Aquatraders?

[whyzee250]

I ran across this site while searching for a new lighting system. I currently have your typical 48" single tube freshwater hood. I'm looking for something with t-5s that wont break the bank. The prices on this site seem too good to be true.

ANYONE HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH THEM?

Thank you!

 

[Amphiprion]

They are, unfortunately, too good to be true. Most, if not all, Aquatraders items are junk, IME. You are better off saving for a nicer T5 fixture. That said, there are reasonably priced ones out there. There's the Nova Extreme Pro, which is ~$360, the Tek fixture, which is ~$420, etc. Of course, those are enclosed fixtures and will naturally be more expensive than retrofit kits. If you can managed a canopy or something to mount them to, retrofit kits with good reflectors will give you more bang for your buck than any other T5 setups on the market.

If you tweak the bulb selection, the new wave fixtures aren't awful: http://www.plantlightinghydroponics.com/new-wave-t5-4ft-grow-lights-c-321_330.html Edit: I *think* those fixtures feature individual reflectors. I can't remember at the moment.

In the end, the above fixtures will cost about the same once you buy the proper lamps.

 

[Miss my puffer]

I bought the 48 inch professional t-5 and I would not recomend for a coral tank. I bought mine for a fish only. The bulbs do not have individual reflectors. The Catalina t-5s are much better. I bought a 6-bulb for my 150 gal. (actually bought it off of ebay and saved over a hundred dollars over buying it through catalinas website) and the corals are doing great. I do have an aquatraders metal halide set that I replaced the ballasts and bulbs and still saved nicely on what is now a nice unit.

 

[jcole]

I used them about a month ago. Had no problems with them or the cheapo T-5 set-up (odessey) Everything arrived very quickly and was packed very well. After reading many bad things about the odessey and Aquatrader ( I also read many good things as well) I was very surprised it is a very heavy unit. I will make up my own mind after time passes. I was using shoplites so the odessey is a huge improvement.

 

[Scuppers]

I used them about a month ago. Had no problems with them or the cheapo T-5 set-up (odessey) Everything arrived very quickly and was packed very well. After reading many bad things about the odessey and Aquatrader ( I also read many good things as well) I was very surprised it is a very heavy unit. I will make up my own mind after time passes. I was using shoplites so the odessey is a huge improvement.

I agree with jcole. No bad experience here so far. I'll comment again if there is a failure though......

 

[whyzee250]

1 and a half months and my odyssea setup is working fine. It's obviously not the most quality setup, but it seems to be pretty effective. I'm saving up for a Coralife unit like my roommate has though. I'm looking for a decent 4 bulb T-5 setup.

Side note: The owner at the lfs received a call the other day about an odyssea unit catching on fire. This store is 100% against Odyssea products, so I'm pretty sure the person bought it somewhere else. No telling how old the unit was. I've heard that newer models were better though. :/

 

[customdrum]

i would not buy a aquatraders metal halide fixture, there powercompact work fine and are cheap but its you dont need alot of light they work fine!
there older models had a ballast problem and they caught fire but this was fixed years ago.

 

[felixpaws]

So far, so good.

I bought the most expensive 48"T5HO 4 bulb fixture they sell, with individual reflectors, single cord, and digital timer, and I'll tell you, so far it's worked, but make sure to e-mail them for the instructions. They sent me a pdf file, and I printed it out. Before that, I had my dad trying to help me figure it out, and he gave up, after a half hour of pressing those stupid little buttons. The timer buttons seem to wearing out, and I've had a couple issues with trying to set it, but overall, it's been an awesome fixture. I have it over a planted 75 gallon, along with they're two bulb 48"T5HO fixture. It comes with reef type bulbs, so, I bought some plant bulbs from another website. The 2 bulb has a switch, instead of the timer, and has been great. No heat issues, and the plants have grown great, as well. The screws to hold on the legs will screw into the metal, and the plastic shield, so, beware. You do it once, and are stuck with that placement. The configuration of the fixture is a little different than the picture on the website, but it's no big deal. There are no switches, however. Problem is, if the digital timer breaks, you can't turn it on or off. For the price, it is worth a second look, and it isn't the cheapest thing I've ever seen. It is pretty heavy considering what it costs. It was well packed, and arrived very quickly. I, also, bought the 9V UV sterilizer, and am not totally satisfied. It has a plastic clear sleeve, instead of quartz, and is rather light, and the plastic seems thin. It works, though. If you are low on funds, Aquatraders is the way to go, but I don't know if I'd trust they're Metal Halide fixtures, with all the problems in the past. 2 48"T5HO 4 bulb fixtures will fit on a 75 gallon tank, but they're not that tall, so, I don't know if the filter will fit under, and you'd have to pick it up, and off to open the tank lids, but my canister filter intake/outtake fits. My emporer 400's would not, and I don't know about a protein skimmer. Hope all that helps.:lipssealedsmilie:

 

[felixpaws]

Ooops! I forgot!

If you buy the two bulb fixture, get a set of corralife legs, because the legs that come with it suck, and the corralife fit, perfectly. Plus, they set on top of the outside rim of a standard 75 gallon tank, instead of having to screw onto the rim, like the legs that come with. I couldn't use the legs that came with it, because I have glass lids on the tank. :headshake2: The corralife legs are, like, $12, and fit the 30" corralife cfl single bulb fixture, if that helps at all. The legs on the 4 bulb fixture are okay, though.

 

[Jstdv8]

IMO I wouldnt buy a T-5 setup unless it had individual reflectors.
I have the nova extreme pro and am pretty satisfied with it. coral growth in my 90 gallon seems to be very good.