Inexpensive MH/T5 Light

[dan3949]

I recently purchased and received an inexpensive MH fixture from an ebay vendor. Before buying this fixture, I spent a lot of time researching my options I seriously considered the inexpensive Odyssey fixtures. I ended up buying a different fixture from an ebay vendor (xsord2007). It did not appear to have the problems that had been identified with the inexpensive Odyssey MH light. However, there was very little information on the fixture xsord2007 was selling. I purchased the 24" model (150 W HQI MH and 2 24W T5 actinic lights for a very low price).

My initial impressions:

Delivery was prompt and all dealings with the ebay vendor were positive. Packaging looked good and there was no apparent damage from delivery. Out of the box, one of the T5 bulbs was not working. I described the problem (and my diagnosis) to the seller and received a prompt reply to my email to look for a loose connection between the ballast and bulb. I found one of the T5 sockets was loose and had to be adjusted to provide a good connection to the bulb. Other than that, the light functioned fine.

Overall I am pleased with the quality and look of the fixture. Construction looks good. The light has a nice look (pictures to follow soon) and the hardware for hanging or tank mounting is good quality.

There were no written instructions or other information included with the light. There is no indication of Manufacturer of the light either on the fixture or in the packaging. However, I am fairly certain the Manufacturer is SunSun. When I take pictures (will post next week), I will open the light and take photos of the ballasts and wiring.

The MH has a temp of 14K and I like the look of the light. The 2 T5 actinic bulbs appear to be of good quality (they are not bulbs painted blue!). A few details not included in the ebay item description.

1. Both the T5 and MH ballasts are mounted internal. External ballast would be better, but it does simplify the wiring clutter around the tank.
2. There are 2 separate power cords (and switches) that allow independent control of the MH and T5s with a timer. Both cords come out of one side of the light.
3. The MH ballast appears to be magnetic. It has a low hum, but it is very quiet and not an issue.
4. There are no internal cooling fans. During the summer I will point a small fan at the fixture. The seller claims the fixture does not need a fan. Noisy cooling fan flow on the Odyssey fixture was a problem for many people with that inexpensive light.

At this point I am pleased with the light. When compared to the Odyssey light, it has the following advantages:

1. Much better quality MH bulb (most people immediately replace the Odyssey MH bulb)
2. T5 actinic supplemental lights vs. PC lighting
3. MH ballast is not known to be crap (hopefully it is of decent quality)
4. No noise problems with the cooling fan
5. Light comes with ceiling mount hardware
6. Seller claims a 2 year warrenty (Odyssey has no warrenty) but I don't know the value of this since there is no known Manufacturer behind it or information to make a claim (other than contact the ebay seller, which happens to live only 30 minutes from me!)

However, the Odyssey light has the following advantages:

1. 250W vs 150W MH fixture (although the provided ballast only provides 150W of power and is low quality)
2. Internal cooling fan (although most people complain of the noise and replace/modify)
3. External MH ballast (makes replacement easier, which you will need to do)
4. $189 vs $224 (delivered price) for the 24" model
5. Includes LED moonlights

This is a quick summary of initial impressions. Right now I feel good with the purchase. The light is on a new tank that I just filled with rock, so pictures of the light quality probably will not be too helpful (but I will post anyway).

The only information I have found concerning the probable manufacturer, SunSun, is a fairly negative post on an Austrailian ebay retailer site claiming SunSun lights are illegal to sell in Austrailia (they are not Safety approved) and the ballast do not last for more than 2-3 months.

I can only hope that the predicted 2-3 month ballast life is a competitors sales pitch (I guess I will soon find out). The post also mentioned the SunSun T5 bulbs were big and not real T5 bulbs. This is my first T5 fixture and all I can say is the bulb on this fixture is much smaller diameter than my PC bulbs. Also, they have T5 stamped on them (the bulbs are from CH Lighting).

I will take and post pictures during my days off right after Christmas.

[DarG]

Hmmm ... probably these folks.

http://www.sunsun-china.com/english/...id=125&pid=71#


That's the link to the metal halide aquarium lighting page.
Site was taking forever to load.

[ganjero]

First of all it's odyssea not odyssey (makes not difference but I hope you did a good research before buying another crappy product).
I don't think is a MH magnetic ballast unless the fixture is super heavy and bulky.
I'm not sure if you asked opinions in this forum before buying it but I think you should've done it because it seems like you are gonna end spending more money in a good light very soon.
Something I learned about this hobby is not to buy "cheap" equipment, and this hobby is really expensive and demanding and good equipment will save a lot of money and time at the end.
A small percentage of this "cheap" equipment sometimes brings good result and I wish good luck and hopefully you are in that small percentage.

I suggest opening the fixture and checking all the wires and make sure the wont come in contact with anything hot that can melt them, plus try to install fans, I guarantee you that fixture will get really hot.

Again good luck, and ask a lot that's the beauty of this forum (but dont just go with one person opinions, try to compare results/opinions from different people)

[Duff Man]

Thanks for the post. I saw this light and I have been curious about it. Post some pics when you have a chance.

[dan3949]

Thanks for the suggestion to open and check wiring for contact with hot surfaces. Very good idea. I was only looking for poor/loose connections and shoddy construction during my initial inspection. The MH bulb obviously gets hot (along with the surrounding area) and I want to make sure no wires can get damaged.

I agree that you get what you pay for. Anyone interested in going the route of an inexpensive/cheap light fixture should be very aware that one is not buying the same thing as a top quality fixture. Buying a fixture like this one or the Odyssea (I got it right this time) should be viewed as a DIY project. If one is not comfortable with opening the light and fixing sloppy wiring (like the suggestion above), replacing ballasts, adding fans, etc; then I would not recommed going this way (at least not before many adventerous folks have documented long-term success).

However, many people enjoy DIY work and trying new and different things. The huge thread on the new Odyssea light shows the large degree of interest in looking at alternatives to name-brand lighting fixtures. I thought it was a great thread and wanted to provide similar info for an alternative to the Odyssea light.

After many mods on the Odyssea light, people report having an excellent light they are happy with, probably had fun making it, and by most accounts ended up saving hundreds of dollars. There is lots of interesting discussion on the Odyssea thread concerning the pros and cons of simply buying a name brand/high quality/expensive light versus a generic/cheap light that will require modifications/$ to bring it up to the performance standards of name brand light.

[DarG]

dan3949 ... In all seriousness, you are likely to run into problems with the fact that the fixture has no active fan cooling. You stated reading about failed ballasts after a short time. It is possible the failed ballasts are due to heat issues. It would not surprise me. So maybe the question right off the bat becomes whether it is cheaper and less of a hassle in the long run to fine a way to install a couple of fans now rather than replacing ballasts in a few months. The heat generated by the halide bulb is going to rise and spread throught the wiring and electronics space in the fixture and could very likely have an impact of the electronic life. The Current USA combo fixtures have vent slots in the end caps and 3 vent holes on to of the fixture. There is a 4" fan in two of the top vent slots and the fixture is adequately cooled in terms of keeping the internal electronics cool enough.

Since you enjoy DIY ... I would suggest seeing if there is room in the fixture to add a couple of fans up top. If there is, I would vent the end caps so air can be drawn in, if they arent already vented (drill some air holes) and then vent the top. 24" fixture and I would do atleast one fan. 36" or 48", two fans. You can neatly drill holes in a circular pattern for the vent holes up top. Or, you can actually cut holes and find some type of metal mesh or slotted vent plug to make them look neat. Put 3" or 4" "computer" type fans in two of the vents. You may need to use some aluminum or zinc stand offs to get clearance for teh fans with the curved top of the fixture. You can use AC fans and wire them into so they switch on with the lights. I really think this will save you some problems from heat in the near future.

[dan3949]

Installation of an active cooling fan in the fixture looks like it would be fairly straight forward. There are several vents in the fixture already (some on the ends by the ballast, and the area above the MH bulb reflector is basically a metal mesh), I don't think any additional drilling would be necessary.

Living in Georgia, I was already planning to install a fan on top of the tank for cooling. I was going to see if that air flow would be sufficient to keep the light temperature down. However, going ahead and installing an active fan be an inexpensive and easy insurance policy.

There is a lot of discussion concerning cooling fans on the Odyssay thread. I will check and see what folks used that they were happy with.

[dan3949]

I found a few minutes to upload some photos of the light before heading out of town. Next week I will post pictures of the internals

[IMG]http://[/IMG] http://reefcentral.com/gallery/showp...t=1&thecat=500

[IMG]http://[/IMG] http://reefcentral.com/gallery/showp...t=1&thecat=500

[IMG]http://[/IMG] http://reefcentral.com/gallery/showp...t=1&thecat=500

[DarG]

If that is a mesh top and it is entirely vented as it looks, then that's not too bad at all. Still wouldnt hurt to add a couple small fans up top just to help move the air which should further help cooling. Pretty neat though. Seeing that they didnt add fans, atleast the manufacturer used a large vent.

[cubano2480]

[dan3949]

It took a lot longer to finish all the plumbing between my tank and sump/fuge. My overflow was crazy loud, a cross between a toilet flush and waterfall. I installed the DIY Stockman overflow silencer and it did an excellent job changing the sound to a pleasant water trickling sound. I finally found time to disassemble the light and I have loaded a few photos of the internals.

The MH ballast is definitely a magnetic ballast. In the photo, I straightened and taped all the wiring just to make certain that no wires could touch any hot metal surfaces. The factory wiring was probably OK, but I wanted to be extra careful. The only identifying printing on any component was the MH ignitor (see photo). One interesting design feature of this light is the MH socket/reflector component is mounted on a swivel which allows easy access to the bulb without taking the fixture apart (see photo). Definitely appears to be plenty of room to install a cooling fan above the MH bulb/reflector. That will be my next project.

The T5 ballast is in a sealed metal box and mounted on the other side of the fixture.

I included close-up photos of the MH and T5 actinic bulbs.

I also have a couple of tank shots with the MH and T5 lights on. IMO, the bulb colors are good, a nice balance between white and blue. I am pleased with the look and satisfied with the bulb colors.

[jmc74]

any new pictures of it working?

[Danyal]

would it fit on a 30" tank?

[luke33]

Dan, it looks nice and it definately is magnetic mh. I'd like to see how its working in a few mths.

[dan3949]

I haven't taken any new pics. Nothing has changed. So far no problems. I really can't tell that the MH bulb color has changed any with these few weeks of operation.

I have the light installed on a 20L, which is 30" long. It fits fine. The light comes with a nice-looking ceiling hanging kit which would allow installation on any size tank.

I will continue to update every few weeks. If anything changes, I will be sure to post.

[miatawnt2b]

It's hard to tell, but the first thing I thought when I looked at the bulb pics was 'that looks an awful lot like a 250W HQI socket.'

-J