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eric b 125
Guest
its only 31 lbs
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eric b 125
Guest
my ceiling is made of plaster, and now that the tank is back up and running, i'm not going to do any more drilling over it. i'm fine with just making a canopy.
i finally got the fixture on the tank yesterday. i dig it. the T5's are a definite upgrade over the PC's. also, the fans and the actinics share the same plug, which is nice when using a timer. also, the fans run super quiet. there were some complaints about the old fans being loud, but i never had a problem with them and these fans are even quieter. the only downside i see thus far, and it kind of is a big one, is that the moonlights also share that same plug, so when the timer turns the T5's off, the moonlights turn off with them. it's not a huge deal for me, because i very rarely look at my tank at night, but i do like having the night light when i stumble through the room on my way to the kitchen at night. the fixture runs cool, too, and so do the ballasts. the construction of it is a lot better, too. other than the moonlight thing, i'm real happy with the light. i'm looking forward to next weekend to be able to use the center MH.
i always wanted to try the double island aquascape, and since i'm only using the outermost halides for the week i figured now would be the time to give it a go...
i finally got the fixture on the tank yesterday. i dig it. the T5's are a definite upgrade over the PC's. also, the fans and the actinics share the same plug, which is nice when using a timer. also, the fans run super quiet. there were some complaints about the old fans being loud, but i never had a problem with them and these fans are even quieter. the only downside i see thus far, and it kind of is a big one, is that the moonlights also share that same plug, so when the timer turns the T5's off, the moonlights turn off with them. it's not a huge deal for me, because i very rarely look at my tank at night, but i do like having the night light when i stumble through the room on my way to the kitchen at night. the fixture runs cool, too, and so do the ballasts. the construction of it is a lot better, too. other than the moonlight thing, i'm real happy with the light. i'm looking forward to next weekend to be able to use the center MH.
i always wanted to try the double island aquascape, and since i'm only using the outermost halides for the week i figured now would be the time to give it a go...
novahobbies
Well-Known Member
Wow, that looks pretty darned good! What kelvin rating are those bulbs -- the 12000's, or the 20000's? Sorry to hear about all your trim worries...that really sux. Your aquascaping is very nice, BTW....I'm also a fan of the island / coral bommie look.
I'm not too thrilled to hear about the wiring for the moonlights. WTH is the point of wiring in the moonlights if you can't run them separately at night??? Between you and me, the older model light fixtures used a VERY simple magnetic AC/DC ballast to drop the power to 12 volts before running to the LEDs (also looked like simple resistors wired to each pair of LEDs in the little brackets). Seems like it would be a pretty easy DIY to doctor the fixture so you can run the LEDs on a separate 12v wall-wart if you wanted to. Case in point: I scavenged the LEDs off of an old odyssea fixture and use them now as moonlighting for my seahorse tank (Of course NOW the 150w MH "pendant" comes with LEDs built in.....grumblegrumble...) I just removed them from the ballast, soldered a female 1/8th inch plug to the line, and run it off of a 12v wall transformer.
I'm not too thrilled to hear about the wiring for the moonlights. WTH is the point of wiring in the moonlights if you can't run them separately at night??? Between you and me, the older model light fixtures used a VERY simple magnetic AC/DC ballast to drop the power to 12 volts before running to the LEDs (also looked like simple resistors wired to each pair of LEDs in the little brackets). Seems like it would be a pretty easy DIY to doctor the fixture so you can run the LEDs on a separate 12v wall-wart if you wanted to. Case in point: I scavenged the LEDs off of an old odyssea fixture and use them now as moonlighting for my seahorse tank (Of course NOW the 150w MH "pendant" comes with LEDs built in.....grumblegrumble...) I just removed them from the ballast, soldered a female 1/8th inch plug to the line, and run it off of a 12v wall transformer.
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eric b 125
Guest
the halides are 15,000K, but that pic was just with the actinics. i'll snap a picture with the halides running later on. i'm only running the halides while i'm at home for the first few days to monitor heat and stuff.
another thing that odyssea changed is their ballasts for the halides. they are smaller and used a different casing that looks like it is supposed to provide a better heat sink. there's also a removable screw in fuse on them.
i dont know what they were thinking when they wired the T5's and moonlights together. they have separate switches, but that doesnt help when using a timer.
thanks for the compliment btw. i had to get rid of a bunch of corals during this process, but i still have a good many left that didnt show up in the picture.
heres a link to my build thread over the past two years, including some more pics with the new light (page 8). didnt want to post them here since this is a product review thread.
another thing that odyssea changed is their ballasts for the halides. they are smaller and used a different casing that looks like it is supposed to provide a better heat sink. there's also a removable screw in fuse on them.
i dont know what they were thinking when they wired the T5's and moonlights together. they have separate switches, but that doesnt help when using a timer.
thanks for the compliment btw. i had to get rid of a bunch of corals during this process, but i still have a good many left that didnt show up in the picture.
heres a link to my build thread over the past two years, including some more pics with the new light (page 8). didnt want to post them here since this is a product review thread.
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eric b 125
Guest
here's the link (days later)
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/forum/thread/369906/eric-b-s-125-re-build-journal
i will post pics of the tank with halides on later on this afternoon after i get home from class.
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/forum/thread/369906/eric-b-s-125-re-build-journal
i will post pics of the tank with halides on later on this afternoon after i get home from class.
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eric b 125
Guest
i changed the aquascape so a lot of my rocks are super white from flipping them around.
novahobbies
Well-Known Member
Wow, that looks nice. Let us know how the bulbs look after a few weeks of burn time.....as I've said, mine developed a distinctly yellow cast that I was just not happy with. And yes...I still love my phoenix bulb! 
I just bought another odyssea product off of evil bay that I wanted to test out, and I'm gathering the equipment for a new project right now that will be a perfect fit for this kind of thing, I'm building a species-only pipefish tank using a 20g long, and I needed a HOB fuge. I picked out that 14-inch HOB fuge/protein skimmer they make, and I'll be testing that product on this new tank. I figured it was the safest way to test it....I need the fuge first, skimmer second. So if the skimmer doesn't work well, bug deal. I don't think they could screw up the refugium feature, so I should still be OK. I'll post reviews of it when I get it in, but I won't be setting up the actual tank until after we move.
I just bought another odyssea product off of evil bay that I wanted to test out, and I'm gathering the equipment for a new project right now that will be a perfect fit for this kind of thing, I'm building a species-only pipefish tank using a 20g long, and I needed a HOB fuge. I picked out that 14-inch HOB fuge/protein skimmer they make, and I'll be testing that product on this new tank. I figured it was the safest way to test it....I need the fuge first, skimmer second. So if the skimmer doesn't work well, bug deal. I don't think they could screw up the refugium feature, so I should still be OK. I'll post reviews of it when I get it in, but I won't be setting up the actual tank until after we move.
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eric b 125
Guest
definitely let us know about the fuge/skimmer.
i'm looking forward to see how pictures turn out when i can run all 3 MH. the shadow in the middle isnt as noticeable in person as it is in pictures, but it's still there.
i'm looking forward to see how pictures turn out when i can run all 3 MH. the shadow in the middle isnt as noticeable in person as it is in pictures, but it's still there.
novahobbies
Well-Known Member
The refugium came yesterday. I got home to a VERY large box at my doorstep. My first thought was, "It CAN'T be that big...!" Thankfully, the seller was just overzealous with the packing material. Turns out it was just very securely boxed and snuggled in a mountain of foam and plastic, so not a bad thing.
I went ahead and assembled it last night. I have no way of knowing how well the skimmer will work until I go to use it in a couple months, but I do have a couple nitpicks about the basic assembly:
First, the nylon set screws to adjust how close this hugs the tank should be longer. Specifically, the one that connects to the angled support brace on the top of the fuge. It's not long enough to keep the fuge from siding back at an angle, which would definitely be a bad thing if it was filled with water! I'll be hitting up a Home Depot to replace this nylon bolt.
Second (and this is really the biggest nitpick so far...), the O-ring that goes around the cup to support the collection cup and aid in height adjustment is FAR to thin. The cup slips right down into the receiving sleeve, even with the o-ring. The only thing that keeps it from going down to the bottom of the fuge is the inlet pipe about 3 inches down. But imagine -- if the cup slides down so easily NOW, how will it act when it gets even a quarter-inch of slime in it? Again, I think this problem will be solved by a thicker O-ring from HD or Lowes.
Now for the good: The basic construction looks solid. Acrylic seam work leaves a little to be desired in terms of pure aesthetics, but I don't see any areas that look like they might be structurally flawed. They just didn't polish the ends too much before they cemented everything together. I have no fears about filling this full of water for an extended period. The angled support brace slides into a VERY sturdy bracket on the fuge itself. Bulkhead fittings and washers were all in good shape, and don't look like that cheap rubber I'd heard was used in the past. The skimmer compartment LOOKS like it will be a good size for the tank I'm trying it on; more on that when I actually have it up and running.
Here's a pretty cool thing, however: The unit I bought was off of the evil B, not through aquatraders. It came with a free Odyssea 250gph pump, instead of having to buy a separate pump as in the AT website. The cool thing, though....was that this pump was already pre-installed with a needle wheel! I was very pleasantly surprised to see that. I don't know if AT provides a needle wheel with their systems, but they may.....the seller of this evil B product was in the SAME CITY as AT is. ;-) Unfortunately the shaft of the needle wheel is metal, so I may run into some problems there down the road. I may try and replace that with something else...I don't know.
So, that's it....except for pictures! I'll snap some today. So far I have to say I'm fairly pleased, but we all know that the real test will come when it's filled with water and pulling sludge from the skimmer. I'll keep posting when I get to that point....
I went ahead and assembled it last night. I have no way of knowing how well the skimmer will work until I go to use it in a couple months, but I do have a couple nitpicks about the basic assembly:
First, the nylon set screws to adjust how close this hugs the tank should be longer. Specifically, the one that connects to the angled support brace on the top of the fuge. It's not long enough to keep the fuge from siding back at an angle, which would definitely be a bad thing if it was filled with water! I'll be hitting up a Home Depot to replace this nylon bolt.
Second (and this is really the biggest nitpick so far...), the O-ring that goes around the cup to support the collection cup and aid in height adjustment is FAR to thin. The cup slips right down into the receiving sleeve, even with the o-ring. The only thing that keeps it from going down to the bottom of the fuge is the inlet pipe about 3 inches down. But imagine -- if the cup slides down so easily NOW, how will it act when it gets even a quarter-inch of slime in it? Again, I think this problem will be solved by a thicker O-ring from HD or Lowes.
Now for the good: The basic construction looks solid. Acrylic seam work leaves a little to be desired in terms of pure aesthetics, but I don't see any areas that look like they might be structurally flawed. They just didn't polish the ends too much before they cemented everything together. I have no fears about filling this full of water for an extended period. The angled support brace slides into a VERY sturdy bracket on the fuge itself. Bulkhead fittings and washers were all in good shape, and don't look like that cheap rubber I'd heard was used in the past. The skimmer compartment LOOKS like it will be a good size for the tank I'm trying it on; more on that when I actually have it up and running.
Here's a pretty cool thing, however: The unit I bought was off of the evil B, not through aquatraders. It came with a free Odyssea 250gph pump, instead of having to buy a separate pump as in the AT website. The cool thing, though....was that this pump was already pre-installed with a needle wheel! I was very pleasantly surprised to see that. I don't know if AT provides a needle wheel with their systems, but they may.....the seller of this evil B product was in the SAME CITY as AT is. ;-) Unfortunately the shaft of the needle wheel is metal, so I may run into some problems there down the road. I may try and replace that with something else...I don't know.
So, that's it....except for pictures! I'll snap some today. So far I have to say I'm fairly pleased, but we all know that the real test will come when it's filled with water and pulling sludge from the skimmer. I'll keep posting when I get to that point....
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eric b 125
Guest
good stuff, man. looking forward to pics.
i started my canopy yesterday and was able to fire up all 3 halides for a short while. i should finish the construction today, so i'll grab some pics of the lighting before doing the finishing touches on the build.
i started my canopy yesterday and was able to fire up all 3 halides for a short while. i should finish the construction today, so i'll grab some pics of the lighting before doing the finishing touches on the build.
novahobbies
Well-Known Member
Pics:
The cup with the undersized O-ring.....
The Nylon bolt that needs to be replaced...
Decent bulkheads...
Looks like standoffs for a mini fuge light:
The pump.....
....and the needle wheel.
So, not too shabby. Real test won't come for a few months I'm afraid, but I'm very interested to see how this runs!
The cup with the undersized O-ring.....
The Nylon bolt that needs to be replaced...
Decent bulkheads...
Looks like standoffs for a mini fuge light:
The pump.....
....and the needle wheel.
So, not too shabby. Real test won't come for a few months I'm afraid, but I'm very interested to see how this runs!
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eric b 125
Guest
hey, meowzer stopped in!!!
looks good my man.
check it out- all three halides lit and the shadow is gone!
looks good my man.
check it out- all three halides lit and the shadow is gone!
novahobbies
Well-Known Member
.....Just ordered the new generation 96 watt 24 inch T5 unit. Should be here by Wednesday. I'm looking forward to seeing how the new design compares to the older versions. This will be the light source for the 20g long pipefish tank when I get everything gathered....
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eric b 125
Guest
Quote:
Originally Posted by novahobbies http:///forum/thread/368069/an-odyssea-review/100#post_3373332
.....Just ordered the new generation 96 watt 24 inch T5 unit. Should be here by Wednesday. I'm looking forward to seeing how the new design compares to the older versions. This will be the light source for the 20g long pipefish tank when I get everything gathered....
sweet. i like the new designs despite the whole moonlight thing. the fans run really quiet but the fixture doesnt get real hot. on the old fixture i always knew when the halides were coming on because i could hear the fans turn on.
Originally Posted by novahobbies http:///forum/thread/368069/an-odyssea-review/100#post_3373332
.....Just ordered the new generation 96 watt 24 inch T5 unit. Should be here by Wednesday. I'm looking forward to seeing how the new design compares to the older versions. This will be the light source for the 20g long pipefish tank when I get everything gathered....
sweet. i like the new designs despite the whole moonlight thing. the fans run really quiet but the fixture doesnt get real hot. on the old fixture i always knew when the halides were coming on because i could hear the fans turn on.
novahobbies
Well-Known Member
The new fixture showed up in the mail today. Here's what I like about it:
1) Packaging. Everything was very secure, and there were actual honest-to-goodness assembly instructions on the box! Something of a rarity when dealing with the 'Traders, IMO.
2) New Extendable legs: These are much sturdier than I anticipated. Even though I'm only going to use them for a couple inches (24 inch fixture on a 30 inch tank...) I wouldn't have been afraid if I needed to extend this out to the full 36 inch length as stated.
3) External Ballasts. Running cool. Nuff said.
Here's what I don't like about it:
1) The reflector. Not that "highly polished." More importantly, it's just one big flat reflector. The old T6 setups I had at least had a semblance of "individualized" reflectors, in that the single piece of polished metal was crimped and folded to better reflect the light. Not so with this one....mainly because of where they chose to put the LEDs. This isn't such a big deal for my particular tank, but it might present a problem if you wanted to use their 216 watt fixture over a 55g tank for coral.
2) The female connection for the LED transformer is pretty flimsy. You wiggle it the wrong way and the lights turn off. Not a big nitpick, but worth noting.
I think I'm going to open the ballasts real quick before I run this on a tank for any extended period of time to make sure they look like new components. I haven't had the issue that some people used to report (rebuilt parts in purchased merchandise) but it never hurts to check.
LOL Okay, so I have the tank, the filter, the skimmer/refugium, the heater, most of the rock, and the light for this Pipefish project tank. Now I just need to wait until we have a place to move to, and I'll be pretty much good to go! Dry sand will be used, as well as tufa rock with a couple pieces of live rock to be donated by another tank for seeding. Should be fun when it finally gets set up....
1) Packaging. Everything was very secure, and there were actual honest-to-goodness assembly instructions on the box! Something of a rarity when dealing with the 'Traders, IMO.
2) New Extendable legs: These are much sturdier than I anticipated. Even though I'm only going to use them for a couple inches (24 inch fixture on a 30 inch tank...) I wouldn't have been afraid if I needed to extend this out to the full 36 inch length as stated.
3) External Ballasts. Running cool. Nuff said.
Here's what I don't like about it:
1) The reflector. Not that "highly polished." More importantly, it's just one big flat reflector. The old T6 setups I had at least had a semblance of "individualized" reflectors, in that the single piece of polished metal was crimped and folded to better reflect the light. Not so with this one....mainly because of where they chose to put the LEDs. This isn't such a big deal for my particular tank, but it might present a problem if you wanted to use their 216 watt fixture over a 55g tank for coral.
2) The female connection for the LED transformer is pretty flimsy. You wiggle it the wrong way and the lights turn off. Not a big nitpick, but worth noting.
I think I'm going to open the ballasts real quick before I run this on a tank for any extended period of time to make sure they look like new components. I haven't had the issue that some people used to report (rebuilt parts in purchased merchandise) but it never hurts to check.
LOL Okay, so I have the tank, the filter, the skimmer/refugium, the heater, most of the rock, and the light for this Pipefish project tank. Now I just need to wait until we have a place to move to, and I'll be pretty much good to go! Dry sand will be used, as well as tufa rock with a couple pieces of live rock to be donated by another tank for seeding. Should be fun when it finally gets set up....
novahobbies
Well-Known Member
LOL yeah I'm looking forward to it also. Just gotta take care of the minor incidentals...you know, like finding a place to LIVE. Once that insignifigant hurtle is behind us, I'll be setting it up in the guest room. Right now the plan is for 3 Dragonface pipes, and possibly 2 Banggai cardinals (not too sure about the Cardies at this point).
1guydude
Well-Known Member
ive got that same fixture. its okay the bulbs arent the greatest but i plan on swappin them out w/ more high quality ones once their used up....
Quote:
You know it looks just like the bak pak skimmer.....only wider
lol agreed i just purchased the cprbakpak from a cat loving member, can u guess who? I just skipped to the last page so i hope im not intruding!
Quote:
You know it looks just like the bak pak skimmer.....only wider
lol agreed i just purchased the cprbakpak from a cat loving member, can u guess who? I just skipped to the last page so i hope im not intruding!