mikejamesnelson
New Member
OK guys and gals, A few months ago I decided that it was time to upgrade my lighting. I looked around at lots of different options, but being low on cash the Odyssea fixtures caught my eye. I began to do some research on them, not finding a lot about them other than some mixed reviews on some of the forums. I had heard rumors of these fixtures possibly starting fires, comments about how crummy the bulbs are, LED moon lights that do not last, and crappy reflectors. I ignored these posts, because well... Im cheap.
So i purchased a new 48" T5 Odyssea 4x54 watt fixture from Aquatraders.com. That was mistake #1. More on them later. I received the light and immediately rushed to assemble it and get it on the tank. After unwrapping and plugging in the fixture, i set it on the tank. The design of the fixture is so crummy that I couldn't even set the fixture on the tank properly. It almost always slides off. Ok, it was cheap, i can live with this... Next thing that I noticed is that the fixture gets extremely hot, and without a fan on it, it is almost untouchable in a few minuets.
Yep the other people who have discussed this had commented on how crappy the bulbs were, and I have to agree. They are GARBAGE!!! So I replaced the bulbs with some new ATI Bulbs, no big deal, I guess, but now this cheap fixture is costing me more money. $100 for the fixture and $85 in new bulbs. Ok so im in the fixture for $180, not to bad. I use the fixture everyday for the next two months without problems.
Last week when i was getting ready to leave for work, I noticed a weird smell, I walked over to my tank, and noticed that the light was flickering. I opened the tank stand, and it was filled with smoke! The ballast was smoking and sparking! I quickly unplugged the ballast and disconnected it from the light. Well this sucks, but I have heard some people having problems with the ballasts. So i continued to run the fixture for a few days on the one ballast, making it a two bulb fixture. No big deal, Ill order a new ballast when I get some spare $$$.
So a few days ago, I came home from work, and as soon as I walk in the door, I can smell smoke. I rushed over the the tank, and the fixture is flickering again, and smoke is coming from the stand. now I have no light.
I contacted Aquatraders.com via their message system. After not getting a response for a day I e-mailed again. This time I received a e-mail back letting me know that they only cover the fixtures for 30 days! 30 days?!?!? really??? I guess I should have read their return policy, but 30 days? That should have been a red flag. I e-mailed them back letting them know that I have had the fixture for a little over three months, and not one, but both of the ballasts have gone bad. they responded with a copy of their return policy, and informed me that I could request a RMA# for the ballasts. Here is the catch though, Aquatraders wants to charge me a $40 processing fee, and that the only way that they would accept the $40 is through a money order only. Hmmm
So here is what i have learned:
1) If it seems to be too good to be true, it is.
2) These fixtures are garbage
3) If you do purchase one, it will end up costing you more money
4) Aquatraders.com is a untrustworthy site, that does not stand behind their product, not to mention, rude and unhelpful.
So if you are considering ordering one of these fixtures, my advice is do not, I may have lost some money, but it could have been a lot worse, I could have lost my hose.
I hope this helps others from making the same mistakes... DO NOT BUY THESE FIXTURES
So i purchased a new 48" T5 Odyssea 4x54 watt fixture from Aquatraders.com. That was mistake #1. More on them later. I received the light and immediately rushed to assemble it and get it on the tank. After unwrapping and plugging in the fixture, i set it on the tank. The design of the fixture is so crummy that I couldn't even set the fixture on the tank properly. It almost always slides off. Ok, it was cheap, i can live with this... Next thing that I noticed is that the fixture gets extremely hot, and without a fan on it, it is almost untouchable in a few minuets.
Yep the other people who have discussed this had commented on how crappy the bulbs were, and I have to agree. They are GARBAGE!!! So I replaced the bulbs with some new ATI Bulbs, no big deal, I guess, but now this cheap fixture is costing me more money. $100 for the fixture and $85 in new bulbs. Ok so im in the fixture for $180, not to bad. I use the fixture everyday for the next two months without problems.
Last week when i was getting ready to leave for work, I noticed a weird smell, I walked over to my tank, and noticed that the light was flickering. I opened the tank stand, and it was filled with smoke! The ballast was smoking and sparking! I quickly unplugged the ballast and disconnected it from the light. Well this sucks, but I have heard some people having problems with the ballasts. So i continued to run the fixture for a few days on the one ballast, making it a two bulb fixture. No big deal, Ill order a new ballast when I get some spare $$$.
So a few days ago, I came home from work, and as soon as I walk in the door, I can smell smoke. I rushed over the the tank, and the fixture is flickering again, and smoke is coming from the stand. now I have no light.
I contacted Aquatraders.com via their message system. After not getting a response for a day I e-mailed again. This time I received a e-mail back letting me know that they only cover the fixtures for 30 days! 30 days?!?!? really??? I guess I should have read their return policy, but 30 days? That should have been a red flag. I e-mailed them back letting them know that I have had the fixture for a little over three months, and not one, but both of the ballasts have gone bad. they responded with a copy of their return policy, and informed me that I could request a RMA# for the ballasts. Here is the catch though, Aquatraders wants to charge me a $40 processing fee, and that the only way that they would accept the $40 is through a money order only. Hmmm
So here is what i have learned:
1) If it seems to be too good to be true, it is.
2) These fixtures are garbage
3) If you do purchase one, it will end up costing you more money
4) Aquatraders.com is a untrustworthy site, that does not stand behind their product, not to mention, rude and unhelpful.
So if you are considering ordering one of these fixtures, my advice is do not, I may have lost some money, but it could have been a lot worse, I could have lost my hose.
I hope this helps others from making the same mistakes... DO NOT BUY THESE FIXTURES