It seems Coralife makes the only dual bulb enclosures for larger tanks that are reasonably affordable. The size is nice -a bit narrower than my single T8 lamp, and slightly lighter. The light output on these is much better than with the single T8 fixture. This works well with my 75Gallon aquarium... No issues, except that some of the T5 replacement bulbs (especially actinic) are not readily available from amazon, nor my local big-box pet stores. Please note that the description on amazon is incorrect, as there are no fans on Coralife dual lamp fixtures. This is just the saltwater version of the 05620 dual light fixture (actinic and 10K bulbs vs. 6.7K and floralife bulbs).
I found the Aqualight to be a perfect addition to my 55 gallon freshwater community tank. It's actinic blue bulb combined with it's 10,000k daylight bulb really show off my fishes beautiful colors, while also bringing my decorations to life. The dual 28 watt bulbs(this isn't a High Output fixture)provide plenty of power for my live plants to grow nicely as well. The cost of all this goodness is also as good as it gets for a dual light fixture, making this light a true bargain. Its size is also a good thing, allowing you to place two together(one in front of the other) on a 55 gallon tank, doubling the light output for less than others charge for a single dual lamp unit. You can also mix and match the T5 bulbs available to get the effect your looking for. From what I've seen, you can get actinic, 6,700k daylight, 10,000k mid day daylight, and a "color enhancing" bulb as well--a nice selection. All told, this is a well made, low cost solution for anyone wanting better quality light than their old single tube T8's fixtures can provide, for less cash than said fixture. Highly recommended!
P.S. Someone on here claimed that finding non H.O. T5 lamps was difficult. All you have to do is google it and plenty of fish stores pop up that sell them. A little research goes a long way :-)
Buy Coralife Aqualight Dual Linear Strip T5 Aquarium Lighting Fixture Now
The biggest thing I want to point out is that the picture is very misleading. The picture shows individual switches for bulbs, for this particular fixture does not have, please be aware.
+ The price is amazing for this great fixture including two bulbs
+ Very slim and sleek, much smaller than the picture and about an inch tall and two inches wide
+ It comes with both bulbs!
+ Runs very cool
+ Name brand
+ Extensions are nice for an open top setup
Only has one switch for the entire fixture
Acrylic instead of glass lens, which falls out easily
Extensions fall out easily with nothing to hold them in, but are easily removed
I have not used this over coral yet, it is sitting atop a spare 20 gal that I should have set up soon, updates pending. This is an excellent light I would recommend for any shallow reef or FOWLR tank setup.
Read Best Reviews of Coralife Aqualight Dual Linear Strip T5 Aquarium Lighting Fixture Here
I bought this light to add some suplemental lighting to my 75 gallon tank. Since it is a 48" long tank, it is difficult to find a light fixture at a decent price. This one was perfect. It is much smaller than the T8 tank that I had on my tank. I also think it is brighter than that one. I looked into buying new bulbs for the T8, but it was only slightly more to purchase this one than it was to replace the bulbs for my existing fixture. It it nice to have something smaller on the top of my tank.
I was a little worried after buying this fixture because of the price compared to some of the lights available on the market. I have been completely pleased with this light. I have been using it for over 6 months now and it has never given me so much as an issue. For the price, it doesn't cost that much more than buying two replacement bulbs and it came with both a white and actinic. If you are looking for a fixture to put on your tank at an affordable price, then this is the light that you need.
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As other reviewers said, this light fixture makes my 55g look like a show tank. The colors of my neon dwarf rainbows have NEVER looked so vibrant. The green [live] plants practically "pop" out at you. I am incredibly impressed. I also very much like its low profile. On the down side -also as other reviewers have said -until Amazon does a better job of packing this item, you're as likely as not to have it arrive broken. It arrived both times in a too-big box where it was allowed to rattle around during shipping. I returned the first [broken] one immediately and had the replacement in just a couple of days. Somehow, the second one didn't break. Nonetheless, be ready just in case to return a broken one.
Update: After almost exactly nine months, this light fixture has fizzled out. Not burned out bulbs. The transformer-thingy [sorry] is dead. While is wasn't horribly expensive, I expected to last a bit longer than this. It's on a timer and runs/ran 13 hours per day.
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I use these in my turtle tanks and they work great for odor control. Definitely try it. If it can keep a turtle tank from smelling then a fish tank will be easy.
