great deal on ebay!

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
Wow! I just bought a fantastic Coralife 220W fixture and am loving it--it's got separate switches for the sets of bulbs, and fans to cool the whole apparatus. I paid $150 including shipping and got 4 extra bulbs from a *really* good friend (well, I've known him a month and have never met him, but he's a good friend in my book now!). I thought that was a fantastic deal, but I'm willing to show a little envy that you've found this price.

Caveats.... 1) I've never heard of this company (JEBO), and IME it's often better to go with a well-reputed brand. Esp. if you have to return it. 2) I see no mention of fans in this ballast, and these are pretty important with high-intensity compact fluorescent bulbs, as the unit gets very hot. My fans cool the Coralife fixture, but it still gets warm to the touch. 3) The bulbs you'll be receiving aren't intended for planted tanks. You'll prob. want to change out the actinics and replace them with at least 10,000K white bulbs; or if you want nice vibrant colors (esp. reds) in your plants, you'll want to exchange them for 5500-6700K plant bulbs.

A cursory look on google turns up no negative reviews of JEBO or this ballast. Up to you!
 
Thats a good deal on the Coralife. Never heard of Jebo either. Must be Euro or Asian made. A 4x55 AH runs around $200 with bulbs. But the AH reflector is 60% brighter than the standard type reflectors. IMO, its worth the extra cost, if one needs the brightness for red stuff. AH has a good price on replacement bulbs and is a nice company to deal with for sure. :)
 
Yeah; a lot of ppl give AH a good review. I'm wary only because I know these units aren't cooled--though of course you could DIY some fans into them... But the deal was too good on the Coralife, and 4 wpg is more than I actually need for my plants, so a few lumens lost is nothing to despair about :D . Sigh; I just love that aluminum finish on the Coralifes!

'Course, I also know that some ppl here have pretty low tolerances for anything but the best and most efficient ballasts, and that Coralifes don't rank high on their lists!
 
I have had 2 of the JEBO lights you found there (ordered from the same place). They will be more than adequate for aplanted freshy tank. I had a little problems getting my order (over a week with no coorespondence) but all-in-all a decent light for the price.
 
That looks like a lot of "bang" for the buck. Let us know how you like it :D
 
You will have to replace two of the bulbs. That's another $30-$40. As I recall those units are made in China. Labor is cheap there. And I have to wonder where they cut the corners. Bulbs are $15-$20 each, ballasts are $30-$40 each. I have searched the reef boards because it seems that's the market they are aiming at. No negative reviews but nothing positive either. Some mention of the bulbs having a very short live (months) and a couple reports of a ballast giving out.
 
I don't need all of that light, i was thinking of just taking both of the blue ones out and leave it like that. :? Are the replacement blubs hard to find?
 
Nope. www.ahsupply.com has a good selection if they are straight pin bulbs. And removing two bulbs my not be an option depending on how the unit is wired and the ballast used.
 
Something to consider with this light also is that there are no endcaps for the lights. They are strait wired with a small copper connector and shrink wrap. Again, I have had no problems with them. But you do get what you pay for. So far for the price I am still happy with it.
 
My husband researched this brand when we were discussing the lighting for my 55 and he was very wary of the quality. I am at the point in this hobby that I have spent so much money replacing the cheap stuff with quality that I don't bother with cheap anymore, and just save my pennies for the best that will last. It's no bargain if you have to replace it a year down the road.

That being said, when I started I did not have much money to devote to it, and I made do with lesser quality, which was fine for the time. It's just in retrospect that I see how much money has been "wasted!"
 
IMHO, I would consider the 2x55 AH supply kit. You've got to make a box, but you'll get about 30% or more light for near the same price. And on a 50 gallon tank that extra light could make a big difference and allow you to grow a greater variety of plants.

The fans are no big deal unless you live in an un-airconditioned apartment in El Paso. The top design of the AH box vents out the heat and the tubes are about an inch lower in the reflector than in standard PCs. This is part of the reason the AH bulbs put out more light (as well as their reflector design)... That helps keep the tubes cooler, puts out more light, and helps the tubes and ballast to last longer as well.

Coralifes are very sleek and nice looking, no doubt. I own and like my 24 inch 65 watt Coralife PC. But the superior design of the AH will out perform any similar Coralife. My 36 watt AH light seems a brighter than my 65 watt Coralife! Both had new 6700K tubes when I compared them. The AH components are high quality (and some of AH components are made in China too... like their ballast). HTH
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

G
Black Skirt Tetra eating issues
Replies
3
Views
4K
gon
G
cadd
Cadd’s First Community Tank
2 3
Replies
57
Views
4K
cadd
cadd
KrempelJD
29 gallon Lighting
Replies
0
Views
324
KrempelJD
KrempelJD
mrvincent
Calculating TDS from GH + KH ?
Replies
5
Views
4K
Rare
Rare
P
Need fluorescent bulb guidance for 38 gallon Aqueon hood
Replies
2
Views
2K
Fresh2o
Fresh2o

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom