T5 fixture question

[dad300]

odd question.. but here goes.. how much difference will the fixture make in a t5 light. by that I mean basic t5 sun blaze vs aquatic vs fluval kind of discussion.
I know the bulbs can and will make a difference but the fixture..
I guess my question really is where is the payoff in buying a geismann t5 setup versus something else.

 

[jah-hoeva]

You have a lot of different things to look at. For example, active vs passive cooling, reflectors style, splash shield, form factor (that's a big one), etc.

 

[cilyjr]

there are major differences from the quality of the ballasts to the reflectors.

 

[dilligaf29]

stay away from sun blaze its junk they die fast
u get what u pay for in the hobby id go with a name brand from some one who makes a fish light
i like ati fixtures
sun blaze was made for plants and even for that they suck

 

[Spudsly]

Has anyone done PAR tests? I would bet the differences get overblown.

 

[dz6t]

stay away from sun blaze its junk they die fast
u get what u pay for in the hobby id go with a name brand from some one who makes a fish light
i like ati fixtures
sun blaze was made for plants and even for that they suck

Sunblaze is marketed by Sunlight Supply, they used to sell Tek Lights.
Yes you are right that these fixtures are meant for growing plants. They don't have acrylic splash shield nor fans. But they are built with good quality material with nice reflectors (yes, the reflectors are better than most and they are wider).
I have an 8-bulb fixture and it is much better than the PacSun t-5 it replaced. A lot more PAR than the PacSun, similar to ATI.
A major coral farm in Ohio is using them.

 

[dz6t]

Has anyone done PAR tests? I would bet the differences get overblown.

The difference in PAR is small when compare to ATI.
They only comes with one power cord despite there are two on/off switches on a 8 bulb fixture (6 bulbs fixture is wired the same way).

 

[dilligaf29]

Sunblaze is marketed by Sunlight Supply, they used to sell Tek Lights.
Yes you are right that these fixtures are meant for growing plants. They don't have acrylic splash shield nor fans. But they are built with good quality material with nice reflectors (yes, the reflectors are better than most and they are wider).
I have an 8-bulb fixture and it is much better than the PacSun t-5 it replaced. A lot more PAR than the PacSun, similar to ATI.
A major coral farm in Ohio is using them.

i have 2 8 bulb untits that i use not for fish but after a few months they produce alot of heat even with new bulbs
and wow what a mark up 261.99 on brs lol i paid 112 at grow shop same light same bulbs

 

[dz6t]

T5 does get hot. Without the fans, you will feel the heat.



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[dz6t]

I guess my question really is where is the payoff in buying a geismann t5 setup versus something else.

The answers for this question are
payoffs for buying a geisemann fixture:
1. It look nice and you will have the bragging right for a German product.
2. It has a higher resale value, despite not in percentage wise.
3. It looks nice. Hmmmm, ok, yes, pretty nice


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[dz6t]

Alright, the real answer is that Geismann is a luxury item, like BMW.


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[Spudsly]

I think there's a lot of items like this in the hobby where people say "Well buy nice or buy twice" and then spend 10-50 times the cost of a non-name brand item.

 

[dz6t]

Well, there are exceptions in this hobby.
For example, AquaMedic is a German company that makes quality lighting. But their flow pump are rebadged PREVIOUS generation of Jebao.
While old Tunze pumps are built extremely solid, newer pumps are worse in built quality than Jebao.
Many "name brand" DC pumps are just rebadged Jebao.

 

[Chris A.]

Good to know , since I just bought a pp4 lol

 

[dz6t]

As for t5 fixtures, aquatic life, Hamilton fixtures are as good as ATI fixtures. These all have fans and splash shield. There is really no magic in t5, it is a very mature and simple technology. Most of them use German made reflectors any way. Ballasts are all from a hand full of well known manufactures. None of these brands made their own reflector nor ballast. The difference is the look and some have timer build in.
Sunblase also use German reflectors and quality ballasts.
But you can not put a splash shield on sunblaze as there is no fan. If you do, you will over heat the fixture.


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[dad300]

thanks for the info.. it clears up a lot of what I thought I was seeing as I researched.