aquatraders review

I just got this unit in tuesday and i am super pleased. i am going from 4x65w pc to 2x250 mh and 4x65 actinic pcs and moonlights. the fixture is well built and has pretty good aluminum reflecters on it. it was shipped and packed very well.

http://www.aquatraders.com/48-760w-metal-h...ic-ballast.aspx

for 359$ with shipping and all bulbs included i think the unit is awesome for those who are budget concerned. i did a ton of research on this fixture and believe it is a good investment. worse case scenario the cheaper ballast go bad and i can replace them both for half of the price of getting almost any other fixture.

Let me know if you guys have any questions. i will let you know if anything goes wrong in its first few months of operation. After taking the glass off the top of my tank and adding the fixture my tank temp went up about 2 degrees so i am probably going to be looking for a small clip on electric fan for the side of my tank.

 

Be prepared because you are going to hear how they are garbage, how they catch fire (problem fixed years ago) and I am sure there are other comments you will hear.

I agree with you, for what they cost these fixtures well worth it. As far as the cheaper ballasts go my T5 have workhorse ballasts in them which are good ballasts.

I love all 3 of my T5 fixtures I bought from them. I will however say that I have replaced the bulbs in one of the 48" and will be replacing them in the other 2 as money permits.

 

How Ironic... I just received my 2 x 250 watt MH + 2 x 65 watt actinic
unit from Aqua Traders this morning.

I am also super pleased. Dido with regards to the fixture being well built
and shipped / packed very well. I received it in 1 week - and I live in
Canada!

Before I continue - I AM IN NO WAY AFFILIATED WITH ODDYSEA OR WITH AQUATRADERS (as I said - I live in Canada).

I have read many bad reviews of these Oddysea lights and cannot for the
life of me understand why. This unit is built every bit as good as the
Current USA Orbit fixture it replaced. Indistinguishable quality wise.

As for the bulbs... I have read that the actinics are just regular bulbs
painted blue. Totally untrue - they are the real deal - 100% true actinics.

The MH bulbs are also fine. There are probably better bulbs out there - at
2 or 3 times the price. Why pay 2 or 3 times more for something that is
only marginally better?

I also did my research and came to the conclusion that for $329 vs.
$900+ - it was worth taking the chance. Boy am I glad that I did. You
see, I can afford the more expensive units - I just choose to spend my
money wisely.

In conclusion, I cannot help but wonder where these negative comments
and rumors keep coming from... Could it be from manufacturers and
vendors who would rather see consumers spending big bucks for the same
quality fixtures? I'm thinking these same manufacturers and vendors are
desparately trying to kill Oddysea (and anyone else) who breaks rank and
sells their fixtures for a fair price with a fair markup as opposed to insanely
high markup and profit margins.

I will reiterate - I AM IN NO WAY AFFILIATED WITH ODDYSEA OR WITH AQUATRADERS.

Dave

 

I have the same fixture running for around 20 months now I have replaced the MH lamps once (after a year) and I even bought the Bulbs from Aquatraders. I went from the 15k the fixture came with to 20k (much more blue look) anyway Listen to this I ordered the bulbs on a Friday afternoon and I had then in my mailbox on Monday and I am not kidding. Good luck and remember that the ballasts get HOT I keep mine on a concrete brick under the cabinet with plenty of air circulation and get a heavy duty timer those cheap lamp timers are not heavy duty enough to handle the MH ballast load.

 

I also have an Odyssea fixture and it isnt that bad. Its not the best, but it beats spending $1100.00. The rumors are true, but as stated below, it was yrs ago and the problem got fixed. People just repeat what they hear and the story never dies. I did have to replace the internal cooling fan, but that was it. I've had it working for over two yrs and so far so good. The only negative side to these units is, when it comes to tech. support, sometimes its hard to "reach" someone to get help. Thankfully, Im a handy kind of person, so I fix my own troubles. Luna

 

just saw this thread. I have the T6's AT sells and they were really good on my 55, but two reasons why I won't put them on my 135...not enough light and not long enough, otherwise, for what I paid, they work great!

 

Never gave that a thought!

 

as long as the unit runs cool, looks good, and my corals grow well i think its the best deal and quality around. i will keep you guys updated if anything goes wrong. But, if it doesnt then i think alot of people who are thinking of upgrading should consider these. i waited for months before this purchase and even would test call there company to see if they answer there phones and know about the product. they always answer the phones but are slow with emails.

 

Just ordered my 216wt T5HO fixture tonight. After reading this thread. Everything still going well with these lights?

 

even though the 48"er's I bought for my 55 gal. don't fit my 72"-135, I put them on with the 72" pc fixture that came with the tank, for that little bit of added light, will be upgrading soon. I made em fit LOL

ok my bad when did AT start selling t5's??????