Odyssea...

You usually get what you pay for though, hence the post

From what I've been reading the quality with the Odyssea has improved, but I'm still not convinced enough to buy one. There is also a good thread on 3reef about them that I've been reading, but it's a little dated.

 

Antinic's are real dont know where people got the blue paint bulbs from. At least mine are real.

 

Well they were posts from like '04 and around then so maybe they used to be like that and then changed because that's pretty ghetto. They say they even said "blue" on the bulbs, not actinic... Werid.

 

I have 2 of these 48" 216W (4x 54W) HO T5 Light Fixture Advance And one of
these 36" 156W (4x 39W) HO T5 Light Fixture Basic.
I have had the 36" for over a year and have had absolutely no problems with it.

As far as not being able to use normal T5 bulbs that is incorrect, I have a
combination of UVL and ATI bulbs in both and they work just fine.

They do not have individual reflectors but have a single one similar to currents USA"s
with the individual reflector made out of one piece of mirrored aluminum.

I bought all three from Aquatraders and would recommend them anytime.

So IMHO, for the money I would not hesitate buying more of these light in the future.

 

Thank you for your input. So are your actinics "true" or are they pained blue? I'm assuming they're true, but thought I'd ask.

 

Mine are true.

 

They were true but I have changed all to UVL and ATI in the past few weeks. Mostly because I like the growth I am getting out of them and I got a really good deal if I bought 12 bulbs at a time.

But i used most of them for either over or close to a year and had absolutely no complaints.

 

I have used 2 of their fixtures. One was a T5, and the bulbs were about an inch and a half shorter than standard T5's. I had to redo the standoff's to get a regular bulb to fit. NO individual reflectors. I also had the T6's. This fixture seems WAY better in quality, and basically had a reflector per 2 bulbs. Color was good too. But I had a friend who bought the 48" MH fixture w/ the electronic ballasts. One of the ballasts was DOA, and he had a heluva time getting it replaced. Ended up spending a ton to ship it back, and had to go through ALL sorts of hassels to get it done. I think it took about 2 months all told. They are an iffy company in china, nothing is UL listed, but their prices make it even worth it to canabalize the fixture and make a DIY fixture out of the ballasts and cordage. Id look for a used name brand first, but failing that, I'd consider getting another one.

 

Their image says T6, the description says T5. Kind of confusing. I e-mailed them several times (them = aquatraders) and never heard anything back, kind of irked me.

So they're true T5's?

 

I wonder how all these places can sell them as T5's if they're not. I guess you can sell whatever as whatever you want as long as people buy it. I'm starting to get hesitant about buying the odyssea for obvious reasons.

So can anyone who has this or a similar T5 fixture confirm that they are "normal" T5s?

JasonSquared: when did you buy yours?