Cheap Lighting System Good/Bad?

I was wondering if this is a good buy or not.

eBay: 36" 442W Metal Halide Aquarium Light New (item 130096183157 end time Apr-06-07 20:34:17 PDT)

It seems kinda cheap for 442W of light. I am simply asking if this is a POS or actually something worth buying. If anyone has experiance with this same model it would be a huge help. Thanks

 

Its made in china, thats why its so cheap, if Im not mistaken its odyssea or jebo, and you will hear mixed reviews about those brands, but all of the horror stories are from years ago and the problems have been fixed. One of my buddies has the 48" 700 and something what one, and he loves it.

 

I would do it as it should compliment your tank nicely and offer you some flexibility in the corals and clams that you could keep successfully!

 

Thanks, I think these lights will be great for my tank. Does anyone else have an opinion on whether or not these lights are good or POS's. Thanks

 

I recently purchased the 48" 760W fixture for $359.00 from aquatraders... I am supposed to get it some time next week. I have been following the huge thread on reefcentral about these lights. It does sound like everything is fine since these new items are using electronic ballasts instead of the magnetic. The only thing that I have been reading alot about is the metal halide bulbs that come with the fixture are sub standard... but we'll see when it comes in. Supposedly the reason why they are crappy is becuase they are listed as "free" with the unit and you pretty much get whatever bulb Aquatraders has laying around. But hey, when only spending $359.....

 

I just noticed that you were looking at the item from Hombby on Ebay for $259.00 You can get the same fixture from www.aquatraders for $249.00 with free shipping. It has been rumored that Hombby and Aquatraders are one in the same.... Just an FYI

 

Hi,
Thanks so much to everyone that posted!! I actually ordered the 24'' 380W for my 29g (hope thats not too much lighting) but anyway, i will keep everyone posted on how they turn out. I don't know if it was the best idea since the lights were available starting yesterday, but for 180...I have also read posts about these lights and how the actual bulbs are subpar... fortunately i have two brand new actinic on my coralife 130w pc and depending on the mh bulb is i wont mind getting a new one in a month or two (i dont think my mushrooms or zoos will mind a subpar light for a couple months) Once i start getting sps and lps ill get a better mh bulb. The one question i had about these lights was whether or not they come with UV protected glass. i emailed the aquatraders and they havent gotten back to me. Thanks again for your posts.

 

Hi Jtomasi1...

I have been doing a heck of a lot of reading about these lights... I did come across some posts a while back about the UV issue. I read that any glass will filter UV to some extent... which makes sense seeing the I have never heard of anyone getting a sunburn from sitting near a window... When I get my lights, I am going to go with an "open" tank, so the only filter will be from the glass that covers the halides themselves.