17" Odyssea MH/PC combo - too good to be true?

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Blinky

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Jun 22, 2004
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I'm doing some research, working on setting up my first nano reef tank. The tank is a 14g with a 10" x 20" footprint. I'm looking for decent lighting but don't want to completely break the bank.
I'm very happy with the Satellite fixture I use on my 65g planted tank, and was planning to purchase the 20" 2 x 40W fixture with moonlight for my 14g - I'm hoping this will be enough to keep some soft corals, I know it's not enough for hard corals.
I was researching tonight (read: surfing) and found This fixture on Aquatraders. It's a MH/PC combo but it's rediculously cheap, so I thought it best to post and ask if anyone's ever used one of these lights or knows if they're any good - I'm wary of purchasing something online without reading a few reviews first! I'm not even sure it would fit, as it's 11.5"W x 17"L, but it comes with a 'hanging kit' so I assume it can be suspended above the tank if needed.
Would this fixture be better than the Satellite, or should I stick with what I know?
Thanks in advance :)
 

mogurnda

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Apr 29, 2003
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Wow! Sounds too good to be true! I would be a little concerned about the brand of bulb and ballast. The spectra for "20000K" bulbs can vary enormously. If you knew the make, you could look up one of Sanjay Joshi's articles to find out the spectrum. The spectrum and PAR can vary further if the ballast isn't driving it right.

As you say, the best input would be from someone who has used it.

By the way, the satellite will be enough for all but the most demanding corals. Just about all large-polyped stonies, and many of the easier small-polyped hard corals will do fine.
 

Blinky

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Jun 22, 2004
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Well, I did some searching on nano-reef.com and reefcentral.com, turns out I'm not the only one who has seen this and wondered if it's too good to be true... I saw many replies indicating that customer service from this company is iffy, and there are no guarantees - for example, if the bulbs arrive smashed, you're out of luck.
I decided to stick with what I know; I picked up a dual Satellite from Big Al's today, it looks fantastic over the tank, I'm very pleased. Thanks for the reassurance, I really only want to keep softies and I'm glad this fixture will do the trick.
Now I just need to pick up the rest of the equipment (next week) and live rock - my marine adventure has barely begun and I'm already WAY too excited :D
 
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