Cheap Metal Halides [HELP]

[alextheromanian]

Now i know the saynig...You get what you pay for but hear me out on this one.

Most of you or maybe just some have heard of aquatraders.com

i havent been in the hobby a long time and never actually even considered metal halides untill recently when i realised they are pretty much the only way to have a tank where you wont be limmited to what you can buy as far as corals go in there.


i have a 29gal tank right now it just finished cycling i have NO critters or fish in it yet.

it runs witha DIY 14gal sump DIY canopy and DIY stand

my first drilled tank i even made the video if me drilling it rofl.

either way...all this aside. the tank has no lights yet...besides the crappy stip it came with. i would like to turn it into a reef and not worry about what i can put it in there over time if something great does come up.

not in a rush...i have patience ...i DONT have money.

recently discovered aquatraders.com that sells some CHEAPISH fixtures...(to me 20$ is alot...but whatever...i try not to think how expensive things get sometimes.)

since the tank is 30" long...and 30" fixtures arent quite POPULAR...im pretty limited. i can put 24...but that would not be wnough Wattage and i cant fit bigger...nor would i like to.


i fount this:

http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp...ROD&ProdID=414

metal halide...power compact AND moon lights...two plugs ..i would have wished 3 but whatever

ive heard and read the following

aqua traders lights suck. they arive broken...missing parts...some even say they almost set the house on fire...and some say they arive well and working and they DO work...not best quality but they get the job done and eventually when it comes to replacing bulbs...you put better ones in and thats THAT.

the bad rep of these JBJ Odyseea ...things...seems to come from i guess early models...where they only had one PLUG...some say newer models they replaced some parts inside and added separate plugs which rsolved alot of issues with the lights themselves

I NEED YOUR OPINNION AND EXPERIENCE...NESS

are these worth the time? the money? or should i forget about it.

if its not a lighting fixture withing the 200$ range i wont buy it...

i dont think ANYONE really has hundreds of dollars they wouldnt miss if they were spent on a damn light fixture.

its money and you all know how crappy it can get when youre not exactly rich or wealthy for that matter.

thank you so much!
and hope to get a reply soon

the free shipping at aquatraders.com ends july 31st and id like to NOT pay for shipping and keep that money in the wallet for just a little bit longer

[oceanparadise1]

do not buy that! They are SO cheap its not even worth the money! the ballast are crappy and just the whole thing is poorly built. Wait for a good deal on here and buy used! Or buy a new t5ho fixture and get single light reflectors for each bulb!

[alextheromanian]

Originally posted by oceanparadise1
do not buy that! They are SO cheap its not even worth the money! the ballast are crappy and just the whole thing is poorly built. Wait for a good deal on here and buy used! Or buy a new t5ho fixture and get single light reflectors for each bulb!

T5 i wish they dont come in 30"

i have a 75 gal with a 4xstrip t5ho...one reflector but i dont see what makes such a big difference in having a separate reflector for each one...

[chatyak]

Originally posted by alextheromanian
T5 i wish they dont come in 30"

i have a 75 gal with a 4xstrip t5ho...one reflector but i dont see what makes such a big difference in having a separate reflector for each one...

It allows more light to be reflected back because it is concentrated on each bulb.

[oceanparadise1]

it does trust me, but please do your wallet a favor dont but that fixture. I have heard from many people that the ballast always burn out, they dont really push the lights and they look like crap

[newreefbishop]

I can understand your plight......the biggest issue is finding a good ballast....i actually know someone....my brother who has a complete DIY lighting system...I am building one right now to replace my old retrofit.

Here are the t-5 ballast

http://www.ballastwise.com/category.asp?FID=15&level=1

and the metal halide ballasts

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

wiring is simple and straight forward....you can get parts for that from marine depot or other places.....

[alextheromanian]

Originally posted by newreefbishop
I can understand your plight......the biggest issue is finding a good ballast....i actually know someone....my brother who has a complete DIY lighting system...I am building one right now to replace my old retrofit.

Here are the t-5 ballast

http://www.ballastwise.com/category.asp?FID=15&level=1

and the metal halide ballasts

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

wiring is simple and straight forward....you can get parts for that from marine depot or other places.....

i have no idea how the parts all fit togheder...

a plug goes into the ballast and out the other end towards the light bulbs?

[jdmcivicek9]

oceanparadise please do research before you post that they are horrible...because you will find that alot of the people that have them are ok with them...granted your right the ballasts dont power the lights to there full potential but with upgraded ballasts they are a really decent fixture...http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...readid=1234358 go to that link i dont know how many times its split but its alot and theres alot of info about aquatraders/odyssea same company anyway i would say its a decent product for the price just upgrade the ballasts!!

[oceanparadise1]

Well i did my research bye owning them enough said! they arent worth the money at all! I also posted a thread asking peoples thoughts and got all negitive response's. So maybe you can do some research next time before you assume that i didnt, i beleive owning them once is enought research righ there! And once again DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY

[alextheromanian]

Originally posted by oceanparadise1
Well i did my research bye owning them enough said! they arent worth the money at all! I also posted a thread asking peoples thoughts and got all negitive response's. So maybe you can do some research next time before you assume that i didnt, i beleive owning them once is enought research righ there! And once again DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY

it seems about half and half...either hate them or seem to think they do well.


ok lets scrach these off the list...what intrigued me is that they were ~20$ more than just regulad double aqualite PC.

for a 29 gal 30"inches long what else could i throw n there to get ENOUGH light not to have problems down the road

id like to turn it into something that looks a bit like this:






THOSE PICTURES ARE TAKEN FROM
http://www.melevsreef.com/29g.html

[oceanparadise1]

Do you have access to hang a fixture?

[alextheromanian]

Originally posted by oceanparadise1
Do you have access to hang a fixture?

i built the canopy 12 inches tall with open top...why do you ask?

[oceanparadise1]

You can find cheap hanging units used for around 200 bucks. Then you can just buy some cheap used retro fit blues for the canopy

[ihavtats29]

you can use these if your on a budget, my friend has the the 48'' fixture over a 55 gal with great results he just pulled 2 of the grow bulbs out and installed 2 antics

http://www.littlegreenhouse.com/accessory/lights2.shtml

[atwinparadox2]

if you really want a nice looking tank, bite the bullet and buy a lighting fixture that you will be rewarded with. Think of it this way. I know you're strapped for cash but if you get a lighting fixture that ends up breaking on you, or not working, then you will spend more in shipping costs and replacement parts than you would spend for a dependable lighting fixture. Get the quality now, and you will save so much more in the long run.

Believe me I am speaking from experience. My first tank i did the cheap way to save, and lost in the long run. My 90 gallon, I went right for the gusto and never looked back, and never had a problem.

Check the used equipment forum on this site, people are always trying to upgrade and get rid of their older lights....

[WinnipegDragon]

Why not retrofit T5HOs like the TEK units since you have a canopy? Just add some slats across the top for the lights to be mounted on.

My 29g planted tank runs 2 x 24" T5HOs and it's tons of light. Do three or four for a reef and you are laughing.

[alextheromanian]

Originally posted by ihavtats29
you can use these if your on a budget, my friend has the the 48'' fixture over a 55 gal with great results he just pulled 2 of the grow bulbs out and installed 2 antics

http://www.littlegreenhouse.com/accessory/lights2.shtml

thank you!
good help that sunblaze one looks amazing i wonder what the total wattage is for a 48 inch

[alextheromanian]

Originally posted by WinnipegDragon
Why not retrofit T5HOs like the TEK units since you have a canopy? Just add some slats across the top for the lights to be mounted on.

My 29g planted tank runs 2 x 24" T5HOs and it's tons of light. Do three or four for a reef and you are laughing.

i have 6 on my 75 gallon...and its nowhere near for a reef.

itll put me close to the bare minimum and im out of space for more


t5 for 29 gallon doesnt really for because i need 30" long...meanning either to short or to long or i use the shorted ones and sorta have some on one side and the other on the other side but it will put me around 4w per gallon and thats the bare min

[Amoore311]

I'd go with a 2 Icecap 2 Bulb 24" Retrofit System from Reef Geek.

Stagger the bulbs and you should be fine. The spots in the tank with less light can be home to softies and mushrooms.

You could also do a 175 WATT MH Retrofit. With the height of your canopy the light should disperse fine.

You can find this on Reef Geek as well.

[oceanparadise1]

Originally posted by alextheromanian
i have 6 on my 75 gallon...and its nowhere near for a reef.

itll put me close to the bare minimum and im out of space for more


t5 for 29 gallon doesnt really for because i need 30" long...meanning either to short or to long or i use the shorted ones and sorta have some on one side and the other on the other side but it will put me around 4w per gallon and thats the bare min

I find that hard to believe, i had four t5hos with slrs on my 55 and i was bleaching corals! I was keeping everything(including sps and clams) with no problems! Get 4 t5hos and slrs for your 55 and you will be very happy!

[Amoore311]

You're underestimating T5's

I have a TekLight 6 Bulb on my 90 Gallon (Taller than your 75). I can keep any coral under the sun. The Icecap retro w/ indiv. reflectors is actually better than the unit I have.

Here's a pic of my tank (notice the Crocea Clam on the sand bed).

it will put me around 4w per gallon and thats the bare min

Please please please roll this term up in a little tiny ball, and throw it in the garbage. Watts per gallon means nothing in reefkeeping.

[oceanparadise1]

Amoore311, i could no agree with you more! Before i switched back to HQI(i love the shimmer look) i have 4 5thos wiht single light reflectors and like you i was able to keep any coral under the sun, the person who said they would not be enough for a reef, i believe donest know really that much about 5ts.

[abulgin]

Originally posted by oceanparadise1
Well i did my research bye owning them enough said! they arent worth the money at all! I also posted a thread asking peoples thoughts and got all negitive response's. So maybe you can do some research next time before you assume that i didnt, i beleive owning them once is enought research righ there! And once again DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY

When did you own these fixtures and which fixtures did you own?

I have the 760W HQI model, and I couldn't be happier. I upgraded the ballasts with 2 IceCaps and replaced the stock bulbs with $21 eBay bulbs. All in all, I paid $659. Are there better fixtures out there? Sure. Are there fixtures with better reflectors? Sure. Are they worth $400 more? Not in my opinion.

[oceanparadise1]

I would have to disagree, i had one and it sucked! Why put in the extra money, i went and baught a 2x250hqi and 2x130pc USED for 250 bucks! now thats def worth it! And he said he doesnt have alot of money, and you had to change out the ballast and bulbs! Im just looking out for him, it would be better in the long run for him to buy a decent used one.

[abulgin]

Originally posted by oceanparadise1
I would have to disagree, i had one and it sucked! Why put in the extra money, i went and baught a 2x250hqi and 2x130pc USED for 250 bucks! now thats def worth it! And he said he doesnt have alot of money, and you had to change out the ballast and bulbs! Im just looking out for him, it would be better in the long run for him to buy a decent used one.

With all due respect, your particular experience is just that. There are plenty of people, myself included, who have had nothing but good experiences with this fixture. I'm not saying you're wrong to not want to buy/use this fixture, but that's your preference.