Odyssea T5 Bulbs?

[Mono]

Just curious...Has anyone tried running Odyssea T5 Bulbs?

I run two 80W 6 bulb ATI Sunpower fixtures.

I know ATI bulbs are the gold standard but I was just looking for a way to save a few bucks on replacement bulbs.

So, I was just curious if anyone had experience running these bulbs.

I thought maybe I would mix them in with some ATI.

3 Odyssea Actinic, ATI purple +, ATI Actinic, Odyssea 10,000K

 

[reef lover]

All i can say is you get what you pay for...theres a reason theyre cheaper...

 

[DesertReefT4r]

I had a few of their t5 fixtures. I can say their t5 bulbs are total junk.

 

[X-37B]

After all the money you spend on this hobby!
Don't cheap out on t5's!
Just buy 1 or 2 a month and the cost is not that great over a years time.
I spend the cost of 2 t5's on frags every time I walk into a lfs, lol!

 

[LC8Sumi]

They’re garbage

 

[Shinister]

What about their fixtures? Would using ATI bulbs on Odyssea fixtures be just as bad? This wouldnt be for main lighting...just to complement my LED's.

 

[LC8Sumi]

What about their fixtures? Would using ATI bulbs on Odyssea fixtures be just as bad? This wouldnt be for main lighting...just to complement my LED's.

I’m doing that to supplement my kessils. They are okay for what they are, but the output of the bulbs will be a good 30% lower than in a properly cooled fixture. The ballast - fixture cord(s) is pretty short and they sometimes flash when they’re off.

 

[Shinister]

I’m doing that to supplement my kessils. They are okay for what they are, but the output of the bulbs will be a good 30% lower than in a properly cooled fixture. The ballast - fixture cord(s) is pretty short and they sometimes flash when they’re off.

Thank you. that's exactly what Im trying to do as I have kessils as well.

 

[LC8Sumi]

Thank you. that's exactly what Im trying to do as I have kessils as well.

I have two dual 39w odysseas. Those costs about 1/2 of an aquatic life fixture. I’d get that if I did it again. Actually, I’ll get that anyway as a present for xmas to myself I think or even better, radions. I had the Kessils for almost 3 years now, and while lps and softies love it, it’s very hard to pull results from sps with it, compared to what others have wih radions. I’ve added the t5’s about a year and a half ago, and that really exploded the sps growth and coloration - but I’m still not 100% satisfied. I think that’s about the most as one call pull off from the Kessils. There is a good reason why they’re cheaper than others. They’re just not the ideal sps leds - at least the 160/360we’s

 

[DesertReefT4r]

What about their fixtures? Would using ATI bulbs on Odyssea fixtures be just as bad? This wouldnt be for main lighting...just to complement my LED's.

Out of the 3 I had 2 where timer models and both needed the control heads replaced in under a year. The 3rd had a ballast die after a few months and the caps on the end of the t5s for the wires melted making it impossible to remove the bulbs. All 3 had very poor quality reflectors. They worked ok for the fresh water planted tanks I used them on but I dont see them growing any corals other than low light demanding ones.

 

[LC8Sumi]

They worked ok for the fresh water planted tanks I used them on but I dont see them growing any corals other than low light demanding ones.

Or will they?

 

[Shinister]

Or will they?

That's EXACTLY what I had in mind. I want to angle them like that. Did you have to DIY it or does it come with that option?

 

[LC8Sumi]

That's EXACTLY what I had in mind. I want to angle them like that. Did you have to DIY it or does it come with that option?

I had to do some bending on the mounts to get it work like this. Then I've put heatshrink on it (as they will rust).
The only real issue is that you always have to remove the fixture when you want to do something in the tank - so that's why I'd recommend the Aquatic Life fixutre instead. (and probably their ballast is way better as well)

 

[Shinister]

I had to do some bending on the mounts to get it work like this. Then I've put heatshrink on it (as they will rust).
The only real issue is that you always have to remove the fixture when you want to do something in the tank - so that's why I'd recommend the Aquatic Life fixutre instead. (and probably their ballast is way better as well)

Thanks for the pic and info. Looks like I'll be doing the same. The aquatic fixture sure is nice but it's $460 (61" version) and then I'll have to figure a way to hang that thing over the tank which would put the final price at around $500. I can get two of the Odyssea 30" fixtures for less than a $100 and it comes with the mounting. This is just for supplement lighting to reduce shadows and hopefully improve the coloration a bit.

 

[LC8Sumi]

Well its a 100% better than nothing (or the Kessils on their own), so with the ati bulbs its the best value for money