Lapras
Active Member
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2017
- Messages
- 111
- Reaction score
- 83
- What state or country do you live in
- Maryland
Well everyone, after reading and reading, I decided to get the 48" Aquatic Life T5 Hybrid fixture for my RedSea 525! I really love this fixture! I am using 2 x ATI Blue+ and 2 x ATI Coral+
I read some posts from folks who purchased this fixture (I think most purchased the black colored one), and there were some pros and cons, especially given that this fixture uses two outlets and they are completely opposite each other.
I'll update this as the weeks/months pass on how the lights affect my corals. I mostly got them because I'd like to grow more acropora, and after reading that others had great results with the T5/LED hybrid.
Overall, the fixture appears and feels excellent quality. Mine did not have any scratches or dents, or anything like that -- I believe the sturdy packaging helped a lot.
Some notes:
-The white color is sleek and the added end-caps (to hide wires and fixture edges) and hanging kit is a bonus.
-The bulb's wiring harnesses appeared orderly and with good fit
-The silicone bulb sockets are great -- I don't often get salt creep, but sometimes my fish splash or I touch things with my wet hands on accident
-I don't know what they painted the white fixture with -- is it marine grade paint or? I didn't see it on their webpage
-How corrosion resistant is their fixture hanging kit?
-I didn't like their wire locking devices (cylinder with two holes in the body for the wires, and two screws at the end to lock the wires from moving) -- I used barrel crimping sleeves to ensure the hanging loops will not fail.
-Two separate outlets? One opposite sides? Dislike this design. Most other reviews/comments indicate the same.
-I had no use for the plastic cord holders -- I used these instead to hide wires: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JMSWNC8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
-Small annoyance: You have to pre-thread four screw holes before you put the end caps on
-The instructions had you first to mount the light fixture brackets to the T5 fixture (step 4), then mount your LED fixture after (step 6). I mounted the light fixture brackets first onto my lights, then placed them on the T5 fixture... Otherwise (if using 2 brackets), you have to ensure exact measurement between the mounting plate and the LED fixture.
-Make sure you have the proper mounting screws for your specific model LED fixture! The AI Hydra 26 use 10-32 x 1" screws. DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN!
-If you're hanging the fixture from the ceiling, make sure your structure can handle it. Factor in the T5 fixture weight, the LED fixtures weight, and if you're running the cords down below also factor in that weight pulling down on the T5 fixture.
-I made the ceiling end-caps/canopy from a 3" PVC pipe endcap (find at hardware store) and drilled holes in the center. If you look very closely at an angle on the inside of these caps, you'll see small concentric circles and a single one which will mark center. Mark with sharpie and drill whatever size hole you want. I used gentle adhesive on the rims to ensure they remained on my ceiling.... remember that these caps must go on first before doing any mounting/wire crimping.
-They give you plenty of wire to use for hanging the fixture. I just measured how much I needed, then added a small extra for when I want to lower the fixture.
-Make sure you cover your entire tank with plastic, or canvas or a blanket or something to protect from falling debris while drilling your ceiling mount holes
-Clean your LED light fixtures with microfiber cloth and air-in-a-can, before mounting to the T5 fixture! It's a good time now
-Before removing your LED fixtures/mounting arms from the tank, take measurements! Light height, light width spacing.
-Might sound obvious: use a good bubble level to ensure your fixture's planes are good
That's it for now. If there are any questions please let me know.
Few pics attached
I read some posts from folks who purchased this fixture (I think most purchased the black colored one), and there were some pros and cons, especially given that this fixture uses two outlets and they are completely opposite each other.
I'll update this as the weeks/months pass on how the lights affect my corals. I mostly got them because I'd like to grow more acropora, and after reading that others had great results with the T5/LED hybrid.
Overall, the fixture appears and feels excellent quality. Mine did not have any scratches or dents, or anything like that -- I believe the sturdy packaging helped a lot.
Some notes:
-The white color is sleek and the added end-caps (to hide wires and fixture edges) and hanging kit is a bonus.
-The bulb's wiring harnesses appeared orderly and with good fit
-The silicone bulb sockets are great -- I don't often get salt creep, but sometimes my fish splash or I touch things with my wet hands on accident
-I don't know what they painted the white fixture with -- is it marine grade paint or? I didn't see it on their webpage
-How corrosion resistant is their fixture hanging kit?
-I didn't like their wire locking devices (cylinder with two holes in the body for the wires, and two screws at the end to lock the wires from moving) -- I used barrel crimping sleeves to ensure the hanging loops will not fail.
-Two separate outlets? One opposite sides? Dislike this design. Most other reviews/comments indicate the same.
-I had no use for the plastic cord holders -- I used these instead to hide wires: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JMSWNC8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
-Small annoyance: You have to pre-thread four screw holes before you put the end caps on
-The instructions had you first to mount the light fixture brackets to the T5 fixture (step 4), then mount your LED fixture after (step 6). I mounted the light fixture brackets first onto my lights, then placed them on the T5 fixture... Otherwise (if using 2 brackets), you have to ensure exact measurement between the mounting plate and the LED fixture.
-Make sure you have the proper mounting screws for your specific model LED fixture! The AI Hydra 26 use 10-32 x 1" screws. DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN!
-If you're hanging the fixture from the ceiling, make sure your structure can handle it. Factor in the T5 fixture weight, the LED fixtures weight, and if you're running the cords down below also factor in that weight pulling down on the T5 fixture.
-I made the ceiling end-caps/canopy from a 3" PVC pipe endcap (find at hardware store) and drilled holes in the center. If you look very closely at an angle on the inside of these caps, you'll see small concentric circles and a single one which will mark center. Mark with sharpie and drill whatever size hole you want. I used gentle adhesive on the rims to ensure they remained on my ceiling.... remember that these caps must go on first before doing any mounting/wire crimping.
-They give you plenty of wire to use for hanging the fixture. I just measured how much I needed, then added a small extra for when I want to lower the fixture.
-Make sure you cover your entire tank with plastic, or canvas or a blanket or something to protect from falling debris while drilling your ceiling mount holes
-Clean your LED light fixtures with microfiber cloth and air-in-a-can, before mounting to the T5 fixture! It's a good time now
-Before removing your LED fixtures/mounting arms from the tank, take measurements! Light height, light width spacing.
-Might sound obvious: use a good bubble level to ensure your fixture's planes are good
That's it for now. If there are any questions please let me know.
Few pics attached
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![20200426_102621[5671].jpg](https://test9.reef2reef.com/data/attachments/1474/1474492-8bdfd2c5c87c05ea99ef6147b0c0834d.jpg?hash=i9_Sxch8Be "20200426_102621[5671].jpg")
