Nova Extreme T5 X2 for Freshwater 48Inch

I was expecting a cheaply built light for the price I paid for it but I was very surprised by what I got. The T5 lighting is by far, brighter than the lights that normally come with typical fish tank. I originally had two 24" plastic fixtures on my 55 gallon tank with a single 18" T8 flourescent light in each fixture. At 30 Watts overall output from both lights, that did not suffice to light my tank and supply light to the plants I wanted to grow. The Nova Extreme fixture comes with two 48" T5 flourescent lights putting out an overall 110 Watts. By far a big improvement from what I had. The desired Watts per gallon range for a planted tank is between 2 to 3 Watts per gallon. At 110 Watts, this fixture gives about 2 to 2.5 depending on how many decorations and rocks you have inside a 55 gallon tank.

Quality wise, the fixture is mostly metal with a plexiglass insert infront of the lamps to prevent moisture from damaging the unit. Although, some sites say the 48" Fixture comes with a fan to cool the lights, mine did not. But it only gets warm to the touch and isn't a big concern. The reflector is polished metal and increases the light output pretty well. The only thing that I didn't like was the mounting legs to sit it ontop of the tank. They were made of plastic and feel like they would break if to much force was put on them. Overall, a great light fixture.

I bought this light for my planted aquarium, and it's working very well. It was one of the least expensive options, but it seems well built. Setup was easy. I didn't find anything else that was even comparable at this price. The other fixtures I considered were at least $30 more.

The only negative is that now I want one for my other aquarium. I never realized how dim a typical aquarium canopy light is until I got this light.

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I replaced a Corallife CPF 65 watt x2 fixture. This unit is much more compact also better looking. The light is much brighter and uses less energy.

One negative is that you MUST use both bulbs. I was hoping on just running one bulb to save energy, however it is not possible.

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I bought this to replace an All-Glass T12 twin tube light fixture for a 55 gallon fresh water live plant tank. The T12 twin tube never produced quite enough light for my plants and T5HO's produce maybe up to twice as many lumens. It looks much brighter. I have the Nova sitting directly on Aqueon (All-Glass) twin tube style Versa-Tops. I did not install the legs (docking mounts) as I want all light to enter the aquarium and personally I just don't like the elevated style. This has worked well and the Nova looks really nice when set up this way. The 48" Nova has a single ballast, and despite some website's information and pictures, has no fan, no side bracket, and comes with a 12,000 K tube instead of the listed 10,000 K tube. Dimensions: 47.5" long X 5.5" deep X 2.1" tall.

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The NOVA Extreme is a well built fixture. It does get hot when used under a canopy, but have had no issues. Ballasts are easy to exchange out is well. Only a screwdriver and some patience are required. I highly recommend this fixture. Mine was used in a freshwater setup. When you order, be sure to select the model that comes with the lamps for your setup.