Odyssea 4x65W PC Actinic to 2x54W T5

Well so far I've had good luck with my Odyssea unit, but it seems as if either one of the PC ballasts has gone south, or one of the 65W PC bulbs has gone south, as the back left bulb won't fire. It seems that there are 4 65 Watt ballasts, wired to 2 individual switches and one power plug. Knock on wood, so far, the 2x250 MH are still going great.

What I'm considering doing is getting a T5 retro kit, removing all of the PC components (ballasts / reflectors / mounts) and installing the T5 components in their place. Marinedepot has the 2x54 watt Sunlight supply (Tek) retrofit for $130. I may have to do some modding, but there seems to be enough room in there to play with, can anyone think of why I shouldn't mod the Odyssea to take 2 54 watt T5s? Or maybe even do 4x54? I think 2 54 watt T5's would be better than 4 65 watt PC's.

Has anyone done this already? Thoughts?

 

but it seems as if either one of the PC ballasts has gone south, or one of the 65W PC bulbs has gone south, as the back left bulb won't fire.

VERY easy to check.... Switch your bulbs around.. If it lights up, it's the bulb..
I have had the bulb get loose. snugged it back, and started working..

I think 2 54 watt T5's would be better than 4 65 watt PC's

You may need to rethink that..
I have 4x65 PC Odyssea, changed the bulbs out to coralife..
And 4x54 T5 HO's.. Both sets on a custom made 60 Gal..

The 4x54 sounds like a good build for you..With the 2x250 MH ..
That would be ALOT of light.. You should be able to keep most anything..
Keep us posted on your build.. Take some pictures if you could..
There's alot of people wanting to change the Odyssea out..

Good Luck, Larry

 

48" Tek Light T5 Retro-Fit Kit 2 x 54 watt High Output - eBay (item 110370189485 end time Jun-26-09 14:18:11 PDT)

I will start at 2x54 and move up to 4x54. I don't want to purchase 2 kits and find that I can't even do 1.

If one works, I will purchase a second and install. I see no reason I can't do this. I would be going from 4 independent ballasts down to 2.

I think I will use UVL super actinics for the bulbs.

 

Yea, I will swap the bulb around tomorrow. It's just a PITA to do something like that, my light fixture is not easy to remove from my tank.

I'll certainly take pictures along the way. I'm going to purchase that retro this week and when I get that and the bulbs in I'll document what I do. My fixture needs a good cleaning anyhow.

The stock Odyssea stuff isn't bad really for the price, you get what you paid for, I knew that going into the purchase. I have no complaints on the MH so far.

 

I have some Catalina Lights I am feelin pretty good about the purchase....
Prior to these I had Odyssea and had bad luck with them....
Danny

 

Anyone else have thoughts on this, or has anyone swapped out the Odyssea MH unit with PC to T5's?

 

I don't know a lot about retro kits, but I do have the odyssea PC 4x65W. I know that the fixture gets really hot and the fans are inadequate. So my one precaution is to either install some additional fans, or be sure that the new ballasts you buy do not get too hot. Just my 2c

 

Adding the retro kit will not be all that hard, BUT you will need to plan ahead!!! Retro kits come with WATERPROOF ENDCAPS for guys like me that build their own light and have no shield protection. You NEED REGULAR ENDCAPS, which do NOT come with the kits. I would measure the width you have as the Tek SLRs are 3" wide, you might want to look into Aquactinics 2" versions.

Also you need to measure the LxWxH to make sure you have enough room for the T5 ballast(s). Do you know what kind you are going to use? Workhorse is relatively thin but pretty long depending on what model you do. Are all the T5 lamps going on the same switch and ballast? I know thats a mutt question as I hope you would wire them all together, it sure would make your life easier.

250 with the 2x54 watt T5 will be enough but why NOT do 4? That way you could run 2 Blue+ for color AND PAR then run 2 true actinics for color and pop... They won't really add enough PAR to be an issue.

My vote is 4x54 watt, that way you can use it later if you upgrade.
If you have more wiring questions, don't be bashful, we don't want to read about a house fire tomorrow!!

Good luck!

 

I'll certainly post wiring questions if I have them I definitely don't want a house fire. I've heard those aren't reef safe ;D

Just out of curiousity, why would I not want waterproof endcaps?

I will look at the aquatinics kits. I will look at the measurements of the ballasts in the kit - I just need something thin. I have 4 ballasts inside the unit currently, and there seems to be quite a bit of excess room inside the unit currently so I do not think that space will be an issue.

I will be wiring all to one power cord, and use the two switches that came with the unit to be able to shut down the front and back pairs independently.

 

Frag - got a link to the Aquatinics 48" 54W kit somewhere? I only seem to find icecap and tek.