Odyssea Metal Halide: price too good to be true?

[owenz]

I've been listening and learning from everyone's responses so far. Just to put my final spin on matters, it seems like there are three options for Newbie reefers who want simple, all-in-1 metal halide lights to put on their tanks. Using the 36-inch hoods as a comparison point, they are:

1. The Odyssea - $180. Somewhat dubious quality, but there are enough "good for the amount you're paying" reviews to make it worth considering. One major downside: the PC bulbs are so cheap that you may want to replace them right away. Still, even with $60 for new bulbs, this thing is significantly cheaper than the competition. Major downside: with only one plug, it is impossible to use timers on the seperate lighting units (MH/CF/Lunar) unless you're an electrician.
http://aquatraders.com/index.asp?PageAc ... &ProdID=12

2. Coralife Aqualight Pro - $370. Significantly more expensive than the Odyssea, but comes from one of the most reputeable names in aquarium lighting. Other than some complaints about flimsy support arms, this unit has gotten many positive reviews. A pretty safe bet for quality.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... eName=WDVW

3. Outer Orbit - $410. The few reviews I've found of this product have been generally good. It is perhaps the coolest looking of the hoods in terms of aestetics, but Outer Orbit in general has a somewhat sketchy reputation around the web. Some people swear by their products, others seriously question them. Small bonus: it has 4 lunar lights to Coralife's 2.
http://www.aquariumguys.com/36outerorbit.html

---

Based on all I've read, it seems like the Odyssea is a good buy for the truly cost conscious who is willing to sacrifice some quality and customer service for a cheap MH set. For those who want to spend more, Coralife seems like the safe bet. I would love to hear from other Orbit users, of course.

 

[Anonymous]

I have the 48" outer-orbit on my 120 and I really like it. I think the color-quality is great and it seems to be very well put together. The canopy fan isn't silent, but I think it is pretty quiet.
I have only had it for a couple of months, so I can't speak to how they hold up long term, but so far I am very impressed with it and would recommend it.

 

[owenz]

Question: do any of these units require one to run a chiller in the tank? In other words, will they heat the tank if they are raised above the surface sufficiently?

 

[Anonymous]

I don't run a chiller with the Outer Orbit we have.


BUT!!!! We have a basement sump, and that really helps cool your tank.

I think that with the unit raised on the little legs it comes with very much helps heat escape though. I do think it contributes less heat to the tank than an enclosed hood.

 

[owenz]

It's just part of that tension as a newbie reefer between buying the best equipment...without overcomplicating matters. I certainly want metal halides to start, even if hard corals are way down the road for me...but an overheating tank is something I'd like to avoid.

Anyone else have experience running these all-in-1 MH/CF hoods without a cooler? Do the extention legs solve the problem?

 

[NoLimit]

It's just part of that tension as a newbie reefer between buying the best equipment...without overcomplicating matters. I certainly want metal halides to start, even if hard corals are way down the road for me...but an overheating tank is something I'd like to avoid.

Anyone else have experience running these all-in-1 MH/CF hoods without a cooler? Do the extention legs solve the problem?

I'm running one of the 17" "211 watt" jobbies over my build off tank. There are lots of pics with the light in my thread.

I'm not having much of any problem with heat. The halide does heat the tank throughout the day, but only to the tune of ~2 degrees. BTW, I have it sitting across the top of my open canopy, about 6" from teh water surface.

I'm definitely going to change the bulb, and soon -- must be pretty cheapo. The color is not bad really. Pretty much plain white, with a bluish tint, and NO yellowy tone. I'm going to go for a bluer 20K bulb, as soon as I find one locally.

I like the light. I added an additional power cord from the ballast, so that I can run the helide and the PC's on separate timers, and that's working out very well. Having looked (in depth) at the innards of the ballast box, I'd like to overhaul it with a new, true 150W Electronic ballast fore the MH, and probably a dual 32W PC ballast. My plan is to change out the 18W, 12" actinics in there for 14" 32W ones. I'll still only have 12" shining through the "windows" in the pendant, but those 12" will be putting out more light, and shold help blue it up a bit.

The dual 18W PC's actually do a really good job of sunrise/sunset ('cause thery're not too bright), but can't hope to compete with 150W of MH.

So far soo good on reliability -- no heat issues form the ballast, no broken anything, fairly quiet operation, no malfunctions of any sort.

MY deciison process, other than considering the price, was base don the fact that this pendant has a MH and built-in PC actinics, and is rather compact. I bought it for the pendant enclosure more than anything else, with the intention of swapping out the ballasts/wiring somewhere dwon the road.

 

[shred5]

I've had Jebo, and they look the same so it's probably a different marketing brand. You get what you pay for. Jebos work, but they aren't terribly well built. But they work fine.

FYI: I think that fixture is 150W, not 175W as advertised.

From what I understand from other people is you are right about it being 150 watt hqi/de lamp

But they are using a 175 ballast in there and are over driving the lamps...

If this is true : This will shorten the life of the lamp... Make it burn hotter and cause a color shift...

Dave

 

[dizzy]

I bought one to test it out after the Global Trade Show in Orlando, back in March. I've only had it on a tank for about three months. One of the actinic PCs quit working in less than two months. I haven't tried to fix it, so I don't know if it is bulb or ballast. So far the metal halide is still working ok. It came from the same guys who sell the JEBO tanks. It seems worth the money alright, but time will tell.
Mitch