NoobtoSalt Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 So I have read all sorts of good and bad about these lights and was hoping that someone could shed some light locally about them. I don't have a lot of money and I'd like to get into MH. I need a 48" setup for my 75 gallon tank. I'd like to have something that sits on the tank as I have 15 foot high ceilings and don't have an easy way of getting them to look good hanging. I also don't want to spend more than $400 for the whole setup. I have asked some of the shops around here about lighting but wanted to get someone elses opinion as well. I understand that Odyssea is not the best brand in the world but It's got to be better than what I am currently running. Is there anything else in this price range that will do everything I need? http://www.reefshops.com/odyssea-48-760w-aquarium-lamp-pl-led-metal-halide-light-fish-reef-with-power-compact-.html Lots of help would be appriciated on this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoobtoSalt Posted April 21, 2010 Author Share Posted April 21, 2010 Would I just be better off doing T5 instead of MH? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
undrtkr_00 Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 I would try to find a nicer fixture used, or go with T5. If you are interested in going the T5 route, I have a nice 4' fixture up for grabs. I'll PM you details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoobtoSalt Posted April 21, 2010 Author Share Posted April 21, 2010 I was kind of thinking of leaning more towards T5's now. The more I read on those lights the worse it gets. I found some Wavepoint lights that looked of intrest as well. http://www.fishtanksdirect.com/48inch4x54watt460nm12000kt-5lightfixturebywavepoint.aspx I'd like it to be on the cheaper side as I've already spent a lot in the initial setup in the past few months and my couches aren't all that comfortable...lol Looking forward to seeing what you've got! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilmca Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 Is this a standard 75g tank with the dimensions of 48"Lx18"Wx21"T? I like MH more than T5 but that's just my preference. Never had an Odyssea fixture so I can't give you any advice on them but I haven't read anything good about them. I don't have much experience with T5 so I can't bash them too much but I did try a (6) bulb T5 fixture over my frag tank and it wasn't over the tank very long. I went back to the (2) 250w MH that i had before because I didn't think the T5's were as nice as the MH. I like the MH for the shimmer, intensity and color. The T5 fixture I tried had (3) 10k and (3) actinics vs 14k for the MH bulbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoobtoSalt Posted April 21, 2010 Author Share Posted April 21, 2010 Is this a standard 75g tank with the dimensions of 48"Lx18"Wx21"T? 48Lx15Wx24T. I'm guessing that this isn't standard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClayTheSavageFraser Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 I also had 15' ceilings in my old house and I just went and got yo-yos and they looked very cool!! simple and easy to use! I have two friends with odyessa lights and they are growin very nice corals, and no troubles! I would go with MH lighting, myself I like the combination. Sunshine and Smiles, Clay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoobtoSalt Posted April 21, 2010 Author Share Posted April 21, 2010 Do you know if they have the MH Odyssea lights? I'm currently running CF and I don't want to over do it for the corals either? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgf86123 Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 Noob, talk to Brad(reefnjunkie) he uses the odyssea lights and has no problems with them, the new fixtures they've fixed the bugs about em catching on fire an what not, most of the new fixtures you see for sale on ebay are odyssea fixtures and I've heard plenty of good things about em. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilmca Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 yeah the do make MH odyssea lights, like mick said check out ebay. if you are worried about MH being too bright you have lots of options in wattage. I recommend 250w MH with the 24" deep tank but you also would be fine with 150w or 175w MH. if you go with 250w MH you won't need to upgrade in the future. you will need to adjust your light schedule at first so your corals aren't shocked with the new lights, even with the T5's. depending on how long you run your lights now you might want to reduce how many hours the new lights are on for the first week and bump it up each week until you are back to your normal schedule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenf729 Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 I've got one of those units 250MH with 14k HQI bulbs look great. I got mine from a guy that was moving and picked it up for $150, only mine didn't have the legs, so I built a box to house it on my 55g tank. currently have the lights all on timers, Actinic's kick on about 9am go off at 1 then come on again around 6 off again at 8. the MH kick on at noon and off at 7...corals seem to be doing good... Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griff48 Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 I have the newer Odyssea 48", 250w MH, 4 T5s, 12 LED moonlights. It uses the newer ballasts that supply the full 250w. I think it is a great unit for the money. Now that I said that...... 1. The fan is noisier than I'd like. I will change it out with a SilenX fan. 2. The legs supplied with the unit are junk. This is the only build-quality issue I can see. 3. The Odyssea bulbs were too much on the green side IMO. I changed out the MH bulbs with Phoenix 14k's, and the actinics for whatever BRS was selling. Much better. Gene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoobtoSalt Posted April 22, 2010 Author Share Posted April 22, 2010 Glad to head some good stories out of these lights. I'm trying to find out where to buy them now. It looks like aquatraders.com sells them but they are out of stock. Any local fish stores sell them? I have one other option with t5 setup that I'm considering as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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