another light question-Aqualight vs. Oddysea

[wildroseofky]

I was planning on buy the oddysea 24" dual T5 light but I found a Coralife 30" Aqualight T5 for just a few dollars more. My tank is 30" long. Any opinions on the Coralife?

Aqualight with Colormax & 6700K T5 Fluorescent Lamps - 30 in | ThatPetPlace.com

Odyssea T5 Aquarium Lighting

 

[blert]

Kind of apples and oranges.

The Oddysea is a t5HO. Though not near the best it is a decent entry level fixture. It uses standard 24" bulbs that you can find in whatever color output you like.

The CoraLife is a t5NO. Much less light than HO. Uses 30" bulbs. These are non-standard size and you can only get them in the four flavours offered by CoraLife (actinic, 10000k, 6700k, and ColorMax).

 

[wildroseofky]

Thanks I didn't even notice that the Coralife was T5NO instead of T5HO. I really need to read more carefully.

 

[blert]

CoraLife does make a HO version, and it is superior to the Oddysea, but it still limited by their use of a non-standard 30" bulb. Though they do make a 24" model if I remember correctly.

 

[aqua_chem]

The coralife fixture is actually pretty similar to the odyssea fixture in terms quality and output. Worse, by some estimation.

 

[Fresh2o]

CoraLife does make a HO version, and it is superior to the Oddysea, but it still limited by their use of a non-standard 30" bulb. Though they do make a 24" model if I remember correctly.

I own a 30" Coralife Aqualight dual T5 NO and it works for a low light tank (see below). Did not take in consideration the cost of replacement bulbs for a non-standard size when I purchased it. Factor that in over a few years and the cost the bulbs will cost more than the fixture itself.

I just ordered a 30" Finnex FugeRay. I am setting up a 20L shrimp tank and will be putting the Coralife on the shrimp tank and the FugeRay on my planted tank.

 

[blert]

The coralife fixture is actually pretty similar to the odyssea fixture in terms quality and output. Worse, by some estimation.

Never had an issue with mine and it is quite well constructed. It is nowhere near a real good one but I'll take CoraLife's contoured reflector over Oddysea's square box reflector any day. Then throw in the fact that it has an actual warrantee (Oddysea does not) and good customer service and the winner is clear IMO.

Anyway, I don't use it anymore as I have replaced it with a Maxspect Razor. I'll sell it to you cheap if you are near the Space Coast.

 

[wildroseofky]

No idea where that is. I am on the kY/WV border. It will be a couple of weeks before I can buy anything. My zip is 41203. If you could give me some idea of what it would cost to ship. I would consider buying it. PM me.

 

[aqua_chem]

Lighting an Aquarium with PAR instead of Watts

Odyssea beat FNI and Coralife quite handily with a PAR meter. I tend to think that those measurements were suspiciously high for the odyssea, but it's clear that Coralife's fixture is in the bottom tier.

 

[blert]

Lighting an Aquarium with PAR instead of Watts

Odyssea beat FNI and Coralife quite handily with a PAR meter. I tend to think that those measurements were suspiciously high for the odyssea, but it's clear that Coralife's fixture is in the bottom tier.

Heh. I do agree, a CoraLife lives among the bottom rungs of the fixture ladder of life, but that chart is highly suspect and is a joke if using to make a decision on buying anything. I mean, it's a mix of given sizes and bulb count and most sizes are not even given. And he removed a bulb from the ATI unit? What's that about? So it could be beat by an AquaticLife?
And a 2 bulb Oddysea keeping just about even with (and even beating) a 3 bulb Catalina. I just can't believe that.

Granted, I did not read the whole article. Did he use the same bulbs in each or are the numbers seriously skewed by different bulbs. You just can't pop in a couple ATI bulbs into an Oddysea and then compare it to the junk stock bulbs supplied with some other fixture and call it an honest contest.

 

[aqua_chem]

It's worse than that. It's a compilation of data collected by different users, so there's basically no control over the various variables. Someone probably removed a bulb from the ATI fixture to reduce light, and the numbers given were probably based on actual in-tank data. It's a starting point. My point was mostly to show that coralife is basically at the bottom along with the odyssea fixtures in terms of raw output. The coralife fixtures I've seen didn't seem nearly as sturdy as other fixtures, such as my Hagen Glo (seriously though, I could beat someone with that thing and then grow plants with it without skipping a beat), and it has the dubious distinction as the only other fixture I've heard of catching on fire. That being said, Odyssea's support is almost non-existent, which is a plus for coralife, but odyssea wins in raw dollar value.

 

[blert]

That would explain it. One also must assume that different PAR meters were used in testing also and some of them are just junk too.
I have seen those Hagens. They are the Louisville Slugger of aquarium fixtures. I fully believe that you could beat a Mandelorian to death with one and it would still work, but you might need a new bulb after.
I also find it hard to believe that an Oddysea could best a Hagen but the chart says it is so. Considering that most folks replace the bulbs that come stock in the Oddysea with quality bulbs it is actually making a very poor showing if that particular unit was sporting ATI bulbs.

 

[wildroseofky]

I am going to go with the Oddysea 24" for now. I am not growing a show aquarium. I just want a decent one to enjoy. When I get my house built I hope to do a large saltwater setup and do it right. Maybe a large freshwater one also. Toying with adding an in wall aquarium. My house is going to be small though. Doing it all myself, foundation to roof.