Looking to convert to SW

[Chiefsurfer]

I think that Odyssea fixture is WAAAAY overpowered, and well below quality.

Instead of those hang-on fuges, build your own for $75 out of an AquaClear 110 powerfilter. Search the Nano forum for AC70 fuge, and just use an AC 110 for it, with something like a 50gallon impeller on it. Then get yourself a decent hang-on skimmer like the eshopps psk75H or ReefOctopus hang-on skimmer. Then get yourself a nice 4-bulb t5 fixture, and you will be good to go. If you want to go with MH, you can find a much better fixture. Oddyssea are very cheap, poor ballasts, poor reflectors, etc. Not good basically. Some have success, but many have issues with them, from what I hear. Also, PC bulbs for actinic lighting will be drowned out by MH bulbs, rather see t5 actinic suppliments.

[Nexorcist]

Originally Posted by Chiefsurfer

I think that Odyssea fixture is WAAAAY overpowered, and well below quality.

Instead of those hang-on fuges, build your own for $75 out of an AquaClear 110 powerfilter. Search the Nano forum for AC70 fuge, and just use an AC 110 for it, with something like a 50gallon impeller on it. Then get yourself a decent hang-on skimmer like the eshopps psk75H or ReefOctopus hang-on skimmer. Then get yourself a nice 4-bulb t5 fixture, and you will be good to go. If you want to go with MH, you can find a much better fixture. Oddyssea are very cheap, poor ballasts, poor reflectors, etc. Not good basically. Some have success, but many have issues with them, from what I hear. Also, PC bulbs for actinic lighting will be drowned out by MH bulbs, rather see t5 actinic suppliments.

Wow, some great info.
I'll definitely go with DIY Fuge, just like you said ill use AC110, and eshopps psk75H seems very reasonable price on the web.

I'll be searching for light and start buying one by one.

If you have any suggestion for specific 4-bulb t5 fixture (prefferbly with moon light) please let me know or provide the link.

Thank you again.

[Chiefsurfer]

I personally like the Aquaticlife light a LOT. That's what I have. It's reasonably priced, only thing you have to plan for is replacing all the bulbs right away, which makes it roughly $80 more expensive. The lights they give you look VERY yellow in the tank, and the actinics are very weak in PAR, and do not provide a lot of blue at all.

What I have, and a LOT of people use in a 4-bulb set-up is:
1 KZ Fiji Purple/UVLighting 75.25 Very pink bulb that accents a lot of color
1 ATI Aquablue special 12,000K very blue-white daylight bulb
2 ATI Blue+ It is a actinic spectrum light(very flourescing and blue) but has a MUCH higher PAR than standard actinic bulbs, and will help corals grow a LOT.

Any ~$300 t5HO light will be a pretty good light, with decent reflectors. Some brands that come to mind are Current USA, Sundial, aquaticlife, aquactinics, etc. If you search around with the lights, you will notice MOST MH/t5 fixtures will start somewhere around $600, which just goes to show you the cheaper construction of the Odyssea. MH definitely has it's bonuses, but at an expense, and that expense is usually money.

If you plan to build a canopy, you can do retro-fits fairly easily, and a LOT cheaper than pre-made fixtures. Also, if you go MH, get everything for the wattage you want, changing bulb wattage on MH and t5 is much more complicated than bulbs in your house. If you do do a canopy and retro's, with actinic suppliments, I have found that MH and VHO/T12(think they are t12's) produce a super light combination.