[snoz0r]

Hello everyone, need an opinion from some of the more experience hobbyists around to come up with a decision about my lighting.

Running a 29 gallon, i'd say heavily planted (make up your own mind by viewing my journal) with pressurized co2 and a light'ish EI dosing regimen.

Up until the past month or so, I had been running 2 of these Coralife T5 fixtures, running 2 10,000k and 2 6700k bulbs. Not the best fixtures in the world, but I bought them used from a member here for a good price and I didn't have much to go on at the time. That put me at a total of 72 watts of T5 and it went very well, at least to me anyway. Haven't really had any trouble what so ever growing anything that i've wanted to. However the general consensus on these fixtures is that they're "disposable" considering their reflectors and a few other factors.

To make a long story short, I think the ballast in one is going out, as it consistently blows/burns out bulbs within 3 months or less, that's even if it can fire a bulb as there seems to be a loose connection somewhere that I can't seem to find so generally it flickers on and off all day with the slighest vibration.

Soooo, i've been running that particular fixture with only one bulb and therefore my growth has subsided. I decided to purchase a new Current USA Nova Extreme T5HO fixture, which runs at 2x24 watts.

I'm wanting to keep my tank at high light, so how would you do your set up. Just the Current fixture, or in combination with the Coralife's?

The Current fixture comes with a 10,000k bulb as well as a plant grow bulb.

I'm looking for the optimum amount of light and bulb combinations and that's the main question without all the back story.

Sorry if any of my rambling doesn't make sense, home alone without the wife for the week with all the kids, i'm exhausted to say the least.

 

[captain_bu]

Your Coralife fixtures use T5NO bulbs. Since the Nova is a T5HO fixture I think you will be fine with that alone. It should actually give you a bit more light than you currently have due to the higher output of the HO bulbs and the better reflectors in the Nova. Bulb combinations are largely a personal choice. Plant grow and 10K is a popular combination.

 

[snoz0r]

Hmm, really.. you think I'll be pushing more light with 48 watts of HO compared to 72 of NO?

 

[oldpunk78]

if i was gonna get a new light for my 29g, i would probably buy this one:

http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/product_info.php?cPath=71_190&products_id=1411

granted, that's a lot of light. i would hang it 12"+ and run a noon burst. proper co2 and dosing would be important.

right now my 29g has a 2x24w t5ho fixture over it. when you have the light only a little bit over the surface, the ends are noticeably dimmer. that problem seems to go away by raising the fixture.

you think I'll be pushing more light with 48 watts of HO compared to 72 of NO?

in the middle of the tank, yes. ends, not so much.

 

[snoz0r]

if i was gonna get a new light for my 29g, i would probably buy this one:

http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/product_info.php?cPath=71_190&products_id=1411

granted, that's a lot of light. i would hang it 12"+ and run a noon burst. proper co2 and dosing would be important.

right now my 29g has a 2x24w t5ho fixture over it. when you have the light only a little bit over the surface, the ends are noticeably dimmer. that problem seems to go away by raising the fixture.



in the middle of the tank, yes. ends, not so much.

i want that light, badly... even considered the $100 t5 fixture, but my budget was $80 and i was able to get the Current for $78 and change so that's what i had to get. I wonder if the Current is as bad or any worse then the Coralife's when it comes down to the ends of the tanks, if so... it's something I can handle as I haven't had too many problems so far and the coralifes are nearly at the water surface level.. with the mounting legs it should be spread out a bit more... but with the higher quality reflector i guess i'll just have to wait and see... worse comes to worse i could run the current with one of the coralife's with just one bulb in it i suppose.

 

[VadimShevchuk]

I would get a sundial 4x 24 watt light. I dont have personal experience with them so i cant comment on how they work.

 

[JustOneMore21]

I have a 36" 2x39w Nova Extreme and a 30" 2x24w Nova Extreme over my 29g. I only have the 30" fixture on for about 4-5 hours a day. I wasn't sure how the 36" fixture would look, but the legs make it fit on the tank and the overhang is really only a couple inches on each end....doesn't look bad IMO.

If I had to light another 29g, I'd probably get another 2x39 or even a 4x39w. I don't like dark ends of the tank.


Anywho, to really answer your question, I'd use the NO fixture(s) along with your 2x24w....and maybe do like a burst period with one of them (~5 hours) and leave the other on for however long you leave your lights on for.

 

[snoz0r]

I have a 36" 2x39w Nova Extreme and a 30" 2x24w Nova Extreme over my 29g. I only have the 30" fixture on for about 4-5 hours a day. I wasn't sure how the 36" fixture would look, but the legs make it fit on the tank and the overhang is really only a couple inches on each end....doesn't look bad IMO.

If I had to light another 29g, I'd probably get another 2x39 or even a 4x39w. I don't like dark ends of the tank.


Anywho, to really answer your question, I'd use the NO fixture(s) along with your 2x24w....and maybe do like a burst period with one of them (~5 hours) and leave the other on for however long you leave your lights on for.

good to hear, yeah i thought about getting the larger fixture, but again.. cash was my constraint, thanks for the tips on keeping the other fixtures however.. was looking at selling them for cheap for some cash back, but i guess i'll keep them around for the time being to atleast see how the current looks when it gets here.

thanks =)