Odyssea Metal Halide Review

[bhazard451]

Originally Posted by tangtang clown

Sweet! You have helped a ton DarG. I just measured a second ballast and it is only pulling 111watts. To be honest, the lamps don't look as bright as I had hoped. I might order a ICECAP 150 today and see how it compares to the Odyssea.
I just hooked the 3rd ballast up and I will give it 30min to warm up.

It may depend on the seller of the unit as well. I know Aquatraders doesnt even have the unit that I bought for sale yet.

I got my unit from ebay seller "topdogsellers" (who is away until dec. 1st). He may/may not have different ballasts for the odyssea models he sells. I know that I have rarely ever seen the black 250w ballast that I have before. I have seen the silver ones that are normally underpowered, and most of those have come from aquatraders.

[DarG]

Originally Posted by tangtang clown

Sweet! You have helped a ton DarG. I just measured a second ballast and it is only pulling 111watts. To be honest, the lamps don't look as bright as I had hoped. I might order a ICECAP 150 today and see how it compares to the Odyssea.
I just hooked the 3rd ballast up and I will give it 30min to warm up.

Happy to Help.

The Power Select model number is Model PS15B90T
Manufactured in Jan. of 2008 and I have had them close to that long now.
Its the surface mount version.
www.Powerselectinc.com is the website and the ballast is still currently listed there with a picture and PDF spec sheet. 5 year warranty.


I found my online dealer ... Atlas Lighting supply http://www.atlaslightingsupply.com/
The Power Selects are shown on the home page. You can click on the link and it takes you to the ballasts and prices and you can buy online.
If memory serves, I paid 120 each so I think that they have gone up in price a little bit since I got mine. I called first to check stock. I believe that he orders them and gets them within a couple days then ships them out.


But again, the Icecap 150 watt electronic is made by Hatch Transformer and you cant do much better for a 150 watt electronic. They are/were more expensive, atleast at the time I bought these. But, neither are cheap in price nor in quality/performance.

[tangtang clown]

Cheapest 150w Icecap I found is $150. I found an ARO for $99. What do you think of ARO?

[DarG]

Originally Posted by tangtang clown

Cheapest 150w Icecap I found is $150. I found an ARO for $99. What do you think of ARO?

I would stay away from the ARO for 150 watt lamps. It is actually a 175 watt ballast. It will overdrive 150 watt lamps. Lamps generally wont be as blue as they would be on a 150 watt ballast and lamp life will most likely be shortened. There are a few ballasts that are called 150/175 watt ballasts and they are ALL actually 175 watt ballasts. I have personal experience with the ARO. I actually own the ARO 175 watt and 250 watt electronics and have used the 175 watter with a couple of 150 watt lamps for brief periods. Colors were "wrong" as I mentioned. They are however, good, durable, no frills ballasts. Again, if looking for an inexpensive electronic, ballastwise.com is a popular choice. But, I would buy one and check it out first. Sunpark also has an electronic 150 watt ballast. They were used in the Current USA fixtures. I owned one of the fixtures a good while back and the ballasts did pull over 150 watts from the wall but ... that was a while ago and I cant vouch for them now nor for their long term reliability. There were a few reports of issues with the ballasts in the Current USA fixtures but they werent widespread.

The Power Select is 20 dollars cheaper than the Hatch/IceCap and you may be able to find them for less. Maybe try a search for Hatch electronic HID or halide ballasts and see if you can find them without Icecap as the middleman. You may also want to contact a local lighting/electric supply and see what they can get you and at what price.

[DarG]

Just wanted to add that many of the earlier Odyssea owners of the units that sold with the underpowered 250 watt ballasts replaced the ballasts with the Ballastwise ballasts. Most went with Icecap because they used the same ballast to fixture plug ... which is/was a basic IEC type connector (same type as used for Desktop computers and other electronics.
Anyway, the Ballastwise 250 watt ballasts tested to pull over 250 watts from the wall. I dont see any reason why the 150 watt ballasts wouldnt meet their spec either. They are 60 dollars each. The listed specs are fine. They also have a 150 watt ballast in a fancier, heat sinked case that is a multi line voltage ballast. It is 99 dollars. The ballastwise ballasts are generally well regarded by users. www.ballastwise.com

Here is a link to an online store that sells the Sunpark electronic ballast. Again, this is the same ballast that Current USA used in their 150 watt halide fixtures. Mine met spec without a problem. 60 dollars ... http://www.nextechlighting.com/produ...products_id=23

I bought a Current USA Outer Orbit w/T5 (3 years ago or more now) at a steal of a price knowing it had one halide that would not fire/light. Not only have I used the fixture with these ballasts I have actually installed one of these ballasts to replace a faulty one in the fixture. They feel pretty substantial for the compact size and the fit and finish is good and they are nicely heatsinked. And as I mentioned, they met spec. as far as pulling 150 plus watts from the wall and drove all lamps I tried as would be expected.

That link is a direct link from the manufacturers website. http://www.sunparkelectronics.com/

To be perfectly honest, from my experience with the Sunpark and overall reports of the Ballastwise products, both should meet the 150 watt spec ... drive the lamps with atleast 150 watts and save you over half the money compared to either the Power Select or the Hatch ballasts. If they meet spec and hold up well, then thats all that matters.

Any 4 of these would require some basic wiring to install. They arent going to be plug and play like the stock ballasts.

You can always go with Magnetic HQI (M81) ballasts ... if anyone is still making one. Check Hamilton tech. Sunlight Supply and Aquamedic.

[GoldenReef]

As a note I called Aquatraders on the Odyssea lights to see if they offered anything but a 30 day warranty, and they only have a 30 day. After reading both positive and quite a few bad posts, I decided I will be grabbing a Aquamedic that comes with a one year. They are close by so I can get parts if/when I need them.

[tangtang clown]

Thanks DarG, I will be ordering one today, not sure which, but as far as the basic wiring knowledge goes, I know how to change ballasts in office T8s and T12s. I also wired up a new breaker in my houhse for my tank. What wiring will need to be done? Power cord or inside the fixutre?

[DarG]

Originally Posted by tangtang clown

Thanks DarG, I will be ordering one today, not sure which, but as far as the basic wiring knowledge goes, I know how to change ballasts in office T8s and T12s. I also wired up a new breaker in my houhse for my tank. What wiring will need to be done? Power cord or inside the fixutre?

You have to wire up a power cord ... simple.
Then, if the fixture has an external connector/receptacle for the cord from the ballast, you would just have to wire a cord with a connector that mates with that connector on the fixture itself. If it's the same IEC connectors they commonly have used ... that is an easy to find connector/cable.
Grounding would depend on how the ballast is grounded. Some have a seperate ground wire for the output. Others dont have an external ground wire but the ballast case is grounded so the ground wire in the cable that runs fron the ballast to the fixture can just be connected to the ballast case at one of the mounting holes.

[tangtang clown]

No problem. Should be able to do it with me eyes closed.

[DarG]

Originally Posted by tangtang clown

No problem. Should be able to do it with me eyes closed.

Yep, it's very basic wiring. Please update on what ballasts you go with and how they compare with the stock 150 watters after you get them wired up.

[tangtang clown]

Is this the one?

http://www.ballastwise.com/item.asp?...FID=17&level=1

[DarG]

Originally Posted by tangtang clown

Is this the one?

http://www.ballastwise.com/item.asp?...FID=17&level=1

Yes, that's the one. I cant personally vouch for them not having used one myself but the reviews I have seen have been positive ... most of them for the 250 watters performing and measuring as expected. But Ballastwise is frequently recommended for those looking for halide ballasts on a budget.

[tangtang clown]

Ballastwise doesn't have a 150w hqi ballast. Any one tried these coralife ballasts?
http://www.amazon.com/Coralife-Aqual...9616524&sr=8-1

The cheapest 150w HQI ballast I have found so far is a round $100.

[bhazard451]

Originally Posted by tangtang clown

Ballastwise doesn't have a 150w hqi ballast. Any one tried these coralife ballasts?
http://www.amazon.com/Coralife-Aqual...9616524&sr=8-1

The cheapest 150w HQI ballast I have found so far is a round $100.

Oddly enough, it looks a lot like my 250w Odyssea ballast. I've heard of coralife ballasts being ok, but not much of an upgrade, nor worth the price. If I had to replace my ballast, I would go Icecap.

[tangtang clown]

bhaz, I might have to go with Icecap $150 each + shipping, I just hope it will be that much of an upgrade.

[chris.rivera3]

From what I've heard IceCap has had better reviews and is more reliable

[bhazard451]

Originally Posted by tangtang clown

bhaz, I might have to go with Icecap $150 each + shipping, I just hope it will be that much of an upgrade.

Since it is a lot of money to drop (and cost more than the fixture itself) I would suggest buying only 1 for now and seeing how it is for a week. Its too bad for the underpowered ballasts on that model, or it would have been a great bargain. I almost went with it, but wanted the full MH/T5HO/Moonlight lighting.

[bhazard451]

So I replaced the Odyssea blue/green t5 actinics with Current Slimpaq 420 and 460 bulbs and the color difference is huge. They arent as bright, but they have a more visually pleasing blue/purple hue.

Next up is replacing the 250w bulb. I think the odyssea bulb is actually pretty decent and white, but I havent seen any other bulbs other than that either. I am thinking Phoenix 14k, or radium/plusrite 20k. Since I have 96w of t5 supplementation that is very blue/purple, would a 20k be overkill? I've heard great things about the Phoenix, and 14k + t5 may be just right. thoughts?

[leeit2me]

Originally Posted by bhazard451

So I replaced the Odyssea blue/green t5 actinics with Current Slimpaq 420 and 460 bulbs and the color difference is huge. They arent as bright, but they have a more visually pleasing blue/purple hue.

Next up is replacing the 250w bulb. I think the odyssea bulb is actually pretty decent and white, but I havent seen any other bulbs other than that either. I am thinking Phoenix 14k, or radium/plusrite 20k. Since I have 96w of t5 supplementation that is very blue/purple, would a 20k be overkill? I've heard great things about the Phoenix, and 14k + t5 may be just right. thoughts?

If you got 30bucks to spend, check out the Pulserite bulbs on Egay(also there is a big thread on here too).. I brought the 20K 250w MH bulb just to see how they were. I am very please with it. As of now, I can't see myself buying a 50$ and up bulb anymore..(what was I smoking!?!?!?!)

[bhazard451]

Originally Posted by leeit2me

If you got 30bucks to spend, check out the Pulserite bulbs on Egay(also there is a big thread on here too).. I brought the 20K 250w MH bulb just to see how they were. I am very please with it. As of now, I can't see myself buying a 50$ and up bulb anymore..(what was I smoking!?!?!?!)

I cant seem to find them on ebay. Do you know the sellers?

[bhazard451]

Originally Posted by tangtang clown

bhaz, I might have to go with Icecap $150 each + shipping, I just hope it will be that much of an upgrade.

Its a shame you dont have the 250w. Custom Aquatic has the Icecap 250 ballast on sale right now for $94. I may get it, I have never seen Icecaps on sale.

[tangtang clown]

Could I use the same fixture and just get a 250w bulb and ballast?

[leeit2me]

Originally Posted by bhazard451

I cant seem to find them on ebay. Do you know the sellers?

The seller on egay is trust_deals, he has 250w 20k for 21$ plus shipping 7$.

[tangtang clown]

Originally Posted by tangtang clown

Could I use the same fixture and just get a 250w bulb and ballast?

anyone know?

[Daimyo68]

So, I just read through this whole thread... wow lots of info here that i am glad I came across.

I'm not completely sure if I should be going with with a 150wMH or the 250wMH fixture. Is this correct? (Tank info Below)

Also, the difference between the 2 fixtures below is one is Cf and the other is T5HO. Which to go with? (I'm assuming T5HO in either if possible)

CF - http://shop.aquatraders.com/Odyssea-...ct-p/54203.htm

T5HO - http://cgi.ebay.com/36-3-ft-Metal-Ha...item19b84df183


70g Oceanic, 36x18.5x24
LPS Mixed Reef