Cheap lighting HQI... to good to be true?

[apex82]

Brand new 48" 250w hqi setup for $338 with free shipping.... Thats over a 1k setup What am I missing?

http://cgi.ebay.ca/48-Metal-Halide-HQI-250w-20k-Auqrium-Lighting-PL-65W-/270661500762?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item3f04aebf5a

Do you think their HQI bulbs are going to be the same as say phoenix or coralife? They are a 1/4 of the price...

http://cgi.ebay.ca/150W-150-WATT-14K-MH-METAL-HALIDE-AQUARIUM-REEF-BULB-/270460383188?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item3ef8b1efd4

[ScubaSteve]

The fixture itself looks like a coralife aqualight pro knock off. From the pctures the actinic reflectors look just like the coralife. I can't quite tell what the MH reflector looks like. My gut feeling is that this is a Chinese knock off of the original fixture... And a decent looking one at that. The price isn't too far off that for a decent coralife fixture.

The ballast is UL certified (good) and is probably alright but could be replaced if needs be.

As for the bulbs, jury is out there but at $14 the price is almost in significant and it doesn't hurt to try.

In my opinion, a lot of lighting systems get by on hype. If it looks like a decent build it'll probably cut the mustard. The only thing you MIGHT find in low build quality/poor finishing.

[fishytime]

looks like an oddysea fixture to me

[phi delt reefer]

champion lighting sells these fixtures under the blue wave (possibly something else) brand. they sell more than just lighting under that brand name. the ballasts are probably just as good as of the other ballasts manufactured in china for i assume they are all made at the same plant given their design.

[Wayne]

looks like an oddysea fixture to me

+1 They arn't too bad now adays with the magnetic ballasts

[Dez]

I don't know about the fixture/reflectors. Bit I use cheap Chinese bulbs that my friend got for me. They were about $12 each and I bought 3 years worth (9 bulbs for just over$100). As you cansee from my pictures in the TOTM page. I get decent growth and colours. It doesn't hurt to try.

[apexifd]

for that price and free shipping... why not give it a try? everything can always get upgrade or retrofit later on.

If I have to setup another tank, I might even consider this. The saving will just go into live stock or other equipments.

[lastlight]

Just a note that's not an hqi fixture. Those are electronic ballasts =)

[The Grizz]

Just a note that's not an hqi fixture. Those are electronic ballasts =)

Would that not make it a better light with electronic ballasts?

[lastlight]

Generally speaking less electrical usage which is good but less par as well. Everything is electronic now for the most part.

[The Grizz]

If anyone tries this fixture let me know if it is any good. I might be tempted to switch back to MH on the 8'er.

[Wayne]

I am running a 24" one with a Vertex ballast and I haven't had any issues. I also have a friend running a 48" one with the original ballasts without issues.

I have read that the bulbs aren't the greatest quality, but once they are changed you should be good to go. The legs are really cheap, so a hanging kit is a good investment.

[The Grizz]

This is really got me thinking, it would cut down on bulb cost ( I have a supplier for good quality inexpensive one's) and would be only 2 fixtures instead of 4.:idea:

[The Grizz]

Anyone know if there is a ballast for the PC's and if so would it run T5s ??

[The Grizz]

Just got an email from the seller of these and this is what they said when asked who is the maker/brand:

It is a rebrand Oddysea lighting fixture, from the same manufacture.Only the metal halide ballasts are not Oddysea,they are from the factory OEM for Icecap.

[ScubaSteve]

I which case that's not a bad deal at all if it's basically an Oddysea with Icecap ballasts. Killer.

And yes, there would be ballasts for the PC's but whether or not they could drive T5's is another question. If you ask them what make and rating the ballasts are I could tell you better. But really, to put in a pair of Fulham Workhorse 5 ballasts (which can each drive 2x54 T5HO lamps) it's be cheap and easy. I just bought WH5s for $24 ea for my research from Commercial Lighting in Vancouver. The swap should only take you a couple of hours... probably only 15 mins for a master welder...:razz:

[lockrookie]

fyi odyesea now sells halide with t5 a supplier for them just chnged thier website andadded the new fixturs

just thought id add that input

[zion-aquatics]

i bought one of these fixtures a while back it actually worked great , the only thing i had to do was replace the bulbs as the coloration on them was a little off , with phoenix bulbs it looked GREAT

[The Grizz]

These are the same thing but a little cheaper, shipped via USPS so there is no duti/broker fees:

http://www.aquatraders.com/Odyssea-48in-Metal-Halide-T5-Aquarium-Light-p/54248.htm

http://www.aquatraders.com/Odyssea-48in-Metal-Halide-with-Power-Compact-p/54205.htm

[tooocolde]

I have an odyssea hqi/T5 set up on my biocube 29 and have no complaints. Good growth and decent color, though I have added some blue leds to supplement.

[RuGlu6]

They just got new fixtures up on the site.
http://www.aquatraders.com/Metal-Halide-System-s/10.htm

[Foxface]

Has anybody tried these fixtures? 2x250mh, 4x54w t5, 6 moon lights, 1 cooling fan.
Odyssea 48" 716W Metal Halide System Advance Plus. For 289.00 plus free shipping. Sounds like it might be worth a try!

[DOMINATOR]

They are whacking me 85$ to ship to the S.E....374$ total

[Foxface]

Dominator, let me know how you like the light when you get them. I may switch over.
Thanks, Steve.

[The Grizz]

I ordered 2 of the 48" 250w MH/T5 combos, I really like the fixtures, the external ballests are nice make the fixture lighter. I have to say though I am going to change the bulbs as soon as my new ones come in.

EDIT:

I got the ones with only 2 T5's per fixture and it figures they would come out with new ones after I have mine. The new one look sweet.

[Abe]

Mine is exactly the same as the first link, I bought it 3 years ago, and it has been running pretty good. It is a great deal. I will buy a bigger one when I am going to upgrade.

[RuGlu6]

I wish they would have this 2x250 (http://www.aquatraders.com/48in-Metal-Halide-HQI-T5-Aquarium-Light-p/54267.htm)in 36" inch fixture, i'd buy it in a snap, been looking for one for a long time...
They were sold out in one week.!

[daniella3d]

check out www.fishneedit.com (http://www.fishneedit.com) many people have bought it and they are upgradable and supposably very nice. They also look great.

[RuGlu6]

check out www.fishneedit.com (http://www.fishneedit.com) many people have bought it and they are upgradable and supposably very nice. They also look great.


http://www.fishneedit.com/2-x-150w-mhl-with-2-x-2bulbs-3ft-2150223.html

Yes these do look good. Open design and presumably less heat.
However aquatreaders have 2x250 and more atractive price
$289 and free shipping for 2x250w+4T5+LED + Fans vs $389 +shipping for a 2x150W at fishneedit (no fans , no LED).
http://www.aquatraders.com/48in-Metal-Halide-HQI-T5-Aquarium-Light-p/54267.htm
And the ballasts are OEM for icecaps

[1eyedjyde]

I'm posting to see what peoples' experiances have been with dealing with Aqua Traiders. Odyssea seems to have been improving over the years and you cant beat the prices.

[ensquire]

Other than an added 45.00 shipping charge because of living where I do, I had no problems dealing with Aquatraders. and I like the fixture. Legs where a little weak, but I dont use them..
It was a older 48" 4 bulb T5 fixture with moonlights like grizz's I believe.

[The Grizz]

I'm posting to see what peoples' experiances have been with dealing with Aqua Traiders. Odyssea seems to have been improving over the years and you cant beat the prices.

I bought 2 - 48" 250w & 1 - 36" 150w fixtures from Aquatraders recently and my experience was great. Shipped out right away and arrived quickly but I did change out the bulbs with some better one's.

[jonnyjamms]

I do not know the fixture / reflector. I use low-cost light bulbs, my friend got me. They are about $ 12 every 3 years I bought value. As you can see my picture in the TOTM page. I get decent growth and colour. It does not hurt to try.

[ensquire]

Grizz,
Did you buy the external or internal ballasts ?
I have been looking at these myself recently and like the cost.
I am thinking of upgrading from my cheapo hagen fixture on my 36 gallon.
The 24" expandable looks about right for the tank, but I don't like the external fan and have never had external ballasts before.

I bought 2 - 48" 250w & 1 - 36" 150w fixtures from Aquatraders recently and my experience was great. Shipped out right away and arrived quickly but I did change out the bulbs with some better one's.

[The Grizz]

Grizz,
Did you buy the external or internal ballasts ?
I have been looking at these myself recently and like the cost.
I am thinking of upgrading from my cheapo hagen fixture on my 36 gallon.
The 24" expandable looks about right for the tank, but I don't like the external fan and have never had external ballasts before.

The ones I got are external ballast for both MH and T5s, I like the external fan that goes above the MH bulb, very quite and can be put an a timer so that they come on with the MH.

[RuGlu6]

Grizz,
Did you buy the external or internal ballasts ?
I have been looking at these myself recently and like the cost.
I am thinking of upgrading from my cheapo hagen fixture on my 36 gallon.
The 24" expandable looks about right for the tank, but I don't like the external fan and have never had external ballasts before.

Get a 36" inch for your 36 gal tank.
some pple say that expendeble legs are little week and whole fixture goes down about 2" inch when you expend it. or get a new version with 4 legs

[ensquire]

Get a 36" inch for your 36 gal tank.
some pple say that expendeble legs are little week and whole fixture goes down about 2" inch when you expend it. or get a new version with 4 legs

Tank is only 30" wide and in a corner so they won't fit unfortunately.
There is a glass cover that the fixture can sit on or I can build something to hang it with.

[toytech]

After eading this post and having one of my crappy coralife lights die on me i decided to get a new 4 bulb t5 light from aqua taders. Picked up my light to day , they had sent me the 2 bulb light :sad:. I emailed them right away and within 30 min they emailed me back with a ups sticker to put on the box and have it sent back to them and my new light is already in the mail .I did plug in the light for s and g`s and i have to say it looks really good , even with the cheapy bulbs (the atinic bulb is super blue :smile:). So all in all for a cheap chinese product based company pretty good customer service and so far there products look pretty damn good .

[The Grizz]

Tank is only 30" wide and in a corner so they won't fit unfortunately.
There is a glass cover that the fixture can sit on or I can build something to hang it with.

Go with a 24" fixture, I am sure that there would be enough coverage.

[Edmonton newbie]

aqua traders has the 30 inch fixture that wouldnt fit???

[ensquire]

oops

[asylumdown]

Has anybody tried these fixtures? 2x250mh, 4x54w t5, 6 moon lights, 1 cooling fan.
Odyssea 48" 716W Metal Halide System Advance Plus. For 289.00 plus free shipping. Sounds like it might be worth a try!

This is the exact fixture that I have, only I paid about a hundred more for it 2 years ago and mine came with Odyssea ballasts. After shipping and duty the whole thing was about 700. The Odyssea ballasts sucked, and they came with '1500K' bulbs that were way more yellow than my phoenix 14K bulbs. I upgraded to Vertex ballasts and the Phoenix bulbs at the same time and my tank went through major light shock.

For the price I think it's an awesome fixture. It's sleek looking, the moonlights are actually a really beautiful colour at night and really make the red and greens glow, and I've never had any issues.

My only complaint is that it's a little hard to get apart to change the bulbs as you can only take one of the side covers off and you need to slide two LED panels to get at the farthest MH bulb. This requires disconnecting the LED wiring, which requires long, skinny fingers. Putting it all back together was a little frustrating too.

However, for something I do once a year, the price is definitely worth it.

[RuGlu6]

No , they don"t have any 30" fixtures. They have the 24" and 36" and I can't fit the 36" is just too big. So I ordered the 24" expendable MH. And I picked up 2 Icecap HOT5's Actinic and a deepwater while in Edmonton yesterday. I was very impressed with the stores I was in while there. But more on that later. About a 1000.00 later. Lol.


Yes they Do have 30" fixtuers.

http://www.aquatraders.com/30in-Metal-Halide-HQI-T5-Aquarium-Light-p/54262.htm
.
Fixture Configuration:

1x External Quick Connect 250W Electronic HQI Metal Halide Ballast
2x Internal Twin Output T5 Electronic Ballast
4x Power Switch on Fixture (2 for T5, 1 for LED, and 1 for Cooling Fan)
1x Power Switch on HQI Ballast
2x Power Cord (1 for HQI and 1 for T5)
Non-Corrosive Powder Coated Aluminum Housing
1x Built In Heavy Duty Cooling Fan
Glass Cover for HQI
Acrylic Lens for T5
Highly Polished Reflector
Set of Mounting Leg
FREE ITEMS w/ Metal Halide System Purchase

1x Odyssea 250W DE HQI Bulb 15000K

4x Odyssea 24W T5 High Output Bulb Actinic Blue

4x Dual Bluemoon LED

[ensquire]

My Apologizes, I must be going blind.


http://www.aquatraders.com/30in-Metal-Halide-HQI-T5-Aquarium-Light-p/54262.htm
.
Fixture Configuration:

1x External Quick Connect 250W Electronic HQI Metal Halide Ballast
2x Internal Twin Output T5 Electronic Ballast
4x Power Switch on Fixture (2 for T5, 1 for LED, and 1 for Cooling Fan)
1x Power Switch on HQI Ballast
2x Power Cord (1 for HQI and 1 for T5)
Non-Corrosive Powder Coated Aluminum Housing
1x Built In Heavy Duty Cooling Fan
Glass Cover for HQI
Acrylic Lens for T5
Highly Polished Reflector
Set of Mounting Leg
FREE ITEMS w/ Metal Halide System Purchase

1x Odyssea 250W DE HQI Bulb 15000K

4x Odyssea 24W T5 High Output Bulb Actinic Blue

4x Dual Bluemoon LED[/quote]

[asylumdown]

man, looking at these prices and comparing them to what I paid for this fixture is causing me to cringe a little.

[RuGlu6]

Just ordered a new Odyssea 36" 656W Metal Halide System Advance Plus (http://www.aquatraders.com/36-Metal-Halide-HQI-T5-Aquarium-Light-p/54265.htm) 36" 2x250w 15k DE +4 T5 actinics+ 6(!) dual LED+ 2 cooling fans, all external ballasts (HQI & T5's) fixture.
Will post a review when it arrives.
$269 is a good deal on brand new light with HQI ballasts from the same OEM as the Icecaps.

[ensquire]

That is a good deal. I am happy with my fixture and will be looking at a new one for my next tank.
What is in your tank?
I'm thinking of the 36" fixture with the single MH fixture for a mostly softie tank.
Will be waiting for your review.

[RuGlu6]

That is a good deal. I am happy with my fixture and will be looking at a new one for my next tank.
What is in your tank?
I'm thinking of the 36" fixture with the single MH fixture for a mostly softie tank.
Will be waiting for your review.
Keep in mind that extendable fixture will sag down slightly especially when extended, that is the reason why (i think) they are changing to a regular legs.

My tank is 36" long SPS dominated 65 Gal, atm my lighting is 6xT5 TEK unit. they have 2x150w Odyssea 36" 456W Metal Halide System Advance Plus (http://www.aquatraders.com/36-Metal-Halide-HQI-T5-Aquarium-Light-p/54264.htm) as well it will have better spread compare to a single light, however single light will generate less heat.

What i like about these fixtures is that they all have external ballasts HQI & T5 = somewhat less heat, also 2 cooling fans. 4xT5actinics + 6 x dual blue LED's a definite plus. It looks very atractive from the all angles (bulbs and ballasts included, free shipping within USA) however time will tel how this light will perform. For the sake of the learning and to satisfy curiosity i will run 15K bulbs and actinics that come with the fixture to see how my SPS will like it. I can always get Phoenix 14k later.

[ensquire]

Im running mine Odyssea-24in-Metal-Halide-with-T5-Extendable-Serie-p/54244.htm (http://www.aquatraders.com/Odyssea-24in-Metal-Halide-with-T5-Extendable-Serie-p/54244.htm) as it came from the store. The only thing that I would change would be to put individual reflectors for the lights. Guess that could be a mod, LOL Very happy with it so far
I'll follow along and watch your progress.

[The Grizz]

I changed out all my bulb in both the 48" fixtures I got because the color was crappy. Also had an issue with one of my T5 ballast's, it went up in smoke. I contacted Aquatraders and they are sending me a replacement, hope it gets here soon as it been almost a month since I sent them the fried ballast.

[ensquire]

Hey Greg
What bulbs did you change to ? For my T5s I have a Icecap Actinic and a 14k Deepwater ready to go in and I bought a 10 k, 14k and a 20k DE but just the cheap ones from Ebay. will start playing with them when I decide whats moving where when my tank is ready,

[ensquire]

Double

[The Grizz]

I put in some 15k MH & 12k T5's. Still have to put in my dimmable T5's yet.

[RuGlu6]

Im running mine Odyssea-24in-Metal-Halide-with-T5-Extendable-Serie-p/54244.htm (http://www.aquatraders.com/Odyssea-24in-Metal-Halide-with-T5-Extendable-Serie-p/54244.htm) as it came from the store. The only thing that I would change would be to put individual reflectors for the lights. Guess that could be a mod, LOL Very happy with it so far
I'll follow along and watch your progress.

They have a new model line now that comes with individual reflectors.
I will post my opinion when fixture arrives.

http://www.aquatraders.com/PhotoGallery.asp?ProductCode=54265&PhotoNumber=3

[The Grizz]

I hope they have updated the T5 ballast as both of mine fried. First on over a month ago, sent it back to them on May 5 & just received the replacement yesterday. As my tank is 8' long there was no sence running just ons fixture with T5 so I shut it down, when I got the new one yesterday I plugged them both back in and with in a few hours the second ballast fried up. I am not happy about this at all but I think I will either build my own ballast or order 2 of the newer style ballasts.

I say new style because the replacement I received is much smaller & is built different internally. I will post some pics shortly.

[milano07]

I hope they have updated the T5 ballast as both of mine fried. First on over a month ago, sent it back to them on May 5 & just received the replacement yesterday. When I got the new one yesterday I plugged them both back in and with in a few hours the second ballast fried up. I am not happy about this at all but I think I will either build my own ballast or order 2 of the newer style ballasts.

You know that they say...."you get what you pay for"

Hard to expect top quality when paying next to nothing for this kind of lighting.

[The Grizz]

I don't know about you but $500+ is not cheap, I don't have jars of money hidden around the house.

[milano07]

I don't know about you but $500+ is not cheap, I don't have jars of money hidden around the house.

Sorry, I didn't mean to offend anybody. These 36" 2x150HQI + 4x39w T5s and LED's or 48" 2x250HQI + 4x54w T5's and LED's go for for $240 dlls and that's practically giving them away for free. When one pays $239 for one of these fixtures it's hard to have high expectations. A similar good quality fixture would cost you at least 3 times that amount but you know that you are getting a reliable product and not a cheap Chinese fixture.

[The Grizz]

No offense taken, I just think that manufactures of most SW equipment are pricing things way more then they are really worth. Take Vortec mp40s for example, as a retailer you could probably buy them in the area of $350 but Vortec demand resellers to sell them $499.99. It obvious to me they are making money off what they sell them to the store for so why do they set the MSRP so much higher.

[milano07]

No offense taken, I just think that manufactures of most SW equipment are pricing things way more then they are really worth. Take Vortec mp40s for example, as a retailer you could probably buy them in the area of $350 but Vortec demand resellers to sell them $499.99. It obvious to me they are making money off what they sell them to the store for so why do they set the MSRP so much higher.

Yo do make a good point here but we usually pay a huge mark up on most items and am not just talking about reef stuff. This a bit off topic but it's just like naming corals with stu*&%id names and charging a premium for them when the store owner most likely didn't pay that much for them.

[viperfish]

Ecotech has the patent on the design so they don't have to worry about some chineese factory banging out copies. A lot of the manufacturers out there rely on their brand and the old "made in Germany" which is overplayed IMO. Not a whole bunch of innovation coming out of Germany these days. There's no disputing European craftsmanship, but with all the CNC technology today, pretty much anyone in the world can rival them.

[RuGlu6]

Sorry, I didn't mean to offend anybody. A similar good quality fixture would cost you at least 3 times that amount but you know that you are getting a reliable product and not a cheap Chinese fixture.

No offense here either.

Well, lets see.. what is NOT made in China? A similar good quality fixture? Lets take a closer look at the sticker on back side LOL...

if we look at anything we use in this hobby... where is it made...hm?
I bet you cant name more then 10 items that are not Chinese.
Like for example SWC skimmers Canadian owned but still made in China.

So who cares if T5 ballast fries up? its cheap ($27.89) to replace locally. Who wants to pay $900+ for an empty light fixture and then buy bulbs and ballasts on top of that price?

[ensquire]

My 200.00 fixture is doing exactly what I want it to do with not one problem in the 2 months I have had it. As stated earlier my one issue is the single reflector, and as RuGlu6 stated, that has been remedied in their new fixtures. I will be buying a new one when my other tank is ready.
I have been trying to justify spending big bucks on a Reef Republic LED, but for the price difference I can buy most of my equipment and stock it with fish. (Just fish not corals, holy crap see some of those prices?)

[The Grizz]

So who cares if T5 ballast fries up? its cheap ($27.89) to replace locally. Who wants to pay $900+ for an empty light fixture and then buy bulbs and ballasts on top of that price?

Just one question, where would you get a ballast local, I am I need of one ASAP.

[RuGlu6]

Just one question, where would you get a ballast local, I am I need of one ASAP.
I just got one for work T8 electronic UPS compatible from Home Depot for $27.95.
They are also available from Wesco but all this in Vancouver though.

Woops sorry, my bad it was T8 not T5.

J&L sells T5 ballast 2x54W for $39.95
http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_pages/product-info.php?product_ID=sl-zt5b254
Here is one from Ocean Aquatics will run 1 or two 54W t5's for $46.99
http://oceanaquatics.com/store/product/2618/Workhorse-5-T5-Ballast/

[lastlight]

Ecotech has the patent on the design so they don't have to worry about some chineese factory banging out copies. A lot of the manufacturers out there rely on their brand and the old "made in Germany" which is overplayed IMO. Not a whole bunch of innovation coming out of Germany these days. There's no disputing European craftsmanship, but with all the CNC technology today, pretty much anyone in the world can rival them.

From Roger over on the Tunze Forums:

"The power supply is also made in China, to be technically exact it is made in Hong Kong which is now a Chinese territory. We took over a year to source the power supply and tested just about every manufacturers power supply, these were the coolest running with no fan and that is why they were chosen. Power Supplies, like magnets are something that is almost exclusively made in China. The pump is still made in Germany at the Tunze factory in Penzberg. "

So yeah even the German stuff is Chinese.

[RuGlu6]

look here if you want to see the fixture and ballasts pics.
http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=618183#post618183

[syncro]

What are the differences between the Extendable Series and Adv Plus Series?

24" 298W Metal Halide System Extendable Series (http://www.aquatraders.com/Odyssea-24in-Metal-Halide-with-T5-Extendable-Serie-p/54244.htm)
24" 346W Metal Halide System Advance Plus (http://www.aquatraders.com/24in-Metal-Halide-HQI-T5-Aquarium-Light-p/54261.htm)


Better, extendible legs? Does one have a better/newer ballast design? Individual reflectors?

[The Grizz]

The Adv + have 4 T5 instead of 2, 4 LED moon lights instead of 2,individual reflectors and better legs but they don't extend past the fixture

[syncro]

Thanks Grizz!

[arash53]

Quick question :

I want to order 24" 346W Metal Halide System Advance Plus for my RedSea MAX 34Gallon is it over kill ?

1x Odyssea 250W DE HQI Bulb 15000K

4x Odyssea 24W T5 High Output Bulb Actinic Blue

4x Dual Bluemoon LED


Thanks

[msjboy]

I think that's an overkill... look at reefsanctuary.com and nano-reef.com to see what lights people are using on their RSM 34. There's dedicated sub forms on the redsea max's! I have one myself and am looking into a better lighting solution which likely will be LED.

msjboy

[The Grizz]

Quick question :

I want to order 24" 346W Metal Halide System Advance Plus for my RedSea MAX 34Gallon is it over kill ?

1x Odyssea 250W DE HQI Bulb 15000K

4x Odyssea 24W T5 High Output Bulb Actinic Blue

4x Dual Bluemoon LED


Thanks

Definitely overkill, I would go LED for sure, I am switching all my tanks over to LED one at a time.

[arash53]

I know LEDs are perfect but I am planing to switch my tank to RSM250 and I really don't want to spend 1000$ for lighting on this one!
My question is 360W over 34 gallon will it cause damage to corals ?

[The Grizz]

you might have to raise the light a couple feet above the tank. I would check out the link previously suggested, I don't have a nano so i am no expert but I would think that you should be ok if you acclimate the coral to the light slowly and watch for signs of bleaching.

[ScubaSteve]

Quick question :

I want to order 24" 346W Metal Halide System Advance Plus for my RedSea MAX 34Gallon is it over kill ?

1x Odyssea 250W DE HQI Bulb 15000K

4x Odyssea 24W T5 High Output Bulb Actinic Blue

4x Dual Bluemoon LED


Thanks

Nah dude, I think you're fine. I have 380W (250W HQI + actinics) over my 40G and everything is happy as... well... a clam (or whatever you could consider the general level of happiness of SPS). And my light is only 4" or so from the water... whatever the stock legs give you. Take 'er easy when upgrading and be very sure to light acclimate slowly. Do it over the course of several weeks until you find that sweet spot.

[arash53]

Thanks :) I will order it today , could you tell me how should I acclimate the new lighting system ?
and you dont have chiller do you?

[The Grizz]

Had a brain fart on this one, I have a DUAL 250w MH with PC's over a temp 30 gal, it is a couple feet above the tank but all the frags in the tank are looking great. I would say go for it.

[arash53]

Ordered :) , I would appreciate if someone could refer me to an article or thread about new lighting system acclimation .

Thanks

[RuGlu6]

Thanks :) I will order it today , could you tell me how should I acclimate the new lighting system ?
and you dont have chiller do you?

I just went through new light acclimatisation on my 36" long 65 Gal. I have SPS dominated tank. The fixture is 2x250W HQI+4x39W t5+night led's.
Some one recommended and i followed this and it worked.
However it took more then few weeks to get top sitting corals get used to the new light.
At any rate the schedule was as follows:

15 min ON 45 Min OFF for week 1
30 min ON 30 Min OFF for week 2
same for week 3
45 ON 15 OFF week 4
same for week 5
Full time on after that.

Right now i have it 4hrs on 2hrs off and another 4hrs on just to keep water temp down. I used to have 6xT5 TEK light and now with 2x250W water temp is 2-3 degrees C higher. When Temp is up it is important to keep an eye on the ORP. Its OK to have elevated water temp as long as ORP is up. This could be a challenge if you don't have a sump with a bubble tower and/or a second skimmer.

[arash53]

Thank you , what about the blue T5s could I have them ON from 9am to 10pm from start?

[RuGlu6]

Thank you , what about the blue T5s could I have them ON from 9am to 10pm from start?

Yes you are safe to have actinics ON 8-9 hrs a day.