is a welcome thing as you don't have to hang the fixture higher to lower the output. Honestly if you have a tank under 20" tall the Hydrofarm is a kickass light with a little upgrade.

So take the 8 bulb 54W version.
https://www.amazon.com/Agrobrite-FL...8&qid=1470176381&sr=8-5&keywords=hydrofarm+t5

Home Depot now carries Philips Advanced Centium Ballasts. They have the ICN-4S54 for 4x54W prewired for ~$40. Basically get two and rip out the Workhoses on the Hydro and you got yourself a kick-*** light. Because of the dimensions it would be perfect for a 48x30x20 tank.

Now cooling. ATI lights need forced air cooling because of the splash guard. Without it ambient temp around bulb would be too high and kill output. Giesemann doesn't have forced air cooling on the bulb side because it doesn't come with a cover. The sweet spot for max output on T5 is 35C ambient temp surrounding the bulb. So basically reflector area and not the bulb itself. The hydrofarm light can maintain this temp in a climate controlled environment without a splash guard.

Thanks for the detailed answer!

Come into our showroom and look at our Fiji Sun T5 fixtures. They are on special during August. They are used by several coral distributors in LA who sell coral across the US. We get a lot of positive feedback on them.

[MENTION=7176]gus6464[/MENTION] thank you for the detailed answer above.

Some great info in this thread. Very informative thank you


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Any place you can purchase a PacSun fixture in the US?

My question to you is....
Would you personally consider the Diuna for your own reef. They are a new company to the US and wanted to know what you think of their build quality.

I have seen a Diuna in person and it's a quality unit. Buddy of mine got it when they were dropping the old US distributor and they were selling for cheap. The only thing I am wary of is that like the dimmable ATI units if the controller board goes bad you have a non-functioning light. With ATI that's not such a big deal as their US support is great but with the Pac Sun it is still unknown how long it would take to get a replacement. I personally stay away from dimmable T5 units because of that and prefer to just raise the fixtures. I don't know why the dimmable lights don't have a bypass that when the board goes out you can redirect to just on and off. This would actually be quite simple as a dimmable HEP and Philips ballast is identical to the non version except for the single 0-10v cable. You can run them like a regular on/off if you are not passing a signal to that pin.

I wonder if you can stick PM reflectors on a SP? Originally, ReefGeek mentioned that it was only a 5% difference in performance between the SP and PM but if the reflectors make that big of a difference, it might be worth it to stick PM reflectors on a SP.

Hmm. I have been told by a T5 lighting engineer that T5 bulbs should not be dimmed as all the gas doesn't burn and it can cause premature bulb failure. Since then, I have always looked to non dimmable units. I'm not one to care about dimming anyway. Kind of a gimmick to me.

Primary distribution is on the east coast. The brand is quality, but those who are handling its distribution, I question.

There has been a lot of debate about this. Some say it doesn't kill output if you do a proper burn in but every time you switch out having the thing only as on off for 50 hours is a pain. I'd wager to guess that in the time frame we keep bulbs in a fixture it doesn't matter much.

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found that Amazon sells PacSun fixtures.