Giesemann Aurora vs ATI?

[Zach W]

I am trying to figure out my lighting for a tank upgrade to a WB 130.4. I am going to go the T5/LED route and am trying to get real life comparision of Giesemann Aurora vs the ATI. I am specifically looking at the 36" models, the only real difference I can see is that the giesemann has 85w LEDs vs the 75w LEDs on the ATI. Is the giesemann less popular strictly because of the supply? Has anyone used these fixtures?

 

[reef lover]

Bump!

 

[MrSkumfrog]

I had the Giesemann Aurora 36” on my RSR 250. I also had the 6 bulb dimmable SunPower by ATI. I did a PAR video on YouTube with the Aurora. I don’t remember if I included a PAR video on my ATI though.

The Aurora is built really well. The fixture has a thick, powder coating to it and it’s controlled Bluetooth by a PC, or non-Apple tablet. I wasn’t a big fan of the software; there were only a couple presets and you couldn’t type a percentage in. If you live in Germany, you get more program options; which was lame. I kept hearing there would be a software upgrade eventually.

The software was a little cumbersome if I wanted my whites at 25%; I had to fiddle around with a slider bar for longer that I cared for. Doing this on a computer with a mouse was much easier

The LEDs on the Aurora mixed the colors well and there were no stray green colors appearing at random areas. I don’t believe the leds had lenses and it was more of a dispersed light. That being said, the PAR was kind of weak. If I ran the everything at 100% (both pair of T5 bulbs, royal blue led, marine blue led and white channel (white led with a couple red & green diodes)); my PAR was maybe in the 250s at the highest point.

My ATI fixture wasn’t the hybrid Powermodule; but the dimmable SunPower 6 bulb. The fixture was thin in size and material and not as robust; on the plus side, it was lightweight. The reflectors on the ATI were amazing. I was really impressed by the brightness it put out and then was really surprised when the additional 4 bulbs kicked in. That’s right, the 2-bulb channel of the ATI looked brighter to me than the Aurora maxed out at 100%

I have since sold the ATI and moved to Germany. My RSR 250 was damaged by the movers and I upgraded to a Red Sea Reefer 425. It’s ran by the Reef LED 90s. I’m really contemplating buying a Powermodule though.

what fixture did you end up with?

I am trying to figure out my lighting for a tank upgrade to a WB 130.4. I am going to go the T5/LED route and am trying to get real life comparision of Giesemann Aurora vs the ATI. I am specifically looking at the 36" models, the only real difference I can see is that the giesemann has 85w LEDs vs the 75w LEDs on the ATI. Is the giesemann less popular strictly because of the supply? Has anyone used these fixtures?

 

[Jimbo662]

I had a 24" Aurora. Great light but my only con was how cumbersome it is to change the T5 bulbs. You have to remove one of the end caps then remove the plastic cover then having to put it all back together.

 

[Zach W]

what fixture did you end up with?

Thanks for the reply! I havent ended up with anything yet, the plan is to buy a house in ~1yr from now so I am just planning. And with alot of time things tend to change regularly... I have decided to size up to the WB 180.5 so I am now looking at the 48" fixtures. I finally got my quote back from Giesemann and the 48" was actually less than expected at ~$1600 shipped to the US. Like you mentioned though, I an concerned about the seemingly low par output by this fixture. I will be running an SPS dominant tank and want stronger than 250 par at the top of my rock work. I know I can supplement with light bars etc., but I want something as clean looking as possible to make the wife happy. That is part of the reason I was leaning towards the Giesemann because the overall look is way better to my eye than the ATI.

I think the overall lack of par is ruling out the Aurora for what I am looking for. So I am considering the 4x54w and 6x54w ATI hybrid fixtures. I have also started considering two Orphek V4's as well. These seem to be the best in LED spanning into both UV and IR regions, and offer more blanket coverage than almost all other LEDs. Also I much prefer the Orphek aesthetically in comparison to the ATI. Decisions decisions...

 

[Jimbo662]

Have you looked at the Aquatic Life Hybrid? Throw a couple of LED fixtures in it and you can get great par.

 

[Zach W]

Have you looked at the Aquatic Life Hybrid? Throw a couple of LED fixtures in it and you can get great par.

I did, and I really like the cheaper and more customization solution that it provides. For a similar cost, I could get the 48" Aquatic Life and 4 XR15's. The drawbacks that I have with this fixture is that in the scenario laid out above, I believe I would have 5 power-bricks & cords from one fixture. Also it is not as aesthetically pleasing,I know this should not be the highest priority, and its not, but keeping the wife happy while spending so much money is essential. She really likes the clean look since this will be in a heavy traffic area of the house.

 

[DarkSky]

I have the 8 bulb 60" Powermodule hybrid from ATI. It can pump out some serious PAR, I'm happy with the results. Bulb changes are fairly easy, the reflectors are top notch. The LEDs leave a little to be desired, but truthfully I'm only using them for shimmer and actinic pop after the T5s turn off.

A buddy purchased the aurora from giesmann and ended up selling it after a few months. From what I can tell, ATI focuses more on the T5 aspect of the fixture, where the Aurora was more focused on the LEDs. He decided that if he was getting something with an LED focus, he'd rather have fixture(s) dedicated to that purpose (XR30s), and supplemented with a few stand alone T5 bulbs.

The Giesmann is a sexy fixture, but the ATI isn't ugly either. Both look great. The ATI especially in white - if you decide you can wait for a month, BRS will custom order one from Germany for you. Another hobbyist in my area ordered a white 60" 8 bulb powermodule (I have black). The white one makes me jealous.

 

[Zach W]

Good to know! Any chance you have a picture of the white one? Also would love to see a picture of your setup!

 

[DarkSky]

Here is the white one (and I was mistaken, he has the 48" not the 60"):

Here is one of my 60" in black. Sorry its not more recent, I'm not at home right now and the last two years of photos I have of my tank are in tank shots and video, none of the light, haha!

and here's a bonus video of it doing work in the coralline department.

 

[DarkSky]

The photo was taken September 2018, the Video was from September 2019.

 

[Zach W]

The photo was taken September 2018, the Video was from September 2019.

Awesome setups!! Both are super clean, and no joke on the coralline front! How has your SPS growth been?

 

[DarkSky]

Awesome setups!! Both are super clean, and no joke on the coralline front! How has your SPS growth been?

Encrusting well, but not growing as well as I'd like. I recently bought a PAR meter and found I was giving some places in my tank over 1200 PAR, so having dialed it back to 600 at the highest I hope to see if that improves growth or not.

My nitrates were also undetectable for about 6 months. I brought those up to 10 ppm last month. Did the lighting this month. Hopefully things kick off now

Also turned my DOS (2-part) over to my Trident. Helps my alk stay super stable, daily fluctuations are 0.01 dKh (I run at 8.2 dKh).

 

[Zach W]

Sounds like you’re setup for success! I’ll be following along for sure

 

[BurgerFish]

ATI + 2x Reefbrite XHO is the best combo.

 

[Zach W]

ATI + 2x Reefbrite XHO is the best combo.

Using the extra led strips for coral color pop? Any thoughts on the Orphek led strip vs reefbrite?

 

[BurgerFish]

Using the extra led strips for coral color pop? Any thoughts on the Orphek led strip vs reefbrite?

Yep for pop (actinic version). But XHO will also add PAR.

Reefbrite is VERY bright and easily attaches to ATI. But expensive.

 

[Zach W]

Pretty much set on the 6 bulb ATI hybrid fixture in white. For a 60" tank should I go for the 60" fixture or 48"?

 

[BurgerFish]

I use 36 inch over 48 inch tank to prevent light the floor.

But if you want SPS tank with SPS everywhere, go with 60.

 

[Zach W]

I use 36 inch over 48 inch tank to prevent light the floor.

But if you want SPS tank with SPS everywhere, go with 60.

Yeah I think I’m going to go for the full length fixture. I’ve read there is par loss at the ends of the bulbs so better safe than sorry. In your opinion will the 6 bulb version put out enough par for a heavy SPS tank? It will be the waterbox 180.5 so it’s 60x25x24 (LxWxD). These might be dumb questions but I’ve never used T5 before so this will be a new ballgame.

Also what height are you mounting at? I do want to mitigate light spill as well if possible. Thanks for the help!