Two weeks ago, one of my Lumatek 400 Watt MH ballasts decided to stop working. Luckily I already ordered two ATI Sunpower 4×39 watt T5 pendants, to function as supplemental lighting for the new FF2 tank.
Before I started to build a new light rack and ordering a new ballast, I decided this situation was a good opportunity to see if I would like an all T5 tank, and see what T5-only would do for the corals. Could the colors be maintained, and would 8×39 Watt even be enough light for such a tank and depth? (43″x43″x26″)
After two weeks of testing, I’m very pleased with the results. With a normal photoperiod (blue 11 hours/full 6 hours) the two pendants are able to maintain the colors they had under the 400 watt bulbs, and even show increased growth.
A few thing have to be taken into account with the NG ATI Sunpower pendants. They are actively cooled, which means the ballasts and bulbs are constantly cooled so the temperature inside the pendant reaches the optimal temperature for the T5 output (around 35 C). This optimal temperature can be controlled with an adjustable speed fan inside the canopy. ATI claims the output because of this active cooling can be +15-20%
Next the reflectors. The Reflector material in the Sunpower has a total reflectivity of 98%. Normally polished aluminum reflectors has a reflectivity of 90-95 %. This means a further step in the efficiency increase in the T-5 technology. (+5-10%)
Because of the acrylic splash-protection, you don’t have to worry to damage the reflectors by salt spray. This means you can hang the pendant closer to the water surface and direct all the light into the water column.
After this two weeks of testing, I decided not to invest in a new Lumatek 400 watt ballast, and order an extra 6×39 watt Sunpower pendant. This brings the total bulbs lighting the FF2 to 14. The extra 6×39 watt pendant will give me even better spread, and allows me to add some lower PAR output bulbs, like Actinics.
Ow, and before you ask, I ‘m not sponsored by ATI, it’s the other way around…
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11 Comments
Well, well, I must say I’m a bit surprised.
I also used an ATI fixture but I went back to MH.
Colors and growth were amazing but the tank lacked the natural look that mh give and seemed just too bright-it was irritating for our eyes after some time sitting in the room.
Peter, you’re right, I recognize the downsides you mentioned. The tank does look less natural using T5 instead of MH, some people get used to it, others don’t.
When I take everything into account, like light spread, coral growth and coloration, and of course the energy consumption (480 watt of T5 instead of 800 watt of MH +suppl.), I take the unnatural look for granted at the moment.
I am not surprised to see good growth with brand new, overdrivena dn actively cooled T5 lamps. However, I think there is hardly a chance that the cost of replacing the T5s every 6-8 months will be palatable for very long. Leonardo I am disappointed that you did not use this opportunity to supplement your first ATI light with some of the many LED choices. For the cost of the ATI with bulbs you could have purchased any number of LED fixtures which would use much less energy, some better colors and especially no bulb replacement for 3-5 years.
I hope you get used to this new look. I always look for more environmental friendly solutions but this time I just couldn’t be pleased with t5. I think LEDs is the answer but they are still very expensive…
@Jake; Thanks for your comment. I’m still not fully convinced LED lighting can provide the type of light to function as main lighting source for reef tanks. Instead of doing a large investment in them now, I rather wait a few more years to see what the developments are.
Of course I am looking into PAR-38 spotlights to supplement the T5 and when I visit China I certainly will search for them.
I don’t know how expensive the Sunpower pendants in the US are, but here in Europe, directly ordered from Germany, they are much less expensive then the high end LED fixtures currently on the market. Of course there are the cheaper, Chinese LED fixtures, but with such bad cooling capabilities the lifespan won’t be very long.
Replacing the T5 lamps every 8 months will cost me more or less the same as replacing the Aqua-Connect 400 Watt MH every 12-14 months. LED will be less expensive on long term, but like i wrote before, I rather wait a few more years.
@Peter; thanks. I always have the MH at hand, so when the LED spots won’t give the effect I want and I’m getting tired of the T-5 look, I can always put back the MH.
wow, leo you have some hard critics here! i was excited to see the move towards all t5′s. the brightness, color options, energy efficiency, and coral growth, are un surpassed by any other lighting option on the market today. to my knowledge, aside from extremely high costs, another draw back to led’s is the inability to easily change or altar the light spectrum. a 3-5 year life span for led’s is great but i dont know of a single reefer who has ever maintained a single choice of light pattern/spectrum for more then a year yet alone 3-5. i find a tremendous value in being able to change the entire look of a reef tank just by rearranging the order of t5′s front to back and/or changing out a single bulb at the expense of $25 to tweak the look of the entire tank to your exact liking. until led cost comes down, spectrum options are available at a low cost, and practical use of led’s prove over time to yield the same if not better color and growth results then halide and t5′s, then i dont see how led’s can be the choice option in in reef lighting at this moment in time.
Leo, rather than making the LEDs the primary light source, I would have suggested to make the T5 lamps predominantly white and then flank it on front and back with striplights of blue and royal blue LEDs.
You speak about waiting until LEDs are about the same pricepoint as conventional lights but what if they are better? LEDs undeniably produce more efficient and IMO higher quality blue light with extremely strong peaks at 450, 460 and 470nm. The fluorescence and color you get from LEDs are unbelievable and once you give them a try, you will never go back to anything but LEDs as the source of at least the blue end of your aquarium’s lighting spectrum. Contact me when you’re ready to make the plunge.
First I would like to say that hard critics challenges me to think again about the choices I make and I appreciate the comments that are made and opinions that are given.
@Paul, I agree with you. When a LED fixture with exchangeable units and an affordable price comes out I will be the first to (partially) light my tank with it.
Next to that exchangeable LEDs allow you to upgrade the LEDs and replace them when they burn out.
@Jake, I agree. LED lighting can provide excellent 450-470 nm peaks, and I will certainly use them to supplement the T5 with them. Actually, I wouldn’t even gone only T5 if there weren’t LED’s yet.
Like I said before, when I’m in China next month I will hunt for LED spotlights.
Thanks for the recommendations Jake, I will look into it. I’ll contact you soon.
Hi Leonardo_
I also changed ATI PM 10bulbs to Radium400w because unnatural look and cost of T5 because T5 bulbs are a little expensice in here.
But T5 bulbs make many combination that you want and have many good points I hope you love them and have a good result
Hmmm interesting. I’ll wait for a while to see if I like the T5-only setup, maybe I change my mind later on
hi leonardo,
what´s the difference of sunpower with powermudle???thanks.