lighting

I've never owned them. But, I seriously considered it at one time....until I did a web search for reviews of Odyssea...mostly bad reviews. I opted to stay away from them.

 

I've heard they start fires frequently. I bought the 48" PC when I first got my tank over a year ago and didn't have any problems with it other than it getting incredibly hot. The fans in it don't work at all. I ended up taking it apart and mounting the lights in a DIY canopy with extra fans. The bulbs seemed cheap so I ended up getting new.

 

I've had 2 48" pc 4X65 fixtures. No problems. Heard fire hazards are from their MH fixtures. Didn't produce much for growth compared to t5.

 

I've also heard that the fires seem to be with the MH fixtures (someone on here had a ballast flame).  If you research the lights, they don't have an UL listing - not a positive in my book.
-Eric

 

They are getting CE listed.... ie. Canada. It is cheaper for a small company to be CE listed rather than UL. If you have the money I would recommend a made in the USA light such as Current Nova Extreme. They are well built but are probably about 250. I have one and like it. Odyssea is made in China and comes with Odyssea bulbs. Is your livestock worth a lot? Do you want growth or just to be able to sustain what is there? If you really want growth I would suggest doing some research on bulbs also.

 

I was researching T5's and considered the Odyssea when I came across the Catalina Solar for $169 (now $275) in January.  I have a discussion thread that I started about it on RC including specs on the ballast and shots of it torn apart after I got it (curiosity).
Current sells refurbished or cometically flawed units on eBay

I have a problem with patience but if you're not in a hurry you'll find a deal somewhere!
-Eric

 

Posted By jstngates on 06/03/2009 07:34 AM
hey guys i ended up buying a t5 unit brand new off of ebay odyssea brand with bulbs i only have zoos and mushrooms so i figure for 100 dollars i would atleast give it a shot. Its the same price i would have replaced my compact coralife bulbs for.
Good luck and post some pics!
While I was researching T5's, I did discover that most of the bulbs are made in China by a single company, with various manufacturer's names imprinted on them so you'll probably experience similar performance.
-Eric

 

I am using there 36in power compact lights for my refuge been running for close to a year with no problems. except the moon lights quit working. I thought about buying the 24 in 150hqi with t 5 fixture for my frag tank but if it might catch on fire I will have to pass.

 

Xenia is easy to keep as long as water params are close to right. Xenia is very temperamental to changes in light though and will whiter for a few days. I just changed my halide bulbs on Friday and my blue Xenia hasn't come back to life yet. It will in a few days so I would just wait it out.