Lighting

[nvmycj]

Soooo....I'm shopping on eBay for lighting. The more I read the more confused I get.
I've got a 29Gallon BioCube that's 20" across.
(Admins...I'm sorry if I'm discussing other items, but they're not sold @ SWF.com)
I'm thinking about buying this:
18" Metal Halide T5 HO Aquarium Light Hood Marine 150W
it goes on top of my tank.
This is it's description: This MH Pendant 18" is The light for nano reefs. A space saving combo unit combines 1x 150W HQI metal halide and 2x 14W Actinic Blue T5 lamps in one single unit. This unit features external HQI controller, removable cooling fan, and anodized aluminum housing. Individual power cords and power switches maximizes usability and timer ready. Mounting bracket extenders reaches a maximum length of 24" to accomodate most nano aquariums. $110.00 Is this acceptable for my tank?
My questions:
178W of total lighting. Is that sufficient for SPS corals?
Whats the difference in Watts & K? There are 150W bulbs with 10K, 15K, or 20K?

There are also LED kits available. Anyone ever use these? Will I need actinic blue bulbs is I have these?
Are there BioCube retrofit kits that have these lighting option?
Again,...thanks guys for your help.

 

[spanko]

Odyssea has had a bad name in the past, don't know if they have cleaned this up or not. Maybe some others with first hand experience here can help with that.
have you checked nanotuners for their retrofit kits made specifically for this tank yet?

 

[eric b 125]

i've been using odyssea lights for a year now. just ordered a new fixture from them. i started a thread when i got the first ones and other people have chimed in on their experience...
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/forum/thread/368069/an-odyssea-review

 

[nvmycj]

thanks guys! I'll do some more research and keep looking!

 

[bountyhunter23]

odyssea has apparently fixed the ballast issues they have had in the past. But i dont know anyone who doesnt switch out the ballast.

 

[nikesb]

the difference in price between odyssea fixtures and choosing your own reflector and ballast is worth it in this hobby. i could find a lumenmax reflector for 150 and a good ballast for 180. certain bulbs only take certain ballasts too. shoddy wiring in offbrand ballasts isnt something i trust my home to

 

[nvmycj]

What does everybody mean when they say "bad or weak ballast?" Do they go bad? Not turn on the bulb. What makes them shaddy?

 

[nikesb]

very simple. if you open up the ballast and compare them side by side with something like ice cap, you'll see the components that make up the ballast from odyssea are much lesser quality material. lesser guage wire vs the correct kind of wire for firing certain wattages are among the smaller differences. many of the ballast, even the new ones, wont fire alot of the bulbs to spec causing overdriven and underdriven bulbs. having these create different spectrums. in this hobby, everyone will usually upgrade in the future, so why not just get the right one to begin with

 

[nvmycj]

Gotcha! Thanks for the input guys!

 

[lbannie]

I have an odyssea t5 fixture (36" 4 39w bulbs on my 30 gal) and I too bought it for the price.....I ended up buying new bulbs for it and wow what a difference, the stock bulbs it came with were pretty crappy! I didn't realize till I got the new ones! When I upgrade to a bigger tank I am definitely going to do a better quality light fixture! IMO if you plan to keep your tank a long time, I would buy the best light fixture you can. The colors the better lights bring out is worth it! And you'll be able to keep whatever you want without having to "upgrade" later!