6 Bulb Tek vs 4 Bulb ATI ???

[shookONES]

I'm torn between a 6x39w Tek light or a 4x39w ATI fixture. I'm going to be running whatever fixture I get over my 40 breeder and want to keep mostly SPS with a few LPS and some softies. Which would you recommend?

 

[Tonyscoots84]

6 hands down

 

[FaviaFreak]

6 will give you what you need to keep those sps colored up and growing good

 

[rambler67]

6 bulb defiantly i seen alot better growth when i got my tek 6 bulb.

 

[skene]

Tek for sure... however I am a little biased.

But if you want to buy into a 4 bulb just because it's an ATI, well then that's all on you.

 

[JonnyJ]

First off, both fixtures are Proven and either one would work.

Hands down the ATI is a much better fixture then a standard TEK.

The ATI:
The ballasts, the reflectors, & [the addition] of Fans - Are of much better quality.

The TEKs
Cheaper, Bulbs will loose their output faster [no fans] Runs hotter and the ballasts will produce less par then that of an ATI,


The Real question: will you really see a difference on a 40 breeder tank comparing exact fixtures [4vs4 6v6]? probably not.

As far as 4 VS 6
The 6 bulb will allow more color combinations, but more heat & electric.


Either one would be fine for a 40 breeder.

 

[skene]

First off, both fixtures are Proven and either one would work.

Hands down the ATI is a much better fixture then a standard TEK.
(This could easily be your opinion only)

The ATI:
The ballasts, the reflectors, & [the addition] of Fans - Are of much better quality.
With the design of their aluminum housing/heatsink being slightly thicker it does hold in more heat, thus more of a need for a fan to cool it down. Equipment aside, I am sure that a german reflector by any other name would still be a german reflector.


The TEKs
Cheaper, Bulbs will loose their output faster [no fans] Runs hotter and the ballasts will produce less par then that of an ATI,
(This I feel would be the poster's opinion)
I have yet to even feel the aluminum housing to be anything but warm. The wider the heatsink the more it is allowed to cool by air that passes over, since heat is spread over a wider cooling area. The shorter the area the less cooling area is used. Tek lights also use german reflectors, solid state ballasts which do not emit heat. So any heat would only be transmitted through the bulbs. While a fan may also assist with the release of heat through the bulbs, you can step up to a Tek light elite which does have a fan.

As far as 4 VS 6
The 6 bulb will allow more color combinations, but more heat & electric.


Either one would be fine for a 40 breeder.
(I agree completely on this)

So with all other things being equal. Either product will produce the results that you are looking for. IMPO a 6 bulb does allow more flexibility with color combinations. The ATI and the Tek are both comparable products choose one that will fit within your budget.

I have previously had both a 4 and 6 bulb tek light... and I purchased the 6 bulb after the limitations of a 4 bulb and have not looked back.

 

[PHILYD1]

ATI shits on a tek LIGHT!!!

 

[shookONES]

I went with the Tek light for a few reasons. First and foremost...price. I paid almost half the price of the ATI for a Tek 6 bulb. Second big issue was mounting. I didn't want to hang anything above my tank and the Tek legs are appealing. Third was flexibility of bulb choice. The bulbs that came with my fixture still have 2-3 months of life in them, so that made the decision simple.

I'm going for a mostly SPS tank, so at the end of the day, I couldn't afford to gamble on the 4 bulb ATI being enough. I'm happy!

 

[shookONES]

...and as far as heat, I think that's honestly negligible with T5s. I do wish the Tek had fans, though. Maybe I'll mess around with retrofitting some PC fans onto the fixture.

 

[PHILYD1]

Heat is major issue with t5 that affect there performance

 

[NYreefNoob]

ati doesnt use any special ballast, dont know why people think they do, if you can get the tek elite it is as good as the ati, ive owned the sunpower and power module and tek, the elite uses a higher reflector then the reg tek and also has cooling which prolong bulb life and color as well as cause less heat into the tank, mis-conception that t5 doesnt put out much heat either, they do but not in a focal point like a mh does, but instead it puts that heat across a larger portion of water which to me warms the water more, bulbs are where your real differance is going to be and i had a article on output of t5 bulbs on here somewhere