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Is the tank actually 24" deep or are you using a deep sand bed that actually makes the tank shallower than the 24".
Also, something else to consider ... Will you actually be putting high light corals on the bottom of the tank?
There are atleast a couple of members here that use the old Nova Extremes and were able to keep anything they wanted to, thriving.
Worst case, if you had a coral that needed more light and was low in the tank, you could always move the coral up higher.
I'm not saying that there are not better fixtures or trying to sell you on the Nova Pro. I dont have one or use one. I had an old Nova Extreme 8 bulb and i moved to metalk halide so I sold it. But I was confident that I could keep anything with that Nova in my 90 (plenum and DSB). I have no vested interest. Clearly a 6 bulb TEK will have more par with the same bulbs ... atleast if you didnt use the shield on the TEK, anyway. Just seems that you like this light and the price is good. So, just trying to throw out some things that you possibly havent considered.
Too bad the Aquactinics jumped up in price. Those fixtures didnt compromise on much of anything ... cooling, reflectors ... and were atleast within monetary reach of the buyers looking in the Nova and TEK price ranges. They are a pretty sizable jump up now, unfortunately.
One more thing, while Im at it. I think that if I was needing a T5 set-up with a budget in the Nova and TEK range and I was unsure if the NOVA would do the job, I would most likely do a DIY retro with Icecap SLR reflectors and Advance or similiar ballasts. I would have better quality lighting than either at the same or less price. There are many ways to do a retro and have it look nice to display. Just my 2 cents.
Good luck with whatever you do.
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