Looking for a local source: T5+VHO; ATI, GE, UVL

[Origami]

I'm contemplating a change in bulb manufacturer and arrangement; I'm looking for 60" ATI T5's (Blue+, Aquablue Special, & Pro Color), 60" GE T5 (6500K), and 72" UVL Superactinic VHO. I'd prefer a local, brick-and-mortar place over an online retailer that's going to nail me for $$$$ in shipping. Do we have any local retailers that carry ATI lamps?

[Grav]

ATI is making great bulbs. But I don't think they are making any at 60".

[Happyfeet]

I'm contemplating a change in bulb manufacturer and arrangement; I'm looking for 60" ATI T5's (Blue+, Aquablue Special, & Pro Color), 60" GE T5 (6500K), and 72" UVL Superactinic VHO. I'd prefer a local, brick-and-mortar place over an online retailer that's going to nail me for $$$$ in shipping. Do we have any local retailers that carry ATI lamps?

 

UVL are great lights you will love the color! I order my UVL lights online via Hellolights.com Shipping wasn't too bad.

 

I *think SuperPetz in Annandale had T5 ATI'sk, I Don't know if they were 60". I'll stop by on my way home from work and check it out for you.

[droyal1110]

I'm not a 100% sure but I think most of your lfs will order them for you, I think blue ribbon koi once told me they could order the bulbs I wanted.

 

However I opted for www.reefgeek.com, I will admit I had an issue with the shipping but it was a UPS problem and not their problem. Owner of the business called me after I emailed them and took care of it. Shipping isn't that bad, once you order so many bulbs the shipping is the same.

[steveoutlaw]

Tom,

It was my understanding, and I've been wrong before (but only once), that the geissman and ATI bulbs were made at the same factory. I believe that the T5 Q&A thread on RC had stated this. I would post this question over on RC and see what response you get. If I remember correctly, there is a geissman bulb color that corresponds with each ATI bulb color, they just have different names. Good luck.

 

Steve

[johnnybv]

Tom,

It was my understanding, and I've been wrong before (but only once), that the geissman and ATI bulbs were made at the same factory. I believe that the T5 Q&A thread on RC had stated this. I would post this question over on RC and see what response you get. If I remember correctly, there is a geissman bulb color that corresponds with each ATI bulb color, they just have different names. Good luck.

 

Steve

I have heard the same....and I know lfs that carry geissmann

[Origami]

ATI is making great bulbs. But I don't think they are making any at 60".

 

I've got at least one 60" ATI in my setup now which is a mix of Giesemann, GE, ATI, & UVL. Premium Aquatics, Reef Geek, and others carry them....

 

UVL are great lights you will love the color! I order my UVL lights online via Hellolights.com Shipping wasn't too bad.

 

I *think SuperPetz in Annandale had T5 ATI'sk, I Don't know if they were 60". I'll stop by on my way home from work and check it out for you.

 

The only place I use a UVL is in my 160W VHO Super Actinic slot.

 

I'm not a 100% sure but I think most of your lfs will order them for you, I think blue ribbon koi once told me they could order the bulbs I wanted.

 

However I opted for www.reefgeek.com, I will admit I had an issue with the shipping but it was a UPS problem and not their problem. Owner of the business called me after I emailed them and took care of it. Shipping isn't that bad, once you order so many bulbs the shipping is the same.

 

I'll take a look. I was looking at nearly $70 in shipping for 12 lamps. Shipping was about 20% of the bottom line.

 

Tom,

It was my understanding, and I've been wrong before (but only once), that the geissman and ATI bulbs were made at the same factory. I believe that the T5 Q&A thread on RC had stated this. I would post this question over on RC and see what response you get. If I remember correctly, there is a geissman bulb color that corresponds with each ATI bulb color, they just have different names. Good luck.

 

Steve

 

Same factory, yes. But not always the same composition inside.

 

Remarkably, though, ATI's Blue Plus publishes the EXACT same spectrum as Giesemann's Actinic Plus. I mean, EXACT. It's the same graphic. Both are 450/460 nm blue bulbs, so any comparison is going to mostly be a matter of PAR.

 

The daylight/actinic combos, ATI AquaBlue Special (12000K) and the G. Aquablue Plus are similar, but not the same. Close enough, though, to be interchangeable in my opinion.

 

PAR tests by Grim (from RC) are posted at http://sites.google.com/site/tfivetesting/par. His tests put ATI well ahead of Giesemann in the 450/460 nm (Blue). ATI leads the pack in this bulb category, while Giesemann's is squarely in the middle of the pack. Specifically, ATI's 54W Blue Plus bulb, at one inch with no reflector, and driven by the same ballast measures in a 311 umol/m^2. Giesemann's Actinic Plus measures in at 264 umol/m^2. That means ATI's bulb is putting out more than 15% more usable light for the same drive despite having what seems to be the same bulb chemistry (spectrum). I suspect that the difference is principally in the amount of stuff used, rather than the (ratiometric) composition.

 

The comparison less dramatic for the daylight actinic combo, but the advantage still goes to ATI (336 vs 324). The 'advantage' is small enough, though, to be in the noise in my opinion. The clustering of PAR values for the 5 or so manufacturer's in this bulb category is reasonably tight - around +/- 3% - but even so, Giesemann's PAR is near the bottom of the rankings.

 

So while there is a difference, the bulbs are somewhat interchangeable. If you're trying to push your look to the blue side, however, ATI's Blue Plus bulb does a better job than Giesemann's Actinic Plus, simply because it puts out more light in this region (by PAR measurement).

 

I realize that we have some local vendors that carry Giesemann (but might have to order 60" bulbs). I just wish that we had a local business that stocked ATI or could get their hands on them at reasonable cost.

[Jan]

+1

I just wish that we had a local business that stocked ATI or could get their hands on them at reasonable cost.

[Big Country]

I order my T-5's from reefgeek, well packaged and quick shipment, never noticed that shipping was very expensive even when I order 8 bulbs at a time but who knows I'm ordering 48" bulbs so maybe that is right on the upper limit of cheap shipping, the 60" bulbs might push you into the oversize item category.

[Origami]

I order my T-5's from reefgeek, well packaged and quick shipment, never noticed that shipping was very expensive even when I order 8 bulbs at a time but who knows I'm ordering 48" bulbs so maybe that is right on the upper limit of cheap shipping, the 60" bulbs might push you into the oversize item category.

 

Oversize. I'll bet that's it.

 

(By the way (for Grav), I use 60-inches for the T5 length rather loosely. They're actually 57.6 inches... but, by the time they're in the endcaps, they're a good 60" long. In any case, they're 80W lamps.)

[Origami]

I order my T-5's from reefgeek, well packaged and quick shipment, never noticed that shipping was very expensive even when I order 8 bulbs at a time but who knows I'm ordering 48" bulbs so maybe that is right on the upper limit of cheap shipping, the 60" bulbs might push you into the oversize item category.

 

Hey, thanks for the reefgeek tip. I've ordered some lamps and apparently earned free shipping. Now, they didn't have my UVL VHO (they don't carry it), but they had all my T5's - including a KZ Fiji Purple. That saved me a chunk of change. I owe you a beer.

[Big Country]

Glad that I can be of help. If I ever get out that way I'll take you up on that beer.