Budget reef lighting!!!!

[WaVe RiDeR]

okay so i want to go into reefing and need some lights, i am reefing my 30 gallon tank i was told to go with Odyssea T5 Aquarium Lighting but to get new bulbs after, i was looking for something that i didn't have to upgrade something that would be one and done type of thing, i am going to do LPS corals only, my budget is around $140ish couldn't find any leds for that cheap but anything that is decent and built well is a plus, any suggestions?

 

[Marines_Wife]

Craigslist. Get good stuff for cheap.

 

[jcegt87]

i have the 4 bulb fixture and im loving it, prior to it i had the 20 inch 72watt fixture and both fixtures have been great for the price :D im very happy with the fixtures and better than paying 4-5 times for something similar

even if you get new bulbs it still wont be the as expencive as the other brand bulbs

 

[NanoReefer]

people hate on those bulbs way too much. i have been running stock lights for 9 months and have some beginner sps under it

 

[WaVe RiDeR]

no madder where i looked it was 15-20 a bulb, i was looking for something i didn't have to replace, any suggestions?

 

[jcegt87]

same here i didnt replace my old bulbs and my corals were all great, i dont plan on replacing these until 9+ months

people hate on them because its a cheap brand and its "not made in america" plus odyssea had a bad rep on old fixtures catching fire , they have since fixed that (as far as i read)

also your gonna have to eventually buy new bulbs sooner or later, maybe instead of buying all at once buy one a month and just have them put away untill you need to change them

 

[WaVe RiDeR]

you don't have a algae problem with the stock bulbs?

 

[NanoReefer]

not at all

 

[BL1]

people hate on those bulbs way too much. i have been running stock lights for 9 months and have some beginner sps under it

You can keep beginner SPS under poor lighting, doesn't mean they're thriving. There is a big difference between ANY stock bulbs (not just Odyessea bulbs either) that come with a fixture and quality bulbs from companies like ATI, KZ, Geissman.

 

[WaVe RiDeR]

could you post some pics of the fixture and and of the dt to see the lighting quality, but now i am a little sketched out about it catching fire.

 

[NanoReefer]

yeah ill try to get some up tomorrow, the new fixtures dont catch fire. they actually use the same exact ballasts as coralife now.

 

[WaVe RiDeR]

was there a recall so all the fixtures are " new " or will i get a old one??

 

[BL1]

All the ones they sell on the site are their new models.

 

[Northstar24]

I can understand wanting to cut corners in a hobby, but probably THE most important piece of gear for a reef tank is going to be lighting

If you never want to have to worry about replacing bulbs, the choice is simple- buy an LED fixuture - but its going to cost you up front

Pretty much everyone will tell you to replace the stock bulbs on most of the fixtures on the market - this is not specific to the fixture you mentioned.

I started with a Marineland Pro fixture, and within 6 months my bulbs gave me horrible cyano. It was at that point I upgraded to LEDs and I havent looked back since.

Buy a quality product - even if that means waiting a while to get corals

 

[jcegt87]

check my build thread for pics on odyssea fixtures im using ,https://www.livingreefs.com/jcs-29g-nano-t34816.html
as far as algae problems the ones i was having were because of poor water circulation ,and yes the fire thread was on old fixtures ( previous models and also was mostly Metal halides)

 

[WaVe RiDeR]

so you have had no problems with the fixture or bulbs?