Is this a good fixture?

jay02483 · 04/21/2009, 05:05 PM

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=180317751792

jay02483 · 04/21/2009, 05:55 PM

http://cgi.ebay.com/36-Metal-Halide-...1%7C240%3A1318
or this one

redfishsc · 04/21/2009, 07:06 PM

I personally do not trust 'no-name" lights from ebay.

While they may seem to work just fine (and the ones you linked to are pretty schnazzy looking), the big question is "did they use decent components?".

All to often I have bought "slightly cheaper" products only to find out that I really got hosed in some area.

Lately I've read some about the quality of ballasts and reflectors that these no-name brands come with (they are cheaper for a reason).

You can get a pretty good MH retrofit kit and a T5 retrofit from www.diyreef.com .

Sure, it will cost more. But you'll have quality that will last and not leave you asking "am I actually running a decent light".

If anyone has used these products, I would actually like to be proven wrong on this, so please chime in. I just err on the side of caution.

tkeracer619 · 04/21/2009, 07:39 PM

IME I don't trust things on generic listings. They basically say the same thing about both fixtures so they are just spewing a somewhat decent sales pitch modified for each fixture. I rarely buy anything on ebay that says "Good Luck Bidding" when its a buy it now...

The lights might be fine but I would do as redfishsc said and go with a retro setup.

luther1200 · 04/21/2009, 08:12 PM

I also have a 36" tank, and I bought a fixture with 1 MH in the center. I was awful, the MH light is right over the center brace. It casts a big shadow right in the prime spot of the tank. Do yourself a favor and get a fixture with 2-150w. or 2-250w. Trust me you won't regret it. I wound up spending more than I wanted adding a second MH into the fixture. It would have been better to just get 1 with 2 bulbs from the start.

abulgin · 04/21/2009, 08:38 PM

It appears that those fixtures have internal MH ballasts, so if they suck you'll have a hard time swapping them out for something better. IME, the shells of all these fixtures, no name and name brands, are basically the same. What makes the difference is ballasts, bulbs, and reflectrs, in that order (although some would argue that reflectors are more important than bulbs). No-name fixtures are cheaper because these three things are typically of a lesser quality than name brand fixtures. However,that DOES NOT mean that you're wasting your money if you buy one or getting screwed. I have a 48" 2x250W HQI with 4x65W actinic PCs from Odyssea/Aquatraders, for which I swapped out the ballasts for IceCaps and swapped out the bulbs for better ones. It is not a "perfect" fixture, but it works great and my SPS grow like crazy. Is it as nice as a high-end unit? No. Does it work and look just like the Current fixture? Yep, and it cost me $400 less. IMO, don't fall victim to the "you get what you pay for" mantra--it's BS half the time.

04/21/2009, 05:05 PM	#1
jay02483 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 157	Is this a good fixture? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=180317751792

04/21/2009, 07:06 PM	#3
redfishsc Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Wake Forest, NC Posts: 3,696	I personally do not trust 'no-name" lights from ebay. While they may seem to work just fine (and the ones you linked to are pretty schnazzy looking), the big question is "did they use decent components?". All to often I have bought "slightly cheaper" products only to find out that I really got hosed in some area. Lately I've read some about the quality of ballasts and reflectors that these no-name brands come with (they are cheaper for a reason). You can get a pretty good MH retrofit kit and a T5 retrofit from www.diyreef.com . Sure, it will cost more. But you'll have quality that will last and not leave you asking "am I actually running a decent light". If anyone has used these products, I would actually like to be proven wrong on this, so please chime in. I just err on the side of caution. __________________ "The measure of a life is not its duration but its donation." Corrie Ten Boom “The tyrant dies and his rule is over, the martyr dies and his rule begins” -- Søren Kierkegaard Current Tank Info: ghetto grad school reef.....11g rimless tank, 36X9X9, lit by Cree and Rebels scobbled together. Stocked mostly with free stuff I got from panhandling my fellow reefers.

04/21/2009, 07:39 PM	#4
tkeracer619 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Westminster, CO Posts: 17,289	IME I don't trust things on generic listings. They basically say the same thing about both fixtures so they are just spewing a somewhat decent sales pitch modified for each fixture. I rarely buy anything on ebay that says "Good Luck Bidding" when its a buy it now... The lights might be fine but I would do as redfishsc said and go with a retro setup. __________________ Hobby Experience: 9200ish gallons, 26 skimmers, and a handful of Kent Scrapers. Current Tank: Vortech Powered 600G SPS Tank w/ 100gal frag tank & 100g Sump. RK2-RK10 Skimmer. ReefAngel. Radium 20k.

04/21/2009, 08:12 PM	#5
luther1200 Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NJ, shore Posts: 4,376	I also have a 36" tank, and I bought a fixture with 1 MH in the center. I was awful, the MH light is right over the center brace. It casts a big shadow right in the prime spot of the tank. Do yourself a favor and get a fixture with 2-150w. or 2-250w. Trust me you won't regret it. I wound up spending more than I wanted adding a second MH into the fixture. It would have been better to just get 1 with 2 bulbs from the start. __________________ Matt, 65G reef tank Current Tank Info: 65g reef, mix of sps, lps, few softies. Hoping to upgrade within the year.

04/21/2009, 05:55 PM	#2
jay02483 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 157	http://cgi.ebay.com/36-Metal-Halide-...1%7C240%3A1318 or this one

04/21/2009, 08:38 PM	#6
abulgin Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Baltimore, MD Posts: 2,664	It appears that those fixtures have internal MH ballasts, so if they suck you'll have a hard time swapping them out for something better. IME, the shells of all these fixtures, no name and name brands, are basically the same. What makes the difference is ballasts, bulbs, and reflectrs, in that order (although some would argue that reflectors are more important than bulbs). No-name fixtures are cheaper because these three things are typically of a lesser quality than name brand fixtures. However,that DOES NOT mean that you're wasting your money if you buy one or getting screwed. I have a 48" 2x250W HQI with 4x65W actinic PCs from Odyssea/Aquatraders, for which I swapped out the ballasts for IceCaps and swapped out the bulbs for better ones. It is not a "perfect" fixture, but it works great and my SPS grow like crazy. Is it as nice as a high-end unit? No. Does it work and look just like the Current fixture? Yep, and it cost me $400 less. IMO, don't fall victim to the "you get what you pay for" mantra--it's BS half the time.