T5 lighting

[dcook]

Changing my lighting from 250watt 14k HQI to t5 @ 8 bulbs.
Any suggestions ie brands?
I'm going to wait for led's dust to settle first.
Now the question;
Not trying to start WWWIII but what do you
think about Aquatraders Odyssea 24" t5 fixture.

[Fishgeek88]

Personally I would look at a different brand. I love all my lighting from sunlight supply. You can get a 24" 4 bulb Sun Blaze fixture for under $120

[tazzy695]

I have heard a lot of negative reviews about the odyssea from fires due to shotty wiring and end caps to simply not working

I would definitely do your research and look at other brands

[dcook]

Bump?? Bump??

[ReeferRob]

I have heard a lot of negative reviews about the odyssea from fires due to shotty wiring and end caps to simply not working

I would definitely do your research and look at other brands

Although true, it is rumored that all issues have been resolved and or fixed.

After doing the DIY IceCap 660 for the frag tank, with how easy it was and how great the light and corals look, I would absolutely go this route in the future. Maybe with a little DIY LED kit or a LED spot light or two.

On my DT I run the Aquatinics TX5 Ho fixture and wouldn't change it for the world. Love it now that I have the right bulb combo!

[tazzy695]

i hear ya I would love to test out the new led systems by ice cap but price is a major factor for me

[lionhead]

I would go retro's that way you can upgrade the parts down the road. Better ballasts, reflectors, etc....... For bulb section may I suggest going with ATI blue + and blue specials. Maybe throw in a Fiji pink or a pro color bulb. The Current Nove extreme/Pro are a decent fixture as well. I run the six bulb over my 90gal mixed reef and love it. It works well for all kinds of corals.

[Tom@HaslettMI]

If you can build a canopy that you'll like I also vote for DIY or a retro kit. I also second the recommendation for ATI bulbs. Current USA bulbs are junk and I was not impressed with the 15K AquaScience bulb I tried. I think Giessmann (spelling?) are the same as ATI.

Also I think 8 bulbs might be overkill. Really depends on tank depth, a little on volume and the types of corals are your keeping. I only have three bulbs on a 50 breeder and keep all but the highest light demanding corals and clams.

HTH,
Tom

[dcook]

Thanks fellow Captive reef members
your advise really helps.

[ReeferRob]

If it were me, I would run 4 retro bulbs on a 660 IceCap Ballast and either add 2 bulbs on there smaller ballast and or 8-10 DIY Cree LED Retros with 2 different optics. Some flood optics some spot optics. The IceCap reflectors rock, I do like them better than in my Aquatinic Fixture.