Just Asking, Keep 6-Bulb ATI SunPower or Swap with 2 x ViparSpectra 300W

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Mono

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The thought of LEDs being new and not lasting is nonsense. I have the Viparspectra 300w model, and it is plenty sufficient to grow anything. There is a thread here in the forums for the 165w version, they are quite successful.

The difference is going to come down to personal preference, some folks like the look of T5s better. I have to agree with that a bit. And I doubt T5s are going anywhere anytime too.

If you already have the Viparspectras, I say put up 'em up and see how you like them. Personally, I'd easily by mine again.
Yeah, I have one up already over my frag tank. I am fine with it.

I have 2 not being used right now.

I was just wondering if I should replace my ATI 6-Bulb with my ViparSpcetra's or supe my ATI with some LumenBars??? That's the question.
 
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That's what I like about the lighting forum.

You guys are all on fire.
 

Colt13

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T5 is being heavily regulated in Europe (where ATI is made), and will likely be outlawed entirely... can't imagine the US will be far behind.
Do you know why? Toxic materials (environment concern)? Or health concerns?
 

piranhaman00

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The thought of LEDs being new and not lasting is nonsense. I have the Viparspectra 300w model, and it is plenty sufficient to grow anything. There is a thread here in the forums for the 165w version, they are quite successful.

The difference is going to come down to personal preference, some folks like the look of T5s better. I have to agree with that a bit. And I doubt T5s are going anywhere anytime too.

If you already have the Viparspectras, I say put up 'em up and see how you like them. Personally, I'd easily by mine again.

I didnt mean LEDs wont last but they craze wont.




Do you know why? Toxic materials (environment concern)? Or health concerns?
Probably energy wasters.
 

josvanmeer

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I love it when people say that LED isnt here to stay lol. Someone tell Lowes and Home Depot to stop selling those led bulbs. Owait they are here to stay and T5 might also stay. How about just choose what you like and stick with that. LED is good, T5 is good etc. They all have their pros and cons but none of these options is going away
 

Potatohead

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"Clams can be kept under other types of lighting such as T-5 fluorescent but these are not optimum and would require many bulbs to provide sufficient intensity." Dr. MaC Pacific East

Just sayin'

Your fixture has six bulbs, and reflectors with 98+% efficiency.

If you hang the light 8" or so above the surface with a 20" tall tank you will have 220-250 par everywhere on the bottom. That is tons.
 

reef_ninja

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Yeah, I have one up already over my frag tank. I am fine with it.

I have 2 not being used right now.

I was just wondering if I should replace my ATI 6-Bulb with my ViparSpcetra's or supe my ATI with some LumenBars??? That's the question.
Oh I see, that's a tough question. I have no first-hand experience with it, but from what I've seen here on the forum, folks that mix T5s and LEDs get some really nice results.
 

Captain K'nuckles

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I had the same decision to make recently. I changed to led but soon realised I should have kept the 6 bulb ATI and run it as a hybrid with led. More flexibility, overlap and options to suit my personal tastes and requirements. I now run T5, led combos or metal halide on my tanks. Now decent halide bulbs are getting harder to find. Buy them whenever I find them whether i need them or not. Can't you swap out two tubes for led ones now?
 
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Mono

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Oh I see, that's a tough question. I have no first-hand experience with it, but from what I've seen here on the forum, folks that mix T5s and LEDs get some really nice results.
Yes it seems there are some positive reports.
 

vanpire

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I have heard and witness a good number of die hard LED fans add T5s so I assume both would be a good combination rather than ditching T5s.

But given that, you actually have alot of options.

1. Try vipaspectra only and see if it works for you. If not, it didn't cost you anything, except maybe color and growth that didn't fit your needs.
2. Spend $400 and add LED supplementation as you suggested
3. For ~$400, you can buy a nice T5 hybrid fixture and use the Viparspectra as the main source and T5s for supplementation. (If that works, you can even sell your sunpower. Lots of buyers for the sunpower.)

Lots of options.
 

SebastianM

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I know I'm gonna get flamed on this one...BUT

Should I Keep 6-Bulb ATI SunPower or Swap with 2 x ViparSpectra 300Ws?

I know this might seem like a dumb question but here's the story.

I have 2 ViparSpectra 300W's from a tank I had to take down due to COVID. (No need for an office tank when I ain't going to the office anymore!)

I have a 6-Bulb SunPower running over a standard 6' 125g display at home.

I'm just starting to acro-up my tank (I've picked up 12 nice frags from Coral Euporia and Cultivated Reef ) and added 3 clams from Pacific East.

I think the T5's just cut it in terms of PAR BUT I'd rather have a little too much PAR and have to throttle it back by raising the light or reducing photo period then be caught out with too little.

So, I was thinking of boosting my PAR by adding 2 LumenBars from ReefBreeders for about $400.

But then I thought to myself, I already have the ViparSpectra's and why keep investing in a dying technology.

Will I even be able to buy T5's in a few years?

Maybe I should just make the switch to LED's now and save the $400.

What would you do?
LED/T5 hybrid is the way to go. I have seen impressive tanks on just viparspectras alone, but T5/LED hybrid really helps with neutralizing any shadowing and getting the perfect mix
 

Bpb

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I vote keep the sunpower until you can’t get bulbs anymore. I’d use reef brites to supplement. They spread so much better than the other options on the market
 
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Mono

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I ended up keeping the 6-Bulb SunPower and adding a 2 x Blue/UV ReefBreeders 60" LumenBars in silver.

Initial impressions:
-They were packed and shipped extremely well. I kept the plastic tubes they were shipped in to store my fluorescent bulbs.
-The overall build quality seems very good with some obvious attention to detail. They don't feel or look cheap.
-They do add a bit of pop and a little shimmer, just a touch.
-I mounted them at about a 30 degree angle. So, they angle into the tank. Perhaps having light come in at a different angle helps prevent shading. On my tank this works very well. I have a standard 125g 72lx23hx18w. The 18" doesn't leave enough tank for an 8-bulb fixture. The LumenBars provide additional PAR and angle in nicely without spilling light over the side of the tank.
-Boosted the PAR from about 350 in the center about 6" down to about 430. I know some consider that over-kill but I am happy with that par boost because I just bought 3 clams from PEA. For the clams more PAR = more better.
-They look better/cleaner as add-ons than I thought they would. The mounting brackets are also silver. I've seen pictures with black brackets and they kind of stuck out.
-As another post noted on R2R the provided mounting solution for an ATI fixture is a little weak. It uses the screws from the ATI hood to mount the brackets to the hood. The problem is the ATI screws are only used to hold the end-plate onto the hood and screw into a tab on the punched out end-plate. There is not enougth there there to mount a light strip on. One screw just popped out. I had to substitute screws with hex nuts to mount them firmly. (Luckily, I had a box of small screws/nuts hanging around from some other DIY project - I can't even remember why I needed them.) I would strongly suggest ReefBreeders include a set of screws with their ATI mounting kit.
-Since the light strips drop below the ATI fixture, they do block access to the top of the tank. Obviously, not a deal breaker, just a little annoying.
-Overall, after a few days of running the lights, I am happy with the purchase and I would buy them again.
-FWIW, my recommendations to ReefBreeders would be to
--Put out a better video showing how the LumenBars are mounted on an ATI fixture. Don't ask people to imagine how it would mount. Get a fixture and show them. That's the point of making a video.
--Add mounting screws with hex nuts. Screwing the LumenBars onto the fixture using the ATI case screws is not a real solution.
--Provide some real PAR numbers on your website for LumanBars in real use-case scenarios.
--For some reason the LumenBars are difficult to find on the website. I don't really understand why.
 
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