[misnjoe]

i am planning a new planted tank after having some sucess with my 30xh. i was thinking of oceanics 58gl or aga's 65. bolth have same foot print but the oceanic is about 20" tall compared to 24". after reading many posts on various lighting options it looks like the Tek fixture is the way to go. Was originally focused on coralifes 36" x 2- 96w(6700k) combined w/ coralifes 42w CF giving me a available 234w (just under 4 p/gl). Now i am curious about these teks, sound like they really get the job done. Question is: will the 4 bulb fixture(i think 154w) be sufficiant, it will be less then 3 watts p/gal. I don't want to be limited on what types of plants i grow. Of course i will have pressurized co2. Should i go for the six bulb fixture? does any one no how many switch banks the 6 bulb has. Would love three(two bulbs on each). Also should i order all 6700k bulbs or is there a better combo? Sorry for the long winded question. This is my first post at this forum. Hello to all!

 

[NewMariner]

Welcome to the forum!

I actually have the 4 bulb tek light on a 46g bowfront I will be setting up soon. I would probably go with the 6 bulb setup if you can afford it. I think the 4 bulb would work but you might have some difficulties with high light demanding plants on the substrate...

 

[misnjoe]

Thanks for the advice. it is definatly a big ticket item, over $400. I can get other t5 fixtures cheaper but it seems that the TEK is superior by way of its reflector and ballast placement. I have heard that the 159w of TEK might be brighter and have more punch then say 240w of CF. Is it true? If so, the 4 bulb would suffice. I would love to buy the right fixture and bulbs the first time out.