HOLY COW!

[RobbyF]

We received out new Nova Extreme Pro with 6 T-5's last night. After having (2) 15 watt 50/50's well the title says it all! To make things even funnier my wife had been sitting by the aquarium, and we were admiring how great the things looked. She got up and quite naturally I being the loving husband that I am quickly took here spot!! hehehe
Well when I sat down I noticed that there were only 2 lamps on and they were both blue???? So I told her, and after some investigation noticed that the other switch was off. Brother when I flipped that switch! All the fish went behind the rocks and when they came back out they were wearing shades! What a difference!
Some other info on our lighting that we did not know even after much reading is that the manufactured recommends that the tank top be sealed, not open top as our 55 is, also they do not recommend that these lights be placed inside a canopy.... Well that just won't do.....Got to have a canopy.. it will have to be open top and have vents in the sides, but a canopy is a must.
If anyone has experience in doing this I would appreciate some info as to how you did it.

[Daniel]

I have the same light set. I plan on building a canopy and gutting the light kit. From looking in there the lights, reflector and ballast are all attached to a rack. The fans and switches need to be dealt with and I haven't figured that out yet. I might remove the fans all together and put a couple of coralife fans 4 or 3 inch into the canopy instead. Just need to get that far.


On a side note I have 2 of their 24" 2x24w retrokit on my 29 tall and it is a fantastic kit. The mounts and reflectors are top notch. I'll post a picture when I can.

[Texreefer]

they recomment no canopy because they are already enclosed and they need to avoid heat build up for lamp life and efficiency. the only reason they say closed top is because they generally sit close to the water and they do not have waterproof endcaps and to avoid salt creep on the fixture... so you can use them in the canopy with an open top but you MIGHT have some reduced lamp life from hot running bulbs and will need to make sure it stays clean, also in that humid environment the endcaps can, over a period of years, tend to rust and you cannot twist the bulbs anymore

[Kristy]

We were just talking about this the other day, that moment when we first upgraded our lights from PC 50/50 to T5 and could not believe the colors that were in our tank! We sat there looking at the fish in amazement, saying, "I didn't even know that fish had a blue stripe on its fin!" You'll never go back.

[brewercm]

If you put fans in a canopy for T5s make sure they are aimed at the end cap area of the light. This is where you need to cool, putting them on the middle of the bulb will actually reduce your output and bulb life.
This is according to my readings from several sources, most notably Grim Reefer at RC.

[Neptune@gabesfish]

Fyi .. Dealing with Currentusa in the pas tif you use any light fixture in a canopy or without glass tops you own a lamp for life .. no warranty what so ever !! so just in case no matter which way you use it always tell them you dont have canopy and you do use glass tops.. shh you didnt hear that from me.. lol

[RobbyF]

The light seems to be made well, and it has a plastic shied between the lamps and the water. So it should be ok, however I will keep an eye on it. If I do make a canopy it will be open on top and back. BTW I saw a posting for Aquarium Hardware online, they seem to have great prices, has anyone made purchases from them? I would love to have their 70 gallon sump kit.

[SABOB]

Where did you buy the light from?Online or LFS and how much(if you don't mind me asking)

[RobbyF]

We purchased it online through Amazon from Marine and Reef for $367.69 shipping and all.

[Firstman]

First of all Welcome!!!to MAAST
T5's are a great choice of lighting, After having them myself I wouldn't go any other way. There are many member's here with the best advice take it, and listen to the sound advice of Texreefer. Its hard enough to get in your tank without a canopy