sharkbait9
Active Member
Well after some debate on the board I figured I would go and try out the odyssea light fixture.
Since I am a little gun shy from the true DIY projects since I built a 3x250 watt MH lights over my big tank and damn near killed my self, I shy away from those projects and stick with the light fixtures, current and coralife.
A while ago one of my friends bought an 05 odyssey light fixture from the “traders” not knowing any better about the ballast set up had the fixture up and running for a week and then brought it up to my attention. After looking it over and my friend being scarred that his house could burn down from all the rumors running rampant we swapped out parts. As we were taking the fixture apart I noticed right away how it looked just like my coralife fixture. After a couple of days of swapping parts it was up and running and still runs to this day.
My adventure began about three weeks ago on a big web site that you can bid on stuff I found the odyssey fixtures that would fit over my tank in my me and wife’s office, a old 125 gallon two 36 inch section tank.
I paid 239.00 apiece with free shipping. The coralife fixture the price was in the six hundred and fifty dollar mark before shipping.
So remember multiply this project by 2. The odyssey fixtures cost me 478.00 w/ free shipping. The coralife system would have cost me on or about 1400 before shipping. Off the bat I already saved my self $931.00
The fixtures arrived in a timely matter for free shipping (6 days by UPS ground) The fixtures were nicely packaged and everything arrived in tacked with nothing broken so that’s a plus right their.
As soon as I opened the ballast package I could see why the rumors were running wild. The original ballast were some light aluminum housing with some cinchy DYI parts inside on a pc board.
They did how ever fire off the bulbs and stay moderately cool. But defiantly did not fire the bulbs to their potential.
I took apart the odyssea fixtures and started probing around and you can see in the pic that they really are a knock off of the coralife fixture in everyway shape and form. Odyssea just used some cheap parts other wise.
The only real problem I had is that the feed wire coming from the ballast to the fixture is not grounded, just two wires, no ground. Not a big deal its an easy fix really.
So far I can see I just need to replace the ballast and the feed plug to the fixture. Already using icecap ballast and knowing how to wire those up I chose to go and order two more 250 watt ballast.
The new 250 watt housed ballast make this mod even easier. Ice cap now puts on a quick connect on the fixture feed plug and a three prong outlet plug, so this is not a hard project.
The only down side is Icecap only puts a one foot quick connect. So you can do one of two things 1 have your ballast close to the aquarium or 2 buy your self a C13 to C14 power -18 awg 250 volt 10 amp. These cords are cheap and make your connection even more simple. I bought 15 foot connectors to keep my ballast far enough away from moisture and possible water exposure.
Once I got the icecap ballast from the marine depot I hooked them up and the bulbs fire immediately and even brighter then the odyssea ballast could ever try and do. The icecap ballast made the odyssea bulbs burn way better and nice and clear not a greenish yellow color.
The Pc lights work fine no heat issues no humming just nice deep blue color. Only thing I’m not a fan of is, is that the pin jacket is a straight pin set.
If the PC ballast should go this is an easy fix too. You can replace the ballast with coralife 96 watt white or grey ballast. Or you can go with the 96 watt sun pac ballast that’s even cheaper and change your pin set from straight to Panasonic square pin set.
This is just an abridge version, if you have questions feel free to ask. I took some pics to show just how easy it is to do.
The fixtures have been running on a 8 hour cycle with the pc lights running on 2 hrs in the am and 2 hrs after MH lights are off.
All in all the system is great runs fine no algae blooms coral are all responding to the lights in a positive manor.
So this the total money spent on both lights so far.
2x250 watt 36 inch MH light fixtures total $478.00
2x 250 watt icecap MH ballast $258
2x 15 foot 250 volt cpu power cord 15.00
For a grand total of $751.00
2x 36inch coralife fixtures 1400.00 plus what ever shipping is
For a total saving of 649.00 to dump into my tanks with coral and other goodies.
Now for anyone who wants to bring in the pc ballast I found the ballast real easy on line for 30.00 bucks a piece so add another 60.00 bucks for the total and I still saved a boat load of money on fixtures that are cheaper and got a ballast that drive the bulbs even better then coralife or current ballast.
I would say that I would be a little iffy on the odyssea ballast being used.
Since I am a little gun shy from the true DIY projects since I built a 3x250 watt MH lights over my big tank and damn near killed my self, I shy away from those projects and stick with the light fixtures, current and coralife.
A while ago one of my friends bought an 05 odyssey light fixture from the “traders” not knowing any better about the ballast set up had the fixture up and running for a week and then brought it up to my attention. After looking it over and my friend being scarred that his house could burn down from all the rumors running rampant we swapped out parts. As we were taking the fixture apart I noticed right away how it looked just like my coralife fixture. After a couple of days of swapping parts it was up and running and still runs to this day.
My adventure began about three weeks ago on a big web site that you can bid on stuff I found the odyssey fixtures that would fit over my tank in my me and wife’s office, a old 125 gallon two 36 inch section tank.
I paid 239.00 apiece with free shipping. The coralife fixture the price was in the six hundred and fifty dollar mark before shipping.
So remember multiply this project by 2. The odyssey fixtures cost me 478.00 w/ free shipping. The coralife system would have cost me on or about 1400 before shipping. Off the bat I already saved my self $931.00
The fixtures arrived in a timely matter for free shipping (6 days by UPS ground) The fixtures were nicely packaged and everything arrived in tacked with nothing broken so that’s a plus right their.
As soon as I opened the ballast package I could see why the rumors were running wild. The original ballast were some light aluminum housing with some cinchy DYI parts inside on a pc board.
They did how ever fire off the bulbs and stay moderately cool. But defiantly did not fire the bulbs to their potential.
I took apart the odyssea fixtures and started probing around and you can see in the pic that they really are a knock off of the coralife fixture in everyway shape and form. Odyssea just used some cheap parts other wise.
The only real problem I had is that the feed wire coming from the ballast to the fixture is not grounded, just two wires, no ground. Not a big deal its an easy fix really.
So far I can see I just need to replace the ballast and the feed plug to the fixture. Already using icecap ballast and knowing how to wire those up I chose to go and order two more 250 watt ballast.
The new 250 watt housed ballast make this mod even easier. Ice cap now puts on a quick connect on the fixture feed plug and a three prong outlet plug, so this is not a hard project.
The only down side is Icecap only puts a one foot quick connect. So you can do one of two things 1 have your ballast close to the aquarium or 2 buy your self a C13 to C14 power -18 awg 250 volt 10 amp. These cords are cheap and make your connection even more simple. I bought 15 foot connectors to keep my ballast far enough away from moisture and possible water exposure.
Once I got the icecap ballast from the marine depot I hooked them up and the bulbs fire immediately and even brighter then the odyssea ballast could ever try and do. The icecap ballast made the odyssea bulbs burn way better and nice and clear not a greenish yellow color.
The Pc lights work fine no heat issues no humming just nice deep blue color. Only thing I’m not a fan of is, is that the pin jacket is a straight pin set.
If the PC ballast should go this is an easy fix too. You can replace the ballast with coralife 96 watt white or grey ballast. Or you can go with the 96 watt sun pac ballast that’s even cheaper and change your pin set from straight to Panasonic square pin set.
This is just an abridge version, if you have questions feel free to ask. I took some pics to show just how easy it is to do.
The fixtures have been running on a 8 hour cycle with the pc lights running on 2 hrs in the am and 2 hrs after MH lights are off.
All in all the system is great runs fine no algae blooms coral are all responding to the lights in a positive manor.
So this the total money spent on both lights so far.
2x250 watt 36 inch MH light fixtures total $478.00
2x 250 watt icecap MH ballast $258
2x 15 foot 250 volt cpu power cord 15.00
For a grand total of $751.00
2x 36inch coralife fixtures 1400.00 plus what ever shipping is
For a total saving of 649.00 to dump into my tanks with coral and other goodies.
Now for anyone who wants to bring in the pc ballast I found the ballast real easy on line for 30.00 bucks a piece so add another 60.00 bucks for the total and I still saved a boat load of money on fixtures that are cheaper and got a ballast that drive the bulbs even better then coralife or current ballast.
I would say that I would be a little iffy on the odyssea ballast being used.
