Reef Lighting--is cheap really that bad?

T

teamcdonald

I'm planning to assemble a ~120G reef tank. My closest experience is keeping saltwater tanks 20 years ago with under-gravel filtration, so I have a lot of learning to do!

I've read and researched extensively and understand lighting pretty well in terms of types, color/wavelength, animal requirements, cycles, etc.

But I've found on Ebay some Chinese-made lights that sound very good at a very good price. Combo HQI/Compact/Moon fixtures with total 760W for 299 plus shipping.

See: http://cgi.ebay.com/48-760W-Metal-Halide-Aquarium-Reef-Light-w-FREE-Ship_W0QQitemZ130284075759QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item130284075759&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A570%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

So, I know that you get what you pay for. But the pricing is VERY compelling. What kind of risks am I taking with this kind of product.

Thanks in advance for your guidance.
 
i can only compare the PC fixtures. I had a 36" ebay pc fixture for a while. Then I got a current USA orbit fixture of the same size.

The ebay fixture ran a lot hotter. The metal case was extremely hot compared to the current USA one. Plus the overall build quality was beter with the current USA fixture.

check out this site for refurbished current usa fixtures...

http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/currentusa_W0QQ_nkwZQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZQQ_mdoZ
 
Cheap plastic design, may break within a week, may not.... I say go for it, it's a beginner setup which you will probably exchange within a year to get a canopy with better quality reflectors once you check out other peoples setups, why waste a grand on a coralife or whatever quality brand is in right now. It's one of those "all in one" fixtures that everyone starts out with and then just moves on.. to tell you the truth the reflectors on that fixture are freaking tiny for a 250W bulb, so you're pretty much wasting tons of electricity on a narrow beam of light that will cover a 6 inch spot, when you can stick the same bulb in a lumenarc reflector and light up your whole tank. Good luck with whatever you decide.
 
Risk on that run from fire, overheating and melting plastic due to poor wiring and bad workmanship to poor quality light output, under performing and causing algae growth etc.

That model is produced by a company infamous for poor quality and non-existent customer support. Do a search here for AquaTraders and you'll find plenty of reading material.

http://www.aquatraders.com/48-760w-metal-halide-system-electronic-ballast.aspx

To answer your question... you don't have to spend a mint on lighting, but you do want to buy a quality made product that you will be happy with and operate worry free.

Consider something like this instead... with 6 or 8 bulbs you'll be able to house anything in that size tank that you would with the other fixture.

T-5 Setups in order of my recommendation...

With these you pick the bulbs and can get high quality bulbs from the start in any color configuration you desire.

http://tinyurl.com/d3fenw

http://tinyurl.com/arhjm5

These will serve for a few months, up to 4 or 5 with the bulbs provided but they will not last as long or carry their spectrums as long as the bulb choices above so factor that into your purchase price vs budget consideration.

http://tinyurl.com/an95qr

http://tinyurl.com/aonjg8
 
the main problem with that fixture is they are not 250 watt ballasts, they DO NOT run nat 250, its more of a 150-175 ballast that is known to be problamatic at that. I know from experience, i was dooped into this about 2 years ago and paid the price. i would not recommend that fixture to anyone needing a cheap way in, the only way i would get it is if i needed a low profile fixture that i planned to change out the PC and MH ballasts on and rewire it.
 
most people try to stay away from odyssea products due to poor quality and reliability issues. if you wanting to get a budget setup i know theres plenty of people selling old setups pretty cheap
 
If you do end up wanting that fixture, you might want to look here first:

http://www.dfwmas.org/Forums/viewtopic.php?t=55688

I'm guessing that's the same thing or very close and would save you a bit. Doesn't look like he's sold it yet.

Gerald
 
There is a very long thread at Reef Central that talks about these lamps in detail. Just do a search for odyssea lights and be prepared to read a while. There is both pro and con on these.
 
I have one just like it (except 1-250WMH, PC, and moons) and it has worked flawlessly. The ballast runs warm but never hot. have had it for over a year. I too read all the posts and threads linked above and decided to go with it. I was cautious at first, but happy with it in the long run.
 
I'm not the light expert everyone on this thread is, but I am an eBay overseas shipping expert. As far as the product making it to you in working order, don't worry, thats what the insurance is for. ALWAYS get insurance for shipping ebay overseas.

In my experience, products shipping from different companies based in Japan and Australia have been no problem. I twice tried to buy from someone in China, a company on ebay and the first time I never received the product and the second time it was a completely different product so I gave up.

Not sure if that helps you a bit, but I don't trust China on eBay :(
 
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