Aqualife t5 led hybrid questions

[Fz1ben]

Hello guys

I'm currently looking at purchasing a 36" aquatic life hybrid fixture to run with 3 kessil a160s over my red sea reefer 250.

I've noticed the fixtures don't have any cooling........ is this something I should be worried about? Will it affect bulb life ?

How much extra heat will it add to my tank if I mounted it around 7" from the surface of the water?

Can anyone recommend a store that will ship to the uk?

Thanks alot

 

[Crabs McJones]

They're passively cooled. No fans needed. They dont add a whole lot of heat. I noticed no more than a couple tenths of a degree temperature increase with mine. Not sure the shipping question. Hopefully someone will know the answer to that

 

[Retro Reefer]

Three 160’s probably overkill, mine doesn’t get to hot have it about 10” over water and it doesn’t effect tank temps at all

 

[Fz1ben]

Thanks guys... I run 3 kessils on the tank already as it's pretty sps dominated so trying to reduce shadowing. I may go back to 2 once I add the t5s

 

[Billldg]

Thanks guys... I run 3 kessils on the tank already as it's pretty sps dominated so trying to reduce shadowing. I may go back to 2 once I add the t5s

So far as I know the 36 in fixture only has 2 led attachments, don't know if you can add a third, probably won't need a 3rd, BRS did a video on this fixture with 2 AI primes, 2 Kessil a360's, and 2 ecotech xr15 g4 pros and kessils and ecotechs both had par in the 450 plus range. I plan on adding a 36 in fixture with 2 ecotech xr15 g4 pros on my 120 gal tank in the near future. Also going with 2 blue plus, 1 purple plus, and 1 coral plus for t5 bulbs.

 

[Fz1ben]

Sounds like the same bulb choices I would go for..... I've just got to find someone to ship one to the uk for me

 

[pelphrey]

I had 3 a160we’s running in my aquatic life t5 Fixture. Great setup, for me it was just too much. Nothing at all against the light setup, I’ve just decided to go in another direction!

 

[Billldg]

I had 3 a160we’s running in my aquatic life t5 Fixture. Great setup, for me it was just too much. Nothing at all against the light setup, I’ve just decided to go in another direction!

That's the reason why I'm going with a 36 in fixture on a 4 ft tank, I want the par high up top and complete coverage from front to back, but want the par to be lower on the sides for my LPS.

 

[Daniel Waters]

Thanks guys... I run 3 kessils on the tank already as it's pretty sps dominated so trying to reduce shadowing. I may go back to 2 once I add the t5s

Unless you're wanting to sell one or use elsewhere, keep all 3 of the A160s when you add the T5s and simply run them at a lower %. With puck style LEDs, the more point sources you can have, the better.

 

[Fz1ben]

Yeah I think I'll probably keep the 3 but back them down to 30% to start with. I am a little concerned about suddenly adding 4 tubes but hopefully the corals will adjust to it.

Can I ask why you thought it was too much?

Thanks

 

[Fz1ben]

Do you think a 24" fixture mounted a little higher up would cover the tank?

 

[Daniel Waters]

Do you think a 24" fixture mounted a little higher up would cover the tank?

Perfectly fine. My preference is actually to use T5 units that are a foot less than the main tank and mount them higher. I prefer the higher mounting height to reduce any incidental splashing up into the light, make it a little easier to get into the tank with the fixture being higher and out of the way more, and the higher mounting gives my LEDs and T5s even more spread (but at a loss of par). The 6" on each side will have less par, but it will certainly be illuminated and not look shaded or dim.

 

[Kyl]

They will add heat to the room, and to the water - no way around it. My cooling fans are on much more often than the pre-t5 days. How much depends on your room set up and air circulation.