Odyssea 20" T5HO fixture

[danielmparker]

i have this fixture on my 20 long, no pics atm, but i can say with stock bulbs im growin birdsnest, and am very happy with it

[Zoafreak]

love your investigation, thanks a bunch!!!

[PIMPALA]

ive owned two Odyssea fixtures, and they are great for the money. People always complain about the ballasts, reflectors, etc... forgetting that this unit is FIFTY DOLLARS... with free shipping!! Seriously? and people constantly complain? gimme a break. if they added high polished, individual reflectors, and digital dimmable ballasts with hige heat sinks, and cooling fans, they would start charging 4x more money.

[saltykelly]

I was going to buy a 36" t5 and retrofit led bars into it one at a time. Would you recommend swapping out the actinic first or the white bulbs first?

cree 3w leds

[Jbrock183]

I have this exact lighting for my 10 gallon nano. Most people have clearly expressed that it would be a good idea to replace the bulbs. What type and brand of 4 bulbs should I use. I have corals that seem to need more light than they are currently getting but I also like the blue tint of the actinic bulbs. In fact, I wouldn't mind to have more of a Windex color blue tint.

 

In short, what would be the best combination of 4 bulbs to replace that would be ideal for my standard 10 gallon nano?

[evilc66]

Your options are severely limited. UVL has the best options in terms of colors, but they aren't as readily available as bulbs from Current USA, or Aquatic Life (I'm not mentioning the Oddyssea bulbs, as they generally suck). Aquacave currently has a good number of UVL bulbs in stock, and you could go with a single Actinic White, two 454's and a Super Actinic to give you a bluer look. If you want it more "Windex", then swap the Super Actinic for another 454, although the Super Actinic does a great job with fluorescence.

[Jbrock183]

What is the difference betwwen 454's and Super Actinic? Any difference in benefits for the coral or just the overall blueness of the water?

 

Also, does it make a difference how they are positioned? Like whether the white bulb is in the back, middle, or front?

[Mustang Boy]

454 is a bluer blue where as the Super Actinic is closer to the 420nm spectrum. Yes the bulb layout can affect the visual color some so you can play with placement and change how the tank looks a little.

[Halo_003]

Super actinic will have a lower output than 454s is the big difference apart from the color.

[Jbrock183]

Is the 454 better than all of the bulbs that came with it?

[Halo_003]

Is the 454 better than all of the bulbs that came with it?

Absolutely yes. UVL makes quality bulbs. Oddysea makes horrible ones.

[evilc66]

Is the 454 better than all of the bulbs that came with it?

If you take a look at the first post, you can see the PAR readings between the two bulbs. On the stock ballasts, the UVL 454 wasn't a lot better than the stock bulb, but I felt the color was better overall. At higher wattages though (aftermarket ballasts required), then the 454 puts the smack down on the Oddyssea bulb.

 

The whites are a different story though.

 

Now, before UVL and Nanocustoms (which I worked for back in the day) parted ways, there was talk of UVL coming out with a better gas formulation to put them more on par with ATI in terms of output and longevity, especially when overdriving the bulbs. I'm not sure if this ever made it into the product, but if it has, then the new bulbs will be far superior.

[Jbrock183]

It seems the Actinic bulbs that come with this fixture are getting some pretty good ratings. Is this to suggest that the Actinic bulbs that come with the Odyssea fixture are better than the Super Actinic R bulbs from UVL?

[VW_TDI_02]

In regards to longevity, I've been running a 2x39 watt fixture over my 40 gallon freshwater tank for about a year now and it's been doing well so far. One complaint I have about this thing is in regards to the little clips that holds the bulbs. Not the ones on the ends but the ones in the middle. I replaced my bulbs about a week ago and two of the clips busted while trying to get the bulbs out. I also have one of their canister filters (CFS 500) and that thing is a champ. Work great for freshwater tanks.

[Jbrock183]

So Odyssea Actinic is better than UVL Super Actinic?

[evilc66]

You are comparing two completely different bulbs. The Odyssea actinic is closer to the UVL 454 (which is what I did the comparison against in the original post). The Super Actinic is a more violet bulb that is really only for fluorescence and growth, and not for changing the overall color of the light. If you were to swap the stock actinic for a Super Actinic, you would make the color of the light a little more purple, and slightly dimmer to the eye.

 

And none of the Odyssea bulbs are better than the UVL bulbs. The 454 had similar PAR output to the Odyssea actinic, but I liked the color of the UVL better. Any UVL bulb will last longer, and will be more consistent over the course of it's life.

[Jbrock183]

Honestly, I don't even understand what PAR is. And the more I try to understand the differences in T5 bulbs, the more confused I get. I've done lots of research, and am even more confused about how I would know if I have too little or too little lighting. I would really like to understand T5 lighting, at least enough to be able to make a smart selection for the specific needs of my tank. I have a 20" fixture, and UVL is the only manufacturer I've found that makes 18" bulbs.

 

Would you mind to explain the differences, pros, and cons of these UVL T5 HO bulbs?

Indigo Sun

Aqua Sun

75/25

454 NM

Super Actinic

Actinic White

 

I currently am using 2 Super Actinic, 1 454 NM, and 1 Aquasun. Is that a good mixture?

[evilc66]

UVL isn't the only manufacturer of 18" bulbs, but they have the greatest variety. Aquatic Life and Current USA also make them.

 

PAR is Photosythetic Active Radiation. Basically, it's a measure of how much light energy is present at a measured point. PAR doesn't weight the wavelengths of light like Lux or Lumens, so all wavelengths are treated equally. This is a good and a bad thing, in that the measurement is weighted towards wavelength of light that aren't useful to the corals, but it does also mean that wavelengths of light that aren't useful are treated the same way. It may not be the best measurement, but it's the easiest one we have the ability to measure without ridiculous cost.

 

Indigo Sun - cooler white (~12K) with a pit of pink

Aqua Sun - warmer white (~10K)

75/25 - not available in 18" lengths to my knowledge

454 - wide spectrum blue

Super Actinic - 425nm peak actinic bulb, lots of fluorescence

Actinic White - 12K white with a healty dose of 454 phosphors for blue-ish white bulb

 

What you have is a good mix for a 4 bulb setup, especially if you like the way it looks. If you want to tweak it, I would only change the Aquasun to something else, depending on what you are looking to get from the change.

[Mussin]

I ran this light fixture for 2 yrs on a 10 g tank. Grew everything except sps.

[Jbrock183]

Thanks so much for helping me learn. Is the fluorescence that comes from the Super Actinic bulb beneficial to coral life and growth or is it just more visually appealing?

[evilc66]

The fluorescence is just a visual thing. Now, the wavelengths of light that are exciting these fluorescent pigments happen to hit on a peak of the photosynthetic curve for corals, so it does end up being of benefit to the for growth and health.