ATI Sunlight or Other?

Just sold some stuff on ebay I didn't ever use and wanted to put that money into my tank. What better way than with lights.

Want to upgrade from my Nova Extreme 2x54 lights to something a bit stronger so I can start into corals and eventually maybe a clam.

Don't want to spend over $450. That is my MAX.

My tank size is a standard 55 gallon tank. My options are:

A) ATI Sunlight 4x54 = $419
B) Sunlight Elite Tek 6x54 = 402
C) Aquatic Life 6x54 the price is $457, but ill let it slide cuz it comes with lights

So what would you say is the best bang for the buck? The ATI's? But I only get a 4 bulb fixture. Or should I choose one of the 6 bulb fixtures. I just don't know how much of a performance drop off there is after ATI. Any imput welcome, thanks

 

I love my 8 bulb Current USA. fixture. I see them run around 370$ ish. Out of your list though I would probably go with ATI.

 

ATI is your best bet, best fixture on the market. Buy ATI, GE, KZ, UVL or Geisemann bulbs and you will have no problems keeping what ever you wish.

 

I cant really fit an 8 bulb over my 55.

Even though its only the 4 bulb fixture as opposed to the 6 bulb fixture of the other two? That was basically what my question boils down to:

ATI 4x54 = Tek/Aquatic 6x54 is this equal or not equal. ATI is that good?

 

Yes, they use the best reflector available and best ballasts. There cooling system is tops too.

 

thanks for your help, im leaning towards the ATI Sunlight even though its only 4 bulbs

 

I think you mean ATI Sunpower & yes it is prob the best out there in terms of reflectors and output in that price range. I have a 55g reef and I currently run a 4x54w TEK Elite which is also nice. I cannot hang the fixture so it's one of the better options that can be mounted and fit comfortably over a 12" space. The ATI's do not have mounting brackets/legs unless you want to DIY, so keep that in mind. I have no idea why they don't make them, they would sell a lot more fixtures.

If you can find an Aquactinics TX5 fixture, it is a 5x54w bulb configuration with great reflectors & output. The problem is that they are tough to come by in good shape, the fan is also a bit louder than the TEK's, which are silent. I got a used TX5 that eventually started to crap out on me, bummer.

So far my TEK Elite has been great though. I keep lots of LPS, softies, 2 Maxima clams (on the sandbed) & a some Monti's, everything is doing fine.

If you can hang, def go with ATI, if you can't, look into the TEK Elite's, AquaticLife fixtures & maybe even the AquaMedic Ocean light 6-bulb, that is 12"w that will fit. I am trying to get feedback on the AquaMedic in another thread to see how the reflectors are though.

As others mentioned, you will also need high quality bulbs to get the best out of your fixture, I run 2 ATI Blue +'s, 1 ATI AquaBlue, & 1 KZ Fiji Purple for high PAR and nice color spectrum.

 

thanks, I do not mind the ATI's not having legs because of the DIY canopy I made. and it is sunpower, i dont know where I got sunlight from unless i combined two model names from different companies. I looked at the TX5, but it was hard to find.

 

Cool, yeah if you can put it in your canopy def go ATI Sunpower, you'll do great with it. If they ever start making those mounting legs I will swap in an instant. The TX5 is built like a tank, but like we both mentioned it's hard to find in good shape. The one I got had unsecured ballasts, fan was horrendous had to buy a new one, but in a short period one set of bulbs began flickering, it was dissapointing as I searched so hard for that thing.

Let us know how things go! & I think you were thinking Sunlight Supply TEK + ATI = ATI Sunlight

 

I think that's exactly what I did.