# Nova Extreme™ T5 High Output X2 Freshwater Light Fixtures



## Left C

*Great starter T-5 light fixture*

Have you guys seen Current's Nova Extreme™ T5 High Output X2 Freshwater Light Fixtures. They come with one 'pink' freshwater plant growth bulb and one 10,000K bulb. Both bulbs are HO T5's. The fixtures are narrow at 4¼ inches. 
They come in lengths from 24" to 48". These are the models: 
24" - 2x24w 
30" - 2x24w 
36" - 2x39w 
48" - 2x54w

WPG Examples
24" fixture - 15 gallon = 3.2 wpg
24" fixture - 20 gallon high = 2.4 wpg
30" fixture - 20 gallon long = 2.4 wpg
30" fixture - 29 gallon = 1.7 wpg
36" fixture - 30 gallon = 2.6 wpg
36" fixture - 38 gallon = 2.1 wpg
48" fixture - 40 gallon long = 2.7 wpg
48" fixture - 55 gallon = 2.0 wpg

There's also models for the salty guys too.

Here's some places that sell them: 
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/1392/product.web 
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=16770&N=2004+113175

The prices are good for these HO T5 fixtures. I'm sure they are brighter than Coralife's NO T5 Aqualights.

The picture looks like the fixture has a single reflector instead of a reflector for each bulb like the SunlightSupply.com Tek Light™T5 HO Lighting Fixture.


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## rs79

Doesn't look like much of a reflector. The reflector is E V E R Y T H I N G.


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## K20A2

They look nice and clean but I think they are priced to high. Without the separate reflector for each bulb I would rather go PC or stick to a lower light, and much cheaper fixture like the coralife NO T5's. 

For example - In my case I want to get 2wpg+ in my 75G when I set it up. That would require me to buy two 48" fixtures with a wpg totaling 216. And thats not even considering how much usable light I will actually have after figuring in the depth of my tank VS the single straight reflector. Price wise, I would be above $200 and thats (in my opinion) within range of a TEK fixture. 

NOVA should have designed these with separate reflectors and tried to compete with TEK. Maybe that would drive the price down? Maybe I'm just ranting because I have to pay $300 for the light fixture I want. HAHA 

Thanks for the info though.


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## elaphe

Keep in mind that the WPG for the T5HO bulbs really doesn't apply.

I went from a Coralife 65W PC with a half way decent reflector and an AllGlass 55W PC with a bad, flat reflector over my 20H. The Coralife was on 10 hours/day with a noon burst from the 55W for about 4 hours. At the peak I was running 6 WPG and only during this time would my plants pearl.

I now am running a retrofit T5HO with 2 x 24W Giesmann Midday bulbs with Icecap reflectors and I have as much light in my tank now as I did during my noon burst of 6 WPG PC and I'm only running 2.4 WPG with the T5HO bulbs.

I learned from this that WPG is obsolete with the new lighting that is coming out. Just keep that in mind. And yes, you want individual reflectors. Buy a DIY upgrade kit and make your own hood/fixture. Much cheaper and get it just like you want.

Brian


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## ErikL

I just bought a 2x39W T5HO ballast and bulbs. I taped them into a shoplight until I can get some good relectors like the icecaps and make a fixture. It looks as bright as my 4x40W setup. The wpg does not apply to these lights. 1-2 wpg with good reflectors should be enough for most plants.


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## ingg

First, yes, there is more light with individual reflectors, but you have to realize you are looking at more of an entry line product. I have one, a 2x39 watt 36" fixture. It seems to work fine for me, I have it over a 30 long, and have good growth in many plants - Tenellus micro is growing and coloring pink, Mayaca is growing, yatabeanus is going crazy, the tank pearls every afternoon...

Errr, second, the prices being compared...

These are less expensive than any DIY setup with individual reflectors that I found.... can buy it 2x39 watt shipped for under $70, with bulbs. If you can get 2x endcaps, reflectors, bulbs, and a ballast for $70 shipped for a 36" setup, please post where. 

The best price I've found on Tek 36" 4 bulb fixtures is around $290, no bulbs or shipping yet. 48" has to be more, I don't remember 48" off the top of my head though. I can buy two of these 2x54 Novas for $160+shipping, 48", starter bulbs already in them (And they make a 4 bulb setup, btw, just doesn't come with freshwater bulbs by default yet.. $191 + shipping, with moonlights) .... You would need 4 NO Coralife rigs, 8 bulbs, to put out equivalent light.

Mind you, not saying they are the beat all of fixtures - they aren't. But IMHO they are decent value for the money, and a good way to ease a relative beginner of better lighting like me into T5's. (It can't be worse than a single PC system like a Coralife, eh? Same reflector setup, same sort of bulb configuration...)


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## cholly

Just bought two of these, the 24" models. My initial impression of them is quite good, actually, and I'm coming from having used primarily halides over reef tanks for more than a decade.


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## goalcreas

looks like a good budget HO fixture.
I probably would not use the 4 foot over a larger tank, but for a 24" to 36" tank that is a little more shallow, I think this would be a good option over hanging the more expensive TEK (which is my favorite light BTW)


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## howie

I agree with goalcreas. I had the Current Nova Extreme 8x54 48" and I just returned it. The fans to cool the unit were driving me crazy. Also the design was not to my taste. It was very large and tube like. From reading the APC fourm, a lot of people here like the TEK so I bought one. I just got it today 8x54 48" TEK. It is great. Much lighter design compared to the Nova and each bulb has it own reflector. It is quiet because there aren't any fans in the unit.
In terms of the price. The TEK without the acrylic len, legs, and suspension cables is about the same amount of money as the Nova I had. But for just a little more, you can really get a quality light fixture.


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## Supercoley1

I recently changed to 2 individual T5 HO lights and must say I am impressed.

they are individual meaning they are complete units each with its own reflector.

Downside is that they are meant to be disposed of after their lifespan is reached. Some reports from respected UK users are that the lifespan is up to 2 years before they diminish enough to need replacing.

They cost £33 each but with the way the dollar exchange is at the moment that might look expensive as it would mean $130 wheras a year ago (they were priced the same) it would be closer to $100 soI assume they would be about this price over in the US.

Here are some pictures for you to check out what I mean by impressed:

This is a Realux T5 HO 30W 'Pink' Plant Growth (Spectrum) Lamp giving this tank 0.9WPG (by the old rules.) This is on for 10 hours straight









This is a Realux T5 HO 30W Daylight Lamp giving this tank 0.9WPG (by the old rules.) This is on for the middle 4 hours









This is both Lamps together 60W giving this tank 1.8WPG. This the central 4 hours 'noon burst'









The tank is much brighter now than when it had 73W PC (with T8 reflectors due to PC reflectors being near impossible to find in the UK.) The light also spreads a lot better across the tank to the ends whereas the PC were intense in the middle to the point of washing the top third of colour from the centre.

Hope this helps

Andy


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## goalcreas

I love the pink / white bulb combo.
I think it really tones down a well lit tank that, with all white bulbs (especially good T5 HO fixtures with good reflectors for each bulb) that can overpower the whole room let alone the tank.

When I first added a pink light over a tank it was on my 29 gallon.
I had 65 watts of PC 6700k/10,000k dual daylight.
I was just not getting enough punch with just a touch over 2wpg and wanted to add watts, even though the tank was plenty well lit enough for viewing.
I added the Coralife T5 NO dual freshwater light, with one pink bulb and one white bulb.
It was an addition of almost 40 watts, but by adding the light, it actually toned down the tank to where it was not more bright, but more pleasent to view.

And with the Co2 injection and 3wpg, the tank instantly turned into a can of 7up 
By 7up, I mean it was chock full of PEARL bubbles.

I have added pink light bulbs to most all of my tanks now and I think it is great.

My current T5 HO set up is a TEK 4 ft 4 lamp fixture over a 75 gallon tank.

I run two lamps for 7 hours and the other two for 2 hours in between and the two that are on all day, one is the Aquamedic PLANTA bulb which is Pink and the other bulbs are GE 6500k
The tank has only been set up for 2.5 weeks now and I started at 4 hours for the first 4 days and upped to 5 for another 4 days and then 6 and now am at 7 hours - no algae other then a tiny bit of GDA on the glass which I clean off daily and some residual hair algae from plants out of the other tanks, but the molly's I have in there are taking good care of it - eating it


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## spypet

can someone with this fixture do me a big favor?
please measure the distance between each tube.
I'm hoping it's around 1/2" of exposed reflector.
better yet, post a photo with a ruler across it.


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## lowfi

is it possible to put the ice cap individual reflectors on the nova extreme t5ho?


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## elaphe

lowfi said:


> is it possible to put the ice cap individual reflectors on the nova extreme t5ho?


I don't think they would fit. If they did, it would be a tight squeeze. My Icecap SLRs are 2.5" wide. My old style TEK is just under 2.5" wide. The new style TEK are close to 3" or more.

Brian


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## lowfi

well, my tank may not pearl like a 7up can...but I am getting some good growth. Im trimming my rotalas every week with this fixture! ~NiCe~


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## MARIMOBALL

I have the current nova 4x24wattT5HO fixture with moon lights 2 x10K and 2xpink, on my ADA 60P. The fixture is great, My tank is completely covered with HC and I use all 4 bulbs for about 3hrs. but I really only need 2 bulbs. The fan is loud but with a timer its on when all 4 bulbs are on. Yes the teks are better only because they have better reflectors. You can get a current 2 bulb 24w for about $80. Mine was $160 compared to $286 for teks. Difinetly a good deal even with 2 bulbs I would consider the light to be medium to high lighting on a 20gal tank.


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## ruki

elaphe said:


> Keep in mind that the WPG for the T5HO bulbs really doesn't apply.


WPG is a rough approximation which is my favorite rant. WPG measures light produced by the bulb, but what we are really interested in is light produced by the bulb sent straight down into the tank. From the numbers I've seen, T5 HO produce about as much light per watt as good T8s. But they are much more compact which make it easier to but a good reflector, for each tube, in there. PC tubes can be very proprietary, so it's tough to get good numbers on them. But the bends in PC tubes make good reflectors problematic at best.

It's always been this way. Great reflectors on T8 and T12 also kicked but. However these thinner tubes allow a fixture with a great reflector to be quite compact -- so there is no excuse for vendors to keep pushing T5 and T5 HO fixtures with lame reflectors. And it seems mentally deficient of them to keep selling 48 inch PC fixtures when T8, T6, T6 HO, T5 and T5 HO make so much more sense from an environmental and T8 from a tube availability perspective.

I better calm down, I've started ranting and raving again


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## spypet

Current USA 24w bulb for $15
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=13823
Aqua-Medic 24w bulb for $23
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=13827

they both seem to be 6700k T5HO slim bulbs, 
so why would anyone pay 50% more for A-M?


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## ingg

spypet -

Spacing looks to be close. In person, that space on a nova looks to be 7/16"


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## spypet

ingg, thanks for taking the time to share that.
eyeballing the marketing photos, I had already
surmised the gap could not be more than 1/2"
so I ended up buying that ebaY fixture instead.
note the ebaY fixture total window is 1/2" wider,
so it has the potential to deliver more reflected
light than this Nova. also note that both enjoy
a 45° angle at the corners. so for double the
price I can buy a Nova with a pink bulb and a
narrower reflector window, or buy the ebaY
fixture with 2 white bulbs and dubious quality.
I'll take my chances, and keep the savings in
my pocket in case the ebaY fixture needs to
be replaced at some later date.


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## ingg

Double the price? You saved $12, $54 vs. $43 delivered, respectively - what, about 20%? On 36" 2 lamp fixtures, landed cost is just about the same amount off, 12 bucks, $67 v. $55. Just an FYI, while its rendition of color to our eye leaves a good bit to be desired, that pink bulb does grow plants decently.


Please let us know how the light works, however, as the 4x units seem to be a more realistic 30%+ discount over "name brand" competition. Just knowing there is someone to actually call and harangue about a warranty is worth ten bucks to me - but maybe not $80. I see a budget 75 in my future, and these might work nicely for that once I spraypaint it black.


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## Brilliant

lowfi said:


> is it possible to put the ice cap individual reflectors on the nova extreme t5ho?


No it wont fit....on the two bulb model.

I can agree with Ruki and say that this fixture isnt so great but my entire fixture cost less then one SLR reflector alone! I blame the consumer not the manufacturer on this one...we all want lower prices...if you want the best you have to build it or pay more...nothing new.

Ive attached that photo for you Spy let me know if this is good.


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## klintman

I just picked up the Nova T-5 HO x2 36in for $71.99. aside from the single reflector i like the unit. this is going into a canopy for a 46gal bow along with a 175w MH.

the price was right. DIY solutions were much more $$ even with a single reflector. at the price of the DIY i would just rather get a TEK or HTG supply unit. although DIY would be really cool allowing hand picked individual components and the total custom look.


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## spypet

someone had to roll the dice, so it may as well be me.

Now that I have that ebaY fixture, I have to concede 
that it is not any brighter than a regular T5 fixture,
such as a 2x18 Coralife Aqualight.

I suspect this may be due to an under rated ballast,
they had to squeeze into a very narrow fixture shell.

were I to do it all over again, I would spend the
additional $20 and *get the Current USA T5HO*

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250179565561

the only odd thing about this Slimpaq bulb fixture
is nobody seems to sell a pink replacement bulb.
all I can find are actinic blue, 6700 and 10k bulbs.


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## ingg

BTW, cheapest price I've been able to find on the Current Nova by a good bit is at petmountain.com. They seem to crush everyone else on Current fixtures. Combine a couple for the free shipping over $150 with some buddies, and they are really dirt cheap.

Bummer the light didn't work out, thought, as I had hopes to try out that 4 bulb fixture. Ahh well!


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## Freshwater

Hey guy's

I just got my Nova Extreme 30" 48 Watt T5 HO fixture. Although a novice, I am very happy with the unit. Very bright, and brings out so many colors in my tank. 

Question though, when running this unit with the High Output T5 bulbs, is the WPG rule the same? Tank is 29 gl. Which gives me approx. 1.7. I still have the original light hood with a 20 watt 5500k daylight bulb that fits nicely on the front of my hood. (just need to mount hinges and glass shield) Which would then give me 2.3 WPG. I want to grow HC, and keep it nice and tight, not stringy or tall.

I am going from having an established tank with some plants in it, to a planted tank as we speak. New substrate has been added and plants are on order. DIY Co2 may be in the works but not sure yet.

Any advice would be great...

Todd


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## Brilliant

Hey, the WPG rule is definitely thrown out the door with T5HO when your using good reflectors. To take full advantage of T5HO individual reflectors are required. I can't believe I am even acknowledging this WPG rule. 

You will need more light for compact HC, although I have no experience with HC in non co2 setup I would say co2 is required for HC you desire.

I know that Lilaeopsis and hair grass grow fine under this light in AquaSoil without co2. Although the Lilaeopsis is long, not so dense.

I have the Coralife Aqualight T5 fixtures too. I could have answered any questions. Id say the Nova is brighter and much better at lighting the tank with a single fixture then the Aqualight.


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## Freshwater

Thanks Brilliant,

That's kinda what I gleaned from reading the forums, but was not sure. I just up-upgraded the lighting to 68 watts to be on the plus side. Thanks for your advice on the Co2 with respect to compact growing HC. Just need some yeast...and a couple fitting, and Co2 will be up and running. Although the Nova has a single reflector for both lights...it was a cost issue, I think it will work fine for my 29g. 

Ingg, FYI... I purchased my Nova Extreme from pet mountain, best price I found. 52-ish bucks...went back and the price is back up to 62-ish now. They have a pet mountain ebay store... I saw the same unit for 45 bucks Buy it now.

Thanks

Todd


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## goalcreas

Brilliant said:


> You will need more light for compact HC, although I have no experience with HC in non co2 setup I would say co2 is required for HC you desire.
> QUOTE]
> 
> I have thickly carpeted the floor of a 2.5 gallon tank with 27w desk lamp, no ferts to speak of and no co2. I only ever dosed excel, flourish comp and flourish iron, but on no regular basis and never more often then once a week more like once every two weeks. RO w/ 30% tap, seachem prime changed once a week 1.25 gallons.
> 
> I also have a 3 gallon picotope that has a 9w light, no dosing no co2, mostly mosses and java ferns, nana petite, but I planted a coule of tufts of HC to see what would happen (I bury it completly when planting) and it is starting to poke thru about 3 weeks later. Note that I don't expedt it to carpet thick like with the 27w light, but it will grow. I am also growing Riccia in that tank.


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## ingg

Bummer, they upped their prices! 

Orbit fixtures went up, too, I just got done ordering 3 of the 2x40w 20" fixtures for me and a friend, for some 33g cubes we found on sale... and they are more today than they were on Monday!

Glad I bought mine before they did.


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## Freshwater

Yep, I'm glad I saved a few bucks on the sale.

Just added DIY Co2 setup...work really well, better than I could have imagined for 10 bucks!










Found that the Co2 bubbles move around the tank muck better without the sponge on the tip.










Thanks for all the help.

Todd


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## spypet

LOL, the sponge is for the powerhead water intake, not the tip! 
and why are you posting this on a topic about T5HO fixtures?


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## Freshwater

So now I have another Nova Extreme T5 HO question, I am running the 30" with the 24" bulbs.

10,000k T5HO 24w
460 NM T5HO 24w

I am also running a T8 18 watt Zoo Med 5500k bulb. Giving me a total of 66 watts. 

Two things, when running the Nova Extreme set-up is it good to throw in an additional spectrum bulbs (the 5500k)? Or would it be better to throw on an additional Nova Extreme fixture and double the the T5 wattage? 96 watts of T5HO on a 29 g. too much?

Thanks

Spypet - 
Haha, well what can I say... I get a little excited sometimes. I was actually letting Brilliant and goalcreas know I decided to go Co2 as that directly effects my lighting choices, and what I ended up going with. But yea, guess a little off topic. 

Todd


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