I have a 55 gallon marine land freshwater set up and the neat little .11 LEDS that came with it are cute but I need t5's for the plants and since I have a glass top I can stil use these with a normal strip t5 fixture. I am on a tight budget so checked this out Odyssea T5 Aquarium Lighting in both two and four bulb 48 inch models. Obviously the price is great. I have heard mixed reviews however most are older. Much older. Do you have any RECENT experience withthim T5 set up? I also heard the white light was yellow and one should order new bulbs right away. And before I put down another $50-$100 in bulbs I'd like to know if anyone feels e same or is that outdated. I would By the way use ATI bulbs which rock on my 27 gallon set up. Sure it's cheap and if me a few years I'm happy. I think I'd just do the two bulb set up to save me $$$$$ on bulbs in the future and I could still use my 86 LEDs with moonlights since the two light t5 does not have moonlight LEFS like the four light model does.
Any thoughts all?

__________________
Hoopman
Sunny Orlando FL
55G W/Angel, loaches/cats, tetras, rasboras, Two Bio Wheel 350's (8 cartridges and 4 wheels) Dual T5 ATI bulbs which are blue & blue-plus (white), give a saltwater tank look/moons. - 37G w/Angel, Mystery snails, tetras/cherry barbs. Dual 24 inch T5 with same ATI bulbs/moons. Bio wheel filter (dual cartridges and one wheel) and Aqueon single filter Bio cage cartridge, both designed for larger tanks. n

4 X 54W of T5HO on a 55g will more than likely make your tank an algae farm. I would stick with two and depending on how high it is above your tank, you may need CO2 - to keep the algae away anyway.

54w however is the standard wattage on a 48 inch T5 which is what goes on a 55g. I would also use a white and a form of Blue. I use e dual 30 inch set up on a 20L which it is designed for it at 24w each and it is great and no algae and it's just a foot dee. See pics in my gallery. But I will do just two like on the 20g.

__________________
Hoopman
Sunny Orlando FL
55G W/Angel, loaches/cats, tetras, rasboras, Two Bio Wheel 350's (8 cartridges and 4 wheels) Dual T5 ATI bulbs which are blue & blue-plus (white), give a saltwater tank look/moons. - 37G w/Angel, Mystery snails, tetras/cherry barbs. Dual 24 inch T5 with same ATI bulbs/moons. Bio wheel filter (dual cartridges and one wheel) and Aqueon single filter Bio cage cartridge, both designed for larger tanks. n

Blue lights dont do anythng for plants and likely could cause some algae you may not want. Better to stick with lights in the 6500-10000 kelvin rating.

The blue LEDs are moonlight only. What would u reccomended for the two 48 inch t5's??

__________________
Hoopman
Sunny Orlando FL
55G W/Angel, loaches/cats, tetras, rasboras, Two Bio Wheel 350's (8 cartridges and 4 wheels) Dual T5 ATI bulbs which are blue & blue-plus (white), give a saltwater tank look/moons. - 37G w/Angel, Mystery snails, tetras/cherry barbs. Dual 24 inch T5 with same ATI bulbs/moons. Bio wheel filter (dual cartridges and one wheel) and Aqueon single filter Bio cage cartridge, both designed for larger tanks. n

Kelvin rating of somewhere in between 6500 and 10000k. Is that what you mean?

well aside from all the above info. I have two Odyssea T5 light fixtures im about to buy another. i got them from Aquatraders they work great and im getting my next one from them as well LOL. so just my 2 cents on the fixtures

Just thought i would add to the conversation. The follow unit from aqua trader offers the 48"model with moon light. See specs below. I am also thinking about buying this unit for my 90 gallon freshwater plant/fish set up.

http://www.aquatraders.com/48-inch-3...re-p/52315.htm



Description Fixture Specs
*


Features:
Dimensions - 48" x 7.50" x 3"
Supports 3x 54W T5 High Output lamps
Supports 4x Bluemoon LED
Quick disconnect electronic ballast built-in
Digital timer built-in
Single*power cord for*all functions
Non-corrosive powder coated aluminum housing
Reflector
Acrylic splash guard
CE Certified
Package includes:
1x 48" T5*Trio fixture
2x 54W T5 HO lamps 10000K
1x 54W T5 HO lamps Actinic Blue
4x LED
1x Mounting Bracket Set

Ok, I purchased the unit and it looks great. My gutt is still telling me to replace the bulbs, so I am going to order replacement bulbs from petmountian.com
They seem to have very reasonable prices. I have decided to purchase current USA bulbs to replace the one that came with the fixture. I guess the test for the bulbs that came with the fixture will be plant health.

Most 48" T5HO fixtures come in either 4 bulb 216 Watt or 2 bulb 108 Watt settings. If you're going with the 4 bulb, I would say great substrate, dry chemical fertz, and pressurized CO2 are VITAL, along with LOTS of plants, otherwise as stated above you'll be farming algae in there. I was looking at a 4 bulb fixture for my now shattered 55 (lost it moving), but keep in mind I was going to run a 10# CO2 cylinder with two Red Sea Max CO2 reactors, and was going to do MTS with peat moss, sand, and Fluorite for substrate along with RO water with dry chem fertz.

Just my thoughts...

Oh, and from what I've heard, Odyssea is great.

__________________
Officially fishless until after the move....tune in later for details!

What bulbs are you replacing ? if you needed Saltwater bulbs or plant life bulbs you could Pick before ordering.. And the bulbs I got with mine are all very bright and work great.

I didn't replace the bulbs yet. I am thinking of going with current USA for freshwater planted/fish tank. I was not sure if the bulbs that came with the unit would give all that the plants need. As of today everything seems to be doing ok, so I may hold off on the replacement bulbs.

Well here's an update on the light fixture I purchased from aqua trader. I, unfortunately ignores the MANY MANY bad reviews I read on the Internet. I feel I was fairly wanted not to by from this company. Shortly after the unit arrived ( 2 days), the led night lights blew out. I wrote the company, and wouldn't you know it; there has been no reply. Oh by the way, the light came with no instructions on how to connect the mounting legs. I know my complaining won't help, however I thought I would share my experience like hundreds have done before me; so that others don't fall for the low price. There is that old saying, "you get what you pay for"; boy is it aprapo right about now. I paid $89.00 for a t5ho 3x 54 watts 6500 k plus four led light system.