Odyssea Metal Halide Review - Page 18

darkdruid · 02/14/2010, 07:47 PM

Open the fixture up and get the one that is the closest fit. If you can't find one that fits inside, simply wire it for an external ballest, then any size will work.

blueshoes2208 · 02/14/2010, 08:22 PM

it appears to me that the maximum height that the inside of the fixture could handle would be >1 inch, so that knocks out most other ballasts, if i were to get an external ballast, do most of them operate both pc bulbs? Where in the world would i put an external ballast? is it the same concept as the MH ballast in which it sits somewhere else based on a longer cord or is there going to be a shorter cord > 1 foot in which i need to mount the external pc ballast on the fixture somewhere?

darkdruid · 02/14/2010, 10:44 PM

You can get single or dual ballasts and run it like a MH ballast. Just run a longer wire and mount it wherever you want. Inside the stand is a great place, it's out of the way and any ballast will work because you don't have to worry about it fitting inside the fixture housing. Any ballast can be run externally, it doesn't have to be a special external ballast.

2reefs · 02/15/2010, 10:44 AM

So finally I boought a kill a watt meter. I went to work to see what kind of watts the Odyssea fixture is drawing. I have 2 24 inch 250 W Metal halide with blue moon and no PC lights that I bought a year ago from Topdogseller on ebay. To my surprise one ballast is pulling 180 and the other one was pulling 170. I am not sure what I am going to do so the lamps are unerpowered big time. I might see what kind of upgrade I can do on the Ballast or buy new ones. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

blueshoes2208 · 02/16/2010, 12:43 PM

ok so pretty much instead of getting the full 250 watts out of each halide, youre getting an avg of 175 watts? So its possible with the 380 watt fixture that i have, i could be running 250 watts total, making my wpg around 4 instead of 5.5?

2reefs · 02/16/2010, 01:31 PM

You need to check the ballast watts.

rale2001 · 02/16/2010, 05:28 PM

What happened to aquatraders mh combos with T5 all there 36 combos are PCs now has it always been like that is this new

2reefs · 02/16/2010, 08:01 PM

I never seen the 36 with T5

bhazard451 · 02/17/2010, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2reefs

I never seen the 36 with T5

Around Sept/Oct the Odyssea models on ebay in all sizes were with T5s. I've never seen aquatraders get the T5 models, and they seem to have disappeared and gone back to PCs on ebay. I'm glad I got my 250w MH w 4x24 T5 when I did... still going strong and pulling the full 250w.

2reefs · 02/17/2010, 10:33 AM

Lucky you

bhazard451 · 02/17/2010, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2reefs

Lucky you

I'm hoping they have limited runs where they bring those models back. Jump on them when they do and junk the PC model.

krisko · 02/17/2010, 10:28 PM

Does anyone know another place to get these for a good deal then aquatraders. They seem to be out of stock of well pretty much every light, and won't have more in for 4 weeks.

bhazard451 · 02/18/2010, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by krisko

Does anyone know another place to get these for a good deal then aquatraders. They seem to be out of stock of well pretty much every light, and won't have more in for 4 weeks.

Normally they can be found on ebay, but they seem to be wiped out of stock there as well.

2reefs · 02/19/2010, 06:56 AM

Anyone in NJ or NY area that have Odyssea 250w ballast that they need to get rid off by selling let me know.

2reefs · 02/19/2010, 09:56 AM

Has anyone used Blue Wave 1 250W Metal Halide Ballast (Pulse Start) Ballast on the Odyssea fixtures? here is the link: http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/Met...unlight_Supply

DarG · 02/19/2010, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2reefs

Has anyone used Blue Wave 1 250W Metal Halide Ballast (Pulse Start) Ballast on the Odyssea fixtures? here is the link: http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/Met...unlight_Supply

The spec ballast for the vast majority of 250 watt DE metal halide lamps is the M80 ballast which is the 250 watt magnetic "HQI" ballast. Most of the 250 watt DE lamps are spec'd for the M80 ballast. A decent - good electronic ballast is a viable and very commonly used ballast, although they do slightly underdrive most of the lamps compared to the spec M80 ballast. A standard pulse start magnetic like the Bluewave 1 will underdrive the lamps. You are better off with an electronic (that is not UNDERPOWERED) or the M80 ... Bluewave 3 or 7 (dual version).

For an inexpensive, no frills electronic that is generally well reviewed/meets 250 watt plus spec ... check ballastwise.com

2reefs · 02/19/2010, 02:16 PM

Thanks

2reefs · 02/20/2010, 08:30 PM

Anyone in NJ or NY area that have Odyssea 250w ballast that they need to get rid off by selling let me know.

blueshoes2208 · 03/04/2010, 06:42 PM

okay...

REPLACEMENT PC BALLAST......
One of my original ballasts went out so i ordered the current sunpaq i believe, 65 watt single pc ballast, just letting everyone know that it does fit if u cut the wires down so it makes a little more room. Ballast works great...

As far as the stock MH ballast, i know ice caps are like 130$, i have a VERY low budget but i hear people say they make WORLDS of difference? opinions....

bhazard451 · 03/19/2010, 10:38 AM

Topdogsellers has the Odyssea MH with T5's back in stock

loyalrogue · 03/24/2010, 08:27 PM

I haven't seen any reviews of the 72" 250w MH/PC fixture.

I was originally looking at a Maristar with Galaxy ballasts but the Odyssea fixture at $489 including bulbs and free shipping is almost too good to pass up.

Has anyone tried this fixture?
Thoughts?

DarG · 03/25/2010, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by loyalrogue

I haven't seen any reviews of the 72" 250w MH/PC fixture.

I was originally looking at a Maristar with Galaxy ballasts but the Odyssea fixture at $489 including bulbs and free shipping is almost too good to pass up.

Has anyone tried this fixture?
Thoughts?

You arent getting equal performance for less money with the Odyssea if that is what you are hoping for. The Maristar is the superior fixture in both halide lighting performance and overall. That's not to disrespect the Odyssea fixture ... it is a budget fixture, the Maristar is not.

loyalrogue · 03/25/2010, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarG

You arent getting equal performance for less money with the Odyssea if that is what you are hoping for.

LOL
I'm not naive enough to think that I would.

Supplemental lighting aside, if the ballast is putting out the correct wattage then the only real difference in performance boils down to the MH reflector which I understand is lower quality on the Odyssea.
How much lower in quality compared to how much lower in price is definitely one of the deciding factors.

DarG · 03/25/2010, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by loyalrogue

LOL
I'm not naive enough to think that I would.

Supplemental lighting aside, if the ballast is putting out the correct wattage then the only real difference in performance boils down to the MH reflector which I understand is lower quality on the Odyssea.
How much lower in quality compared to how much lower in price is definitely one of the deciding factors.

Assuming the ballast is meeting spec for output, the reflector is single most important component of halide lighting for your tank. The differences between reflectors can be huge. The halide reflectors are a weakness in most if not all budget combos and some of the expensive combo fixtures as well. The Maristar actually does use good halide reflectors. If I had to use a combo fixture, I would go with either the Maristar or possibly the Hamilton Cebu sun or Deluxe. The Hamilton fixtures use an "open" style of reflector and I havent done any measurments but have seen one over a tank (Cebu sun and the older Deluxe) and the lighting appeared uniform with relatively good spread ... not the "spotlight" effect typical of the reflectors used in the budget combos. The Hamiltons arent cheap either and I am not sure what they have now in terms of fixture lengths.

Bottom line for me, with having experience with enough different reflectors, I would personally spend the money on the system with better reflectors. Again, if I had to use a premade fixture, and if I had the money. Best choice is individual, quality reflectors and a flourescent retro (if desired) if your system is set-up to allow for it ... in-wall or full canopy.
That said, I think that the budget combos are a viable option for those who want halide lighting, need a full fixture and simply cant afford one of the higher performance fixtures. So again, Im not dismissing the Odyssea or any other budget fixture, outright.
But IME and IMO, if money isnt the limiting factor, I would spend the extra on the higher performance combo fixture. And I could never, in good conscience, go back to budget/low performance reflectors after having used some of the higher performance components. So simply put, the better performance is worth the additional money ... despite the fact that those fixtures may very well be overpriced. Again, IME, IMO.

bhazard451 · 03/26/2010, 08:11 AM

DarG is right, the reflector is basically a piece of polished aluminum.

BUT... I've had the 24" unit with T5's running for 6 months now, and the ballast is pulling spec. After replacing all bulbs with quality ones, the unit is untouchable in its price range for budget fixtures. It is also basically the only 250 watt unit with 4 T5's that I could find. Any other retail combo budget 24" unit with a phoenix bulb and ATI actinics would run well over $600, yet it came out to less than $300 for me.

When I change my 72" freshwater tank over to saltwater, I would easily consider 2 36" odyssea MH's with T5's, as I could not afford over $1,200 in lighting. Then again, I'm actually holding off to see if LEDs become affordable within the next few years.

02/14/2010, 07:47 PM	#426
darkdruid Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Knoxville, TN Posts: 520	Open the fixture up and get the one that is the closest fit. If you can't find one that fits inside, simply wire it for an external ballest, then any size will work. __________________ Get all the fools on your side and you can be elected to anything. Current Tank Info: 46 gallon bowfront and 35 gallon mixed reefs, several 10 and 20 gallon frag tanks, beginning a 125 build

02/14/2010, 10:44 PM	#428
darkdruid Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Knoxville, TN Posts: 520	You can get single or dual ballasts and run it like a MH ballast. Just run a longer wire and mount it wherever you want. Inside the stand is a great place, it's out of the way and any ballast will work because you don't have to worry about it fitting inside the fixture housing. Any ballast can be run externally, it doesn't have to be a special external ballast. __________________ Get all the fools on your side and you can be elected to anything. Current Tank Info: 46 gallon bowfront and 35 gallon mixed reefs, several 10 and 20 gallon frag tanks, beginning a 125 build

02/19/2010, 06:56 AM	#439
2reefs Moved On Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: New Jersey Posts: 102	RE: Ballast? Anyone in NJ or NY area that have Odyssea 250w ballast that they need to get rid off by selling let me know.

02/14/2010, 08:22 PM	#427
blueshoes2208 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Shallowater, Texas Posts: 4	it appears to me that the maximum height that the inside of the fixture could handle would be >1 inch, so that knocks out most other ballasts, if i were to get an external ballast, do most of them operate both pc bulbs? Where in the world would i put an external ballast? is it the same concept as the MH ballast in which it sits somewhere else based on a longer cord or is there going to be a shorter cord > 1 foot in which i need to mount the external pc ballast on the fixture somewhere?

02/15/2010, 10:44 AM	#429
2reefs Moved On Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: New Jersey Posts: 102	So finally I boought a kill a watt meter. I went to work to see what kind of watts the Odyssea fixture is drawing. I have 2 24 inch 250 W Metal halide with blue moon and no PC lights that I bought a year ago from Topdogseller on ebay. To my surprise one ballast is pulling 180 and the other one was pulling 170. I am not sure what I am going to do so the lamps are unerpowered big time. I might see what kind of upgrade I can do on the Ballast or buy new ones. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

02/16/2010, 12:43 PM	#430
blueshoes2208 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Shallowater, Texas Posts: 4	ok so pretty much instead of getting the full 250 watts out of each halide, youre getting an avg of 175 watts? So its possible with the 380 watt fixture that i have, i could be running 250 watts total, making my wpg around 4 instead of 5.5?

02/16/2010, 01:31 PM	#431
2reefs Moved On Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: New Jersey Posts: 102	You need to check the ballast watts.

02/16/2010, 05:28 PM	#432
rale2001 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Memphis, Tn Posts: 429	What happened to aquatraders mh combos with T5 all there 36 combos are PCs now has it always been like that is this new

02/16/2010, 08:01 PM	#433
2reefs Moved On Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: New Jersey Posts: 102	I never seen the 36 with T5

02/17/2010, 10:33 AM	#435
2reefs Moved On Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: New Jersey Posts: 102	Lucky you

02/17/2010, 10:28 PM	#437
krisko Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 54	Does anyone know another place to get these for a good deal then aquatraders. They seem to be out of stock of well pretty much every light, and won't have more in for 4 weeks.

02/19/2010, 09:56 AM	#440
2reefs Moved On Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: New Jersey Posts: 102	Has anyone used Blue Wave 1 250W Metal Halide Ballast (Pulse Start) Ballast on the Odyssea fixtures? here is the link: http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/Met...unlight_Supply

02/19/2010, 02:16 PM	#442
2reefs Moved On Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: New Jersey Posts: 102	Thanks

02/20/2010, 08:30 PM	#443
2reefs Moved On Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: New Jersey Posts: 102	Anyone in NJ or NY area that have Odyssea 250w ballast that they need to get rid off by selling let me know.

03/04/2010, 06:42 PM	#444
blueshoes2208 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Shallowater, Texas Posts: 4	okay... REPLACEMENT PC BALLAST...... One of my original ballasts went out so i ordered the current sunpaq i believe, 65 watt single pc ballast, just letting everyone know that it does fit if u cut the wires down so it makes a little more room. Ballast works great... As far as the stock MH ballast, i know ice caps are like 130$, i have a VERY low budget but i hear people say they make WORLDS of difference? opinions....

03/19/2010, 10:38 AM	#445
bhazard451 Registered Member. Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 1,900	Topdogsellers has the Odyssea MH with T5's back in stock

03/24/2010, 08:27 PM	#446
loyalrogue Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Orlando, Florida, USA Posts: 1,535	I haven't seen any reviews of the 72" 250w MH/PC fixture. I was originally looking at a Maristar with Galaxy ballasts but the Odyssea fixture at $489 including bulbs and free shipping is almost too good to pass up. Has anyone tried this fixture? Thoughts?

03/26/2010, 08:11 AM	#450
bhazard451 Registered Member. Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 1,900	DarG is right, the reflector is basically a piece of polished aluminum. BUT... I've had the 24" unit with T5's running for 6 months now, and the ballast is pulling spec. After replacing all bulbs with quality ones, the unit is untouchable in its price range for budget fixtures. It is also basically the only 250 watt unit with 4 T5's that I could find. Any other retail combo budget 24" unit with a phoenix bulb and ATI actinics would run well over $600, yet it came out to less than $300 for me. When I change my 72" freshwater tank over to saltwater, I would easily consider 2 36" odyssea MH's with T5's, as I could not afford over $1,200 in lighting. Then again, I'm actually holding off to see if LEDs become affordable within the next few years.