crazy cheap prices on metal halides

[jawwad2004]

http://www.aquatraders.com/

Are these guys legit? I am looking into a metal halide setup, and want to get it right the first time! They're brand is odyssea, formerly known as JEBO. Has anyone had first hand experience with their stuff, cuz their pricing is crazyyy. t5 and other stuff for dirt cheap

 

[spykes]

you get what you pay for

 

[nanoreefer22]

Hmmm...what David said...havent heard to many good things about them.

 

[jawwad2004]

Damn, bubble bursted

 

[zahner]

seems experience with them is mixed at best

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showt...perpage=25&highlight=aquatraders&pagenumber=1

 

[yessongs]

I read a post on RC about a guy that lives near that store... Like david said you get what you pay for. Knockoff CPR skimmer, and i seen i pic of the MH light on a tank, besides the tank it lit up the guys couch half the floor and most of the walls.

 

[jawwad2004]

http://www.aquariumlight.com/product_info.asp?dbid=318

This seems pretty good, anyone have experience with these guys. Im very excited about upgrading, and have learned from past mistakes and i wan to get it right the first time! What would you guys suggest, im looking for a dual 175 watt setup preferably with vho/t5/pc one or the other for that actinic look.

 

[fas917]

Well I do not think you are saving much here as it is just a bare bone lighting system. When you add MH bulbs, fan and others, it will cost you same as a Hamilton IMO. Also you dont know what kind of ballast you are getting with them unless you upgrade to ice cap.

 

[jawwad2004]

I am looking for an electronic ballast, which is the best in you guys opinions?

 

[cali_reef]

I think you will get more solid recommendations if you tell us the size of your tank and what you eventually like to keep in it.

IMO, 175W are a waste of money if you want to have a SPS dominated tank.

 

[jawwad2004]

Well its going to be a mixed reef. Right now my tank is a 55 gallon, but i am going to upgrade it to a 90, which is 48 long, and going to build a DIY hood/canopy. I think 175 would be enough because whatever SPS I am going to keep are going to be on top half of the tank, with the lps and other softies on the bottom half. Might keep a clam in the future, dont know yet.

 

[nanoreefer22]

Go with the 250...if you got with retro kits their only a little more and it'll give you that much more flexibility. I'd feel kinda cooky over here with 2 x250 over a 65g thats LPS/softie dominant....hey they love the light.

 

[jawwad2004]

Do the 250's put a dent in your electric bill? How much would it cost me on average monthly?

 

[nanoreefer22]

Hmmmm...I'm not handling the electric bill but I'll find out. I'm only running em for 5-6 hours a day now to save the parents some money. With my old 175 it used to run for 12+ hours on somedays...but normally around 10-11 hours.

 

[cali_reef]

You will be somewhat limited on bulb choices if you do go with 175W, I have tried a few 175W bulbs and never like the color. What is your budget and does the monthly electric bill concerns you?

This is what I would do for a 90 gallon mixed reef with low power consumption as a major criteria :
Two ice cap 150W ballast
Two PFO parallel reflector
Two medium base socket and cord - http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=PF2611
Two radium 20,000K 150W single ended bulbs http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=MB2811 OR some iwasaki 50,000K bulbs http://www.hellolights.com/156500kiw.html

Note, you will need to have some fans to keep the canopy cool and the room temp have to be less than 78 with very little humidity, otherwise you WILL need a chiller.

This is how it looked on my old 80 gallon mix reef with Iwasaki 50,000K bulbs and no Actinics

This tank was lit for about 10 hours a day, 7 hours each side with a 4 hour overlap when I am home to look at the tank.

You can also go with 150W DE pendents and some Phenix 14,000K bulbs, I think the bulb's color look pretty good without actinics but the pendent set up may be a little more costly.

 

[jawwad2004]

So you're saying that 150's are better then the 175's? I mean the electric bill during the year excluding summer is around 50 bucks, im thinking the 250's plus all the pumps and stuff im gonna have running on my new tank will make my electric bill go over 100 dollars and my pops is gonna go nuts! I will in total probably have a total of 5 pumps not exceeding 150 watts total.

 

[cali_reef]

So you're saying that 150's are better then the 175's?

Better color, IMO.

 

[jawwad2004]

But then again, 150's wont be strong enough for a mixed reef, with sps? I think Im going to just suck it up and go with 2 250 watters, plus im thinking of going with the 100 gallon tank instead of the 90. I go this out the way, now the plumbing. . . i smell a new thread. . .lol