odyssea MH fixture review... new electronic version

[snulma1]

Thanks DarG for the info about the ballasts! That will come in handy for those looking to upgrade their ballasts, ARO's are pretty good ballasts!

[KMP]

ok, so here's a curve ball for you.

i currently have a 36" odyessa single 250w fixture that i have not modded yet. i also have a coralvue dimmable (dims up ot 35%) ballast.

now that odyessa makes a 36" dual 250w fixture i'm thinking about selling my light i have now for the dual 250w, but am concerned this light being rated at 630w is to much light.

my question, if i had two dimmable ballasts i would be able to the 250's down to 181w each - right?

That to me seems more optimal not excessive; however spread better through out the tank. Cool part is, if I'm right and you can do this, if I ever decide I need more light just need to crank up the ballasts.

odyssea now makes a 36" dual 250w fixture for a total of 630w. seems like to much light over my 70g. i have a 36" single 250w and have purchased a carlvue 250w dimmable ballast (allows you to dim it down 35%) but like the idea of having the lights spread out instead of right in the center (single MH).

if i buy the

[miatawnt2b]

Does your 36" tank have a center brace? If not, I would probably stick with the fixture you have. You can always keep the less light hungry corals like zoas, leathers, and shrooms at the edges.

-J

[viperdragon666]

this thread is great info im getting a new light and getting the 24" fixture with 250w mh i was wondering how far off the water i should keep it so i wont have to get a chiller

[blandhuis]

All good information. My new 48in unit arrived last week and it has been on my tank for one week now. I can offer some observations about the improvements in this fixture vs. older generation Odyssea fixtures...

As you may recall, I did have an older style 150watt MH with mag. ballasts...one of the capacitors over-heated, melted, turned into a glob of carbon ash and filled my entire house with smoke and smell. I did some more research and, for cost-savings went with a newer Odyssea fixture.

Out of the box the unit looks totally different. It feels much more "substantial". It arrived in perfect condition and everything worked fine. 15K bulbs were included.

Here are the differences...
1. shape. The old unit had 2x96watt CF actinics. However, they were set at an angle reflecting out and to the side of the fixture. The new version has 4x96watt CF actinics that reflect straight down. There is a very noticible difference in the lighting of the tank.
2. Switches. This unit has four switches on the side of the fixture housing. Two for the CF, one for moons and one for the top-mounted fan. The older version had all switches on the external ballasts (both CF and MH). Plus the moons where wired through the MH ballast so if you ran your MH on timer, when they went off so did the moons...duh.
3. Ballasts. The unit now contains two external electronic ballasts for the MH and four internal ballasts that run the CF. Far, far, far superior to older versions.
4. Lights. Obviously, more wattage in both MH and CF. The moons are also much much better. The glass shields over the MH lamps is also about twice as thick as the previous version. The reflecters for the MH lamps suck...if I mod anything with this fixture I will start with better reflecters.

All in all...it is a 500% improvement over older versions. Out-of-box bang for your buck is very good. I do not think anyone would dispute the fact that there are better fixtures out there, but they also cost twice as much. The construction and wiring of the new unit is very good as well. My father-in-law is an electrician and we took apart the ballasts and the fixtue to check connections and wiring. All seemed to be done well. Time will tell just how well this fixture will do in the long-run. For me, it should be fine for my varieties of soft, LPS and SPS corals as well as my clams and anenomes.

On a side...anyone that plans on using this fixture should hang it if possible. The mounting legs that are provided place the fixture far too close to the water.

[TaubBaer]

Went to my LFS today and bought 24" 380w system, inspected and set it on the 54g tank...

Turn stock MH 15k, bright white with a hint of blue. Seem that the stock ballast is alright. Warm to touch.

Turn on CF, whoa, bright blue and made the tank look nice and blue.

When I turn off all but moonlights, those 4 pairs light up the tank nice and evenly.

Now, I'm seeing HOW long the ballast will go r.i.p.

[LionFish-xS-]

I am using the legs ,I am running it under a canopy
I had to install a Cheap fan under the hood to blow across the water so as to keep the temp in specs

[2t2_crash]

Originally posted by LionFish-xS-
I am using the legs ,I am running it under a canopy
I had to install a Cheap fan under the hood to blow across the water so as to keep the temp in specs

Same with the legs, my water has been around 82 so I am thinking about getting a fan as well but I need to get a couple more electric breaker strips to divvy up my power better.

I am quite happy with mine and I an supporting the opinion that these are factory seconds of other units. mine had a small dent in the casing and a stripped screw... which for the price doesn't bother me one bit!

[glalderman]

now that odyessa makes a 36" dual 250w fixture i'm thinking about selling my light i have now for the dual 250w, but am concerned this light being rated at 630w is to much light.

I have the 36" duel MH on a 40g Breeder frag tank...not too much light at all...I was thinking about changing to Icecap MH ballasts and changing bulbs...but I have decided for now not too as my SPS and LPS frags are growing like crazy under this hood...my CF's come on at 0630, then the MH at 1200...the MH's shut down at 1900, then the CF's at 2000.

I have had the hood for 6 months now and have not had a single problem with it...

Greg

[Dustin1300]

I've got the same unit but the 48" 760 watt system and no problems so far...I've only been running it for about 4 months now....My only complaint is heat with the halides but that was expected, if anyone here is looking to use it just use the hanging kit like I did and it should solve most of the heat problems with the lights....and if your smart you might replace the fan in it...mine sounds as if the fan bearings are about to crap out! Other than that, I love the system for the price....just wish I could afford an LED system!

[viperdragon666]

i just got the 24" 360w and i love the color and everything i wouldnt trade it for anything

[apexi]

I was wondering is there any easy way to take apart the bottom panels on this light fixture for easy bulb replacement?

From the looks of it, it seems as though one of the plastic end caps must be removed in order to slide the glass panels out? For my inwall tank setup, this would be a major PITA, since I would need to remove the entire 72" fixture in order to gain access to the sides. Any tips appreciated!

[miatawnt2b]

Originally posted by apexi
I was wondering is there any easy way to take apart the bottom panels on this light fixture for easy bulb replacement?

From the looks of it, it seems as though one of the plastic end caps must be removed in order to slide the glass panels out? For my inwall tank setup, this would be a major PITA, since I would need to remove the entire 72" fixture in order to gain access to the sides. Any tips appreciated!

This is another reason I did the SE bulb mod.
-J

[kevin95695]

Has anyone tried the 250w PFO ballasts?

[smoothlarryhughes]

I'm looking to replace the 250 watt bulb I have in their now (stock)...anyone have any thoughts on what kind to get? I want a little more blue hint to the color so I was thinking the Phoenix...but I've also seen the reeflux 12k that I like as well.

Any thoughts?

[TaubBaer]

I got a question, HOW high shall I hang the fixture above the waterline? Is 9" high enough?

[timrandlerv10]

1)taub--just make it adjustable, whatever height you choose. i have my MH at 9" now, and its too high. i really wish i could lower it, but it invovled major demolition. not really, but it stinks!
2)how come nobody brought up ghostbusters and crossing the streams for the 2 ballast analogy?

here's my q: is Hommby the generic equivalent to the generic Odyssea?

[cj7eagle]

Originally posted by smoothlarryhughes
I'm looking to replace the 250 watt bulb I have in their now (stock)...anyone have any thoughts on what kind to get? I want a little more blue hint to the color so I was thinking the Phoenix...but I've also seen the reeflux 12k that I like as well.

Any thoughts?

I replaced my stock bulbs before using the fixture. I added the phoenix 14ks and love them. I will probably buy them again next time.

[waterloomarc]

I finally replaced the stock ballast with the coralvue last night, still using the stock 15K bulb. Man what a difference!! I wish I'd done this months ago.

[moprint]

timrandlerv10 Hommby also sells Odyssea, I think you better buying from him then Aquatraders.

[jayare]

Has anyone had issues with the Coralvue ballasts?

I recently installed a Coralvue 250 electronic ballast on my Odyssea MH setup and its having issues. The ballast is driving a 250 watt 14 Phoenix HQI bulb. For the first few days it seemed to work fine, but now it fails to light the bulb, or the bulb shuts off after being on for a very brief amount of time (minute or two). I've checked connections and tried different outlets, but I always get the same results. I even ran it off of a dedicated outlet with nothing else running off of that breaker. Any idea on whats going on, or is the ballast bad?

thanks.

[aastretch64]

I just purchased the 630watt 36" unit from ebay. The bulbs say odyssea, so I assume the whole system is, but I am very impressed by this unit. The bulbs are a bit gray/yellow for 15k, but they still are great. I've seen a great color change in the last week or so, and even some growth.

Alex

[timrandlerv10]

moprint:

so the fixtures hommby is selling on ebay are odyssea? he's much cheaper than aquatraders, and he responds to emails pretty quickly...although you may have to read them twice

[2t2_crash]

hommby is selling factory seconds if you ask me.. Not a mechanical second but a cosmetic one. Mine was wrapped extremely well and even the military postal system didn't tear up the box.
There are a few stripped al holes for screws and there is a dent in the side of the fixture. for the price I couldn't care less about the aesthetics of the case!

I have seen a remarkable growth difference in coraline in just a few weeks of having my unit up and running.

[timrandlerv10]

2t2_crash-
ogenki desu ka?

what lights did you run before? was all the wiring pretty tight? a major complaint seems to be fans--how are yours? any other details you can give?

tim
(used 2 b .mil, happy belated veteran's day!)