ATI Powermodul x2 vs Giesemann Infiniti

danskim · #1 08/25/2007, 10:10 AM

I am in a bit of a quandary as of late because I stumbled upon a very good price for a 72" Giesemann (actually 70.xx" - 1800mm) Infinit fixture with 3x250 HQI and 4x80w T5.

I have on order 2 ATI Powermoduls. One 48" 8 bulb and one 39" 8 bulb unit.

This lighting will be used over a 96x30.5x24.5 (LWH) 300g tank.
I'm still very impressed and satisfied with my Powermodul purchase because of tests and initial reviews from people who have gotten their fixtures. I don't have mine yet, but I'm sure I'll like it because I even like my lowly Tek T5 setup right now.

The drawbacks of the Infiniti are its higher energy requirements and potential heat problems. It's more expensive (by a little) than the ATI setup. And it's only 13-14" wide and 70" long over a 96" tank. The ATI setup is approximately 84" long.

The ATI fixtures are 17-18" wide and meant for 24" wide tanks. The bulbs last longer, so overall light maintenance would be lower too (approx $320 every 18 months give or take). The Giesemann would be about $180+ every 8-10 months for the MH, and about $85 every 12-18 months for the T5s.

In any case... I am thinking of sticking to the ATIs unless there is a very compelling reason to change. But this is where your thoughts come in

GSMguy · #2 08/25/2007, 10:26 AM

id wait go with the ati you will have dark spots at the ends of the tank otherwise.

the reflectors int the infinity are small. but they are nice looking

also the bulb combos and the colors from t5 are condusive to photography.

ATI has COOL factor

danskim · #3 08/25/2007, 10:42 AM

Yeah, thanks for making me feel better, haha.

GSMguy · #4 08/25/2007, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by danskim
Yeah, thanks for making me feel better, haha.

no problem i think your tank will probobly thank you... with huge giant colonys grown from frags

haha

Tagareef · #5 08/25/2007, 10:50 AM

I think both scenarios are lacking for your sized tank.

I have 9 rows of T5 over my 180 (24"w) and it is just enough intensity IMO. This consists of a 72" Constellation and 2 rows of 80w 5 footers. If this is an SPS tank, I would go for 2 ATI 10bulb 4 footers. Or at least go for 2 4 foot 8 bulb fixtures to even out the coverage and make them symmetrical, especially if you are suspending them over the tank.

The Giesmann is a sweet fixture as well, but would be undersized both in length and width. Before I had the T5's, I was using a a 72" AquaSpacelight with 3x250 and 2x150 (modded) and it was fine lengthwise but front to back sucked. The Giesmann reflectors are much better than the AquaSpacelight, but the physical size was similar for comparison.

I've been using T5's for 2 months now and I still haven't decided whether to stick with it or not. Coloration and growth are good, but not great as I had expected. I am still going to play around with bulb combos and give it til January. One thing I absolutely love about the T5's is my energy bill!! If T5 doesn't work for me...I will probably try the Giesmann Spectra series. Nice Lumenarc type reflectors w/T5's and a nice enclosure.

Luis

danskim · #6 08/25/2007, 10:59 AM

Tagareef. I'll be fine with the length of 84" total. I mean 7" of the length are for the overflow (confined to the left side), so that makes it 89" instead of 96" already. Also, there is a little light that escape the sides to help also... not significant, but I can live with a few inches of unlit areas.
I was a little hesitant about settling with the 8 bulbers, but I think I'll be fine. Since I am sticking with the ATIs, I have already planned for accent lighting in case I feel the T5s aren't enough. I will either go with a spotlight MH or hang on MH when/if the time comes.

Like I said earlier too, I used a T5 only setup now. I get very good growth, and it's only a TekLight 8 bulb. I had a Hamilton 2x250w+PC setup before, and I think the T5s are better. Of course A L3 setup would be much better and efficient than the Hamilton hood, but you get my point.
Also, I've seen some awesome growth/color in German and other European reefs with T5 only that I'm sure you've seen.
And finally, I would have to say that growth isn't my main concern. I'm concerned with providing adequate light for coral health and color. And I want to save electricity and heating/cooling costs to a minimum.

reef / aholic · #7 08/25/2007, 11:51 PM

2.48w per gallon for your setup!!!

danskim · #8 08/26/2007, 02:19 AM

Sorry, but wpg doesn't mean anything to me.

Over my 150, I have a 8x54w T5 fixture which translates to 2.88wpg. I have never not been able to grow a coral.
Initial tests with the Powermodul/Sunpower fixtures show that they have nearly twice the PAR output of an equivalent Tek fixture. Therefore, we can assume that 744w of T5 will be fine.