Tek Question

Hello Everyone,

I just purchased the Tek 60 inch 8 bulb 80 watt fixture to put on my tank. I will be using the brackets that attach to my tank and the fixture to mount it instead of using wires drilled into my ceiling.

I wanted to know since this model does not include cooling fans, will I need to put a clip on fan on my tank to cool the water? I do not use one right now on my Nova Extreme Pro, but it has cooling fans built in.

If I do need to use one, can I have it blowing on my sump out of sight of the DT or would it need to be attached to the DT? My Nova is about 3 inches above the water line, and the Tek looks like it will be a bit higher than this.

Thanks in advance for your help,

Robert

 

That's a nice fixture, I have a 4-bulb TEK Elite myself that does have the cooling fans and comes with the shield.

You will be fine without fans if you aren't using the shield, but you may have the reflectors get messy from water splash & salt creep. If you are using the shield, adding your own DIY fan will def help increase the bulb life and PAR when the unit is running.

Stick with higher end bulbs like ATI to get the best PAR out of the fixture.

Maybe some other will chime in with what they use for DIY fans. I believe a lot just use clip ons.

 

I have the Tek fixture and also use the brackets, they work great! You will have to clean salt creep off the reflectors, like Joe said above, but other than that nothing needs to be done. No fan needed.

 

I was planning on purchasing the splash shield to extend the life of my reflectors. With this in mind, do I need a fan blowing on the unit itself or on the water?

And I am going exclusively with Geissemann bulbs only.

 

with shield on it would be a good idea to get something blowing on the fixture/water. best to keep the ballast & bulbs cool as best you can if possible.

 

Here's a link on a thread that was posted before the Elite's came out: TEK T5 fixture - WAMAS Forums

Here's another link where an RC member modded his entire TEK fixture with fans: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1572514

 

I run the 8 bulb TEK, with a shield and no fans. It seems to be workign just fine for me.

In the past, when I was running Metal Halides, and I needed to cool the water with a fan, I just put it on my sump, and it worked great....made a huge differnence.

I went with the T5 as a replacement to the Metal Halides due primarily to heat issues. Once I put the T5's in, no heat problems at all..even in these hot Georgia summers.

 

Yet another really informative link from the Grim Reefer at RC, he's a really knowleagable guy when it comes to T5's. This thread compares the PAR values of many of the higher end bulbs: T5 lamp PAR readings - Reef Central Online Community