I know two people that have had fires from Odyssea/Jebo fixtures. On top of that, I know many other people that have had failures in the units, ie ballast burnouts, leaky filters, short lifespan.
AQUARIUM LIGHT ODYSSEA POWER COMPACT ARE STARTING ON FIRE!
- Thread starter Northernforest
- Start date
I know two people that have had fires from Odyssea/Jebo fixtures. On top of that, I know many other people that have had failures in the units, ie ballast burnouts, leaky filters, short lifespan.
The only thing I've seen on that is the OLD MH fixture's using magnetic ballasts.
I personally know 2 people running Odyssea light fixtures;1 260w PC and 1 T5 set,neither has had any problem for the years they've been in use (other than fans) Both these guys fixtures have outlasted 2 48" Coralife PC's and 1 48" Catalina PC of mine,all three went up in flames/smoke.
The Coralifes are made in China too,and the 2 I had are long gone,the Catalina has new ballasts installed and is FS in the classifieds if anyone is interested.
I personally know 2 people running Odyssea light fixtures;1 260w PC and 1 T5 set,neither has had any problem for the years they've been in use (other than fans) Both these guys fixtures have outlasted 2 48" Coralife PC's and 1 48" Catalina PC of mine,all three went up in flames/smoke.
The Coralifes are made in China too,and the 2 I had are long gone,the Catalina has new ballasts installed and is FS in the classifieds if anyone is interested.
There are two ratings from UL they are UL listed and UL approved. UL listed there has been NO testing of the product at all. It just means that they have plans on file the components may or may not be UL rated.
UL approved means that the product has been completely tested.
UL listing costs $5,000 8 years ago UL approved cost 250,000 to start.
So UL listed is NOT the B all and end all
I looked into having some custom equipment UL listed (edit: said approved before, but i meant listed)for my lab. It was about a $25,000 process, and it was destructive. That was about $15,000 for the UL and $10,000 for the equipment to be destroyed. It required testing of the equipment to determine under what circumstances the product would fail. I don't know what their specific requirements were for the listing, but they were at least testing that the unit would operate safely under manufacturers specifications.
I have never read anything indicating that Jebo/Odyssea are UL Listed or Approved, and have only read that they are not. A quick search of UL didn't reveal anything, so if you have other information, I'd like to see it.
You get what you pay for and then some!
OK, here's the skinny on a good deal. You buy some power-compacts from aquatraders.com for dirt cheep compared to the lights they look like.... I've been running Odyssea lights for years ... no problems yet that I would consider anything dangerous from MY experiences.... but I take care of my fish and notice things before they get out of hand.
Here's where the hobbyists' common sense and responsibility comes into play.. regardless what brand lights you get be vigilant, UL listed / registered or not, YOU have to keep an eye on your aquarium lights. If they get hot enough to burn your hands then something is wrong... check your fans.. are they running? If they are not either replace the fans or get a new light.. Common sense.. for the cost you can't honestly beat them.
Now here's my experience with these lights..
I had the lights running on my tanks, all had the same heat issues, and the fans shipped loud.. I opened the end up and fixed the vibration noise.. easy fix if you are capable of finding a screw driver and the screws to open the unit. The reflectors were actually causing the noise from the vibrations of the fans. Super easy fix.. that lasted for a year, then the fans in both lights stopped working within a few months of each other.. Here's what I did.. I went to radio shack bought some fans.. and fixed the problem. I have the coralife lights as well after being scared into avoiding the lights everyone says causes fires... The coralife lights are getting really hot as well and have the same fan / noise issues, I will have to do the same re-work to those as well
... save your money ...
both lights only have 2 fans and they are both on the same side, although there are fan vents on both sides of the lights. I suppose if someone wanted to they could install fans on both sides, and that would keep the lights very much cooler.
bottom line:
I have both the lights from odyssea and coralife, they look very similar, and have the same issues over time with heat from my experience and opinion. They both seem to come with cheep fans. Replace the fans as needed, keep an eye on your lights.. If you test your water and feed your fish and clean your tank like you are supposed to then you will certainly notice when something isn't right. Anything and everything has the potential for failure. Just and example: If the shoes you have been wearing comfortably on your feet for years suddenly appear to have one more stripe than you'd have expected adidas to have and you can't find a label anywhere stating those shoes are adidas would you suddenly toss them in the trash just because they aren't real adidas? or would you buy another pair that's still half the price and been just as good for you? I have just bought my next odyssea light and am eagerly awaiting its' arrival.
If the two lights have the same behavior, and one is significantly cheaper and both from my experience have needed the same maint. / rework then I'm definately going to go with the cheeper of the two.
I've been keeping fish tanks for almost 25 years.
My lights sit inside of pine canopies on all my tanks, because I don't like the look of a bare fixture sitting on top of my tanks. Sooo, If I can keep them cool and not causing fires I'd think if they were sitting on top not in a canopy someone would have an even easier time of keeping them cooler...
You get what you pay for, and then some? .........
Again my post is all my opinion and thoughts from experience in the hobby.
This (my) post is entirely my thoughts and opinion on the lights I have had experience with based on my experience and use of these items.
OK, here's the skinny on a good deal. You buy some power-compacts from aquatraders.com for dirt cheep compared to the lights they look like.... I've been running Odyssea lights for years ... no problems yet that I would consider anything dangerous from MY experiences.... but I take care of my fish and notice things before they get out of hand.
Here's where the hobbyists' common sense and responsibility comes into play.. regardless what brand lights you get be vigilant, UL listed / registered or not, YOU have to keep an eye on your aquarium lights. If they get hot enough to burn your hands then something is wrong... check your fans.. are they running? If they are not either replace the fans or get a new light.. Common sense.. for the cost you can't honestly beat them.
Now here's my experience with these lights..
I had the lights running on my tanks, all had the same heat issues, and the fans shipped loud.. I opened the end up and fixed the vibration noise.. easy fix if you are capable of finding a screw driver and the screws to open the unit. The reflectors were actually causing the noise from the vibrations of the fans. Super easy fix.. that lasted for a year, then the fans in both lights stopped working within a few months of each other.. Here's what I did.. I went to radio shack bought some fans.. and fixed the problem. I have the coralife lights as well after being scared into avoiding the lights everyone says causes fires... The coralife lights are getting really hot as well and have the same fan / noise issues, I will have to do the same re-work to those as well
... save your money ...
both lights only have 2 fans and they are both on the same side, although there are fan vents on both sides of the lights. I suppose if someone wanted to they could install fans on both sides, and that would keep the lights very much cooler.
bottom line:
I have both the lights from odyssea and coralife, they look very similar, and have the same issues over time with heat from my experience and opinion. They both seem to come with cheep fans. Replace the fans as needed, keep an eye on your lights.. If you test your water and feed your fish and clean your tank like you are supposed to then you will certainly notice when something isn't right. Anything and everything has the potential for failure. Just and example: If the shoes you have been wearing comfortably on your feet for years suddenly appear to have one more stripe than you'd have expected adidas to have and you can't find a label anywhere stating those shoes are adidas would you suddenly toss them in the trash just because they aren't real adidas? or would you buy another pair that's still half the price and been just as good for you? I have just bought my next odyssea light and am eagerly awaiting its' arrival.
If the two lights have the same behavior, and one is significantly cheaper and both from my experience have needed the same maint. / rework then I'm definately going to go with the cheeper of the two.
I've been keeping fish tanks for almost 25 years.
My lights sit inside of pine canopies on all my tanks, because I don't like the look of a bare fixture sitting on top of my tanks. Sooo, If I can keep them cool and not causing fires I'd think if they were sitting on top not in a canopy someone would have an even easier time of keeping them cooler...
You get what you pay for, and then some? .........
Again my post is all my opinion and thoughts from experience in the hobby.
New 48" odyssea lights arrived
Ok, so I got my new lights in 2 days ago. Paid $100 including shipping. I've been monitoring them to see how they perform.
I got the lights with 4 free bulbs one of which broke in shipping. I was upset about that, but oh well. To the contrary of some ranting they are real pc bulbs. They light to the same intensity of my coralife bulbs. I am now running 4 6700 and 4 10,000 k bulbs. The lights are almost identicle to the coralife lights. Here's a little something for people that burn things with these lights - A) there are 3 switches on the fixture just like the coralife only 1 switch brings the fans to operating state, so make sure you are turning on the switch that brings on both the lights and the fans. B) They do get a little hot, so I already switched out my fans with some fans from radio shack. Yes radioshack, and the radioshack fans are doing very well. The fans aren't as quiet as the ones that came with the odyssea light, but I can definately tell they are moving air and the lights are staying much cooler. I've ordered some extra fans from a website that sells aqualight parts and I will have all 4 vents stuffed with fans to make sure everything stays cool.
Some things I didn't like when I received my lights from odyssea this time around :
I think folks should research, and research some more. Go see the products if they have that option, get familiar with what they are going to spend money on and go with what they feel comfortable in doing.
Remember to test your water at least once a week at the very least, and when you feed / test your water / change or check filter media also pay attention to the rest of the tank - lights, heaters, filters, power heads, sumps, uv sterilizers etc... you get the point. Keeping your eyes on these things will serve you well.
Ok, so I got my new lights in 2 days ago. Paid $100 including shipping. I've been monitoring them to see how they perform.
I got the lights with 4 free bulbs one of which broke in shipping. I was upset about that, but oh well. To the contrary of some ranting they are real pc bulbs. They light to the same intensity of my coralife bulbs. I am now running 4 6700 and 4 10,000 k bulbs. The lights are almost identicle to the coralife lights. Here's a little something for people that burn things with these lights - A) there are 3 switches on the fixture just like the coralife only 1 switch brings the fans to operating state, so make sure you are turning on the switch that brings on both the lights and the fans. B) They do get a little hot, so I already switched out my fans with some fans from radio shack. Yes radioshack, and the radioshack fans are doing very well. The fans aren't as quiet as the ones that came with the odyssea light, but I can definately tell they are moving air and the lights are staying much cooler. I've ordered some extra fans from a website that sells aqualight parts and I will have all 4 vents stuffed with fans to make sure everything stays cool.
Some things I didn't like when I received my lights from odyssea this time around :
- Broken bulb
- Fans were huge, but didn't pull a lot of air for their size, so I immediately replaced them.
- The UPS delivery person didn't seem to pay attention to the packaging that said "fragile glass inside" I was sitting at the window and watched the delivery guy literally run out of his truck, drop the light fixture at my door and run back to his truck. The bulb probably broke due to UPS and their lack of care in handling. Same thing happened when I ordered lights from another company when I got the coralife fixture.
- There appears to be a better cable management going on inside the fixture now.
- The reflector seems to be better than previous, identicle material seemingly to the aqualight.
- The lights do get good water penetration.
- The ease of replacing parts (fans) the fans from the aqualight fit right into the same fan slots on the odyssea however ... (the odyssea fan doesnt have a 2 prong connector like the aqualight does, but instead are crimped with a wire nut)
- The price is dirt cheap, and if I get worried about something I can probably address the concern and still not spend as much as I would for an aqualight or a current fixture.
I think folks should research, and research some more. Go see the products if they have that option, get familiar with what they are going to spend money on and go with what they feel comfortable in doing.
Remember to test your water at least once a week at the very least, and when you feed / test your water / change or check filter media also pay attention to the rest of the tank - lights, heaters, filters, power heads, sumps, uv sterilizers etc... you get the point. Keeping your eyes on these things will serve you well.
You need to look at the dates of these reports when researching a low-cost piece of equipment. I saw that same thread from 2005 and many others like it where people were talking about these fixtures bursting into flames - and from those, people have been ragging on these ever since. But look a little deeper. They weren't actually starting fires and burning houses down. Back then the manufacturer was using a crummy magnetic ballast that was prone to melting. A little smoke and a smell of hot plastic.. that's all. Then 2-3 years ago, Odyssea wised up and started using better quality ballasts, which is why you don't still find first-hand accounts of these problems anymore.
I bought one last November (also from Aquatraders) simply because.. well first, I couldn't afford a more expensive fixture.. and second, because I needed a 60" length for an open top tank that none of the other manufacturers produce at all. It's been running ever since and it's been fine. I intend to buy another one for a new tank I just bought with the same dimensions. Sure, I'd rather have a Coralife light.. but those cost a fortune and they don't make them in a 60" length. So I'm going to stay with something that already works.
If someone gets this, check the wiring and don't run the light if you're not home... which is common sense, anyway, regardless of who made your fixture or how much you paid for it. You already know it's a cheap fixture - if it fails after a while it's very simple to install a retrofit kit then and still use the same housing and mounting legs you have at an affordable price.
I bought one last November (also from Aquatraders) simply because.. well first, I couldn't afford a more expensive fixture.. and second, because I needed a 60" length for an open top tank that none of the other manufacturers produce at all. It's been running ever since and it's been fine. I intend to buy another one for a new tank I just bought with the same dimensions. Sure, I'd rather have a Coralife light.. but those cost a fortune and they don't make them in a 60" length. So I'm going to stay with something that already works.
If someone gets this, check the wiring and don't run the light if you're not home... which is common sense, anyway, regardless of who made your fixture or how much you paid for it. You already know it's a cheap fixture - if it fails after a while it's very simple to install a retrofit kit then and still use the same housing and mounting legs you have at an affordable price.
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Sorry I dont post a lot rofl....
and do as you wish with your tank.
I'm always home when my tank lights are on. I guess some folks dont have a job that allows that luxury.. What's the point of keeping a tank if you cant be home to enjoy it with the lights on.:hitting: Are you turning on the lights while your away from the house so the cat or dog whatever can have something pretty to look at?
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update ...
my aqualights have failed. My cheep aquatrader bought oddysea lights are still running....
here's what happened. I noticed a bulb went out in the aqualight and it was about time to replace a bulb sure... So I bought new bulbs... BUT when I went to replace the bulbs the insulation around the electrical wiring just fell apart like a crumbling cookie.. So if I ever want to use that fixture again I have to run new power wire to my endcaps.
my opinion, while the aqualight probably has a better reflector in it and a better balast I would never buy another one.
