# Getting a Ferplast Star 200, anyone heard of it?



## theofilos (Jul 29, 2003)

Hi everyone. I can finally get back to the hobby after a 3 years break ( business & army duties after). I am getting married and moving to a big house out of the city and I want to make my dream come true, a 2m tank.
I saw this one on the internet and I really like the looks of it http://www.star-aquarium.it/star200_eng.php . I would be grateful to hear any feed back on this tank by any of the owners. Also any experts who could take a look at the website and give any feed back would be appreciated cuz I am about to spend 3000 Euro for it .
The tank will be planted and I am thinking of adding Discus as the main fish in it. Still haven't decided if it will be a fast or slow growth.


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## Afyounie (Aug 10, 2007)

That is a nice looking tank. If I could afford that tank, I would get it. The only thing that kinda bothers me, is the fact that it has 8 T5s at 39W each. Thats 312W total. Thats only about 1.5 wpg. Maybe you can upgrade to higher output lights. Overall it looks like a great tank, but if your willing to do some diy, then u should get a tank and stand, then build a canopy to customize the lighting to your own needs.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

If those T5 lights have individual parabolic shaped reflectors for each bulb, they are better than 312 watts of AH Supply bulbs and reflectors. They are from 1.3 to 1.5 times better, so the effective watts per gallon would be 2 to 2.3 watts per gallon, and for that size tank and those lights that is high enough light intensity to grow almost any plant very well.

That tank/stand/light combination is a very nice looking one, but, of course without seeing it in person it is hard to guess at the quality. It looks like high quality.


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## theofilos (Jul 29, 2003)

Well it will be in the living room along with all the furniture ( all have dark wood) and I want the tank to blend in with the rest of them. I think the hole in the bottom is a very nice idea so you don't have pipes everywhere. Hoppycalif if u click on the technical data button you can open a pdf with a pic of the lamp with it's reflector. Can you tell from that pic about the reflector?


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

WOW! The pdf does give a lot of good detail. The lights all have individual reflectors, and they are wide reflectors, so you should be getting almost all of the light from the bulbs reflected down into the tank. I noticed that the glass thickness is 12 mm, which is also good, assuming there are cross braces at the top, and the bottom drilled hole is mated to a special fitting that holds both the inlet and outlet from the filter. I have to say that is a very good quality setup.


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## Afyounie (Aug 10, 2007)

Hoppy, why are T5s so much better? I thought cfs would be better than T5s. Does it have something to do with the diameter of the bulb? Sorry for highjacking your thread theofilos.

Also, theofilos, maybe you can get the tank with a dark wood looking stand and hood. Maybe the company has options for that when you order the tank.


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## theofilos (Jul 29, 2003)

Afyounie said:


> Hoppy, why are T5s so much better? I thought cfs would be better than T5s. Does it have something to do with the diameter of the bulb? Sorry for highjacking your thread theofilos.
> 
> Also, theofilos, maybe you can get the tank with a dark wood looking stand and hood. Maybe the company has options for that when you order the tank.


Yes there is a dark wood option and it will blend in the living room PERFECT!


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## Afyounie (Aug 10, 2007)

Do they offer this tank in the US?


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## theofilos (Jul 29, 2003)

Afyounie said:


> Do they offer this tank in the US?


I don't know, judging that it's Italian and it's very expensive for a neighboring country (3000 euro), for US and A it would be like 5-6k $ >< .


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

T5's are much better for various reasons, including their thinness, which makes reflectors work better, and their efficiency in converting power to light. That about all I know about the "why" part. From reading here it is obvious that they are at least 30% more effective than PC's of the same wattage.


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## Afyounie (Aug 10, 2007)

I haven't ever really thought about using T5s. Maybe I should. Are they expensive?


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