Topdog sellers on ebay?

[akabryanhall]

Has anyone used this MH/T-5 unit from top dog sellers on ebay?
Metal Halide T5 Lighting Aquarium Marine Reef 406W 36" - eBay (item 110568156884 end time Sep-01-10 05:21:55 PDT)
What are some things I need to be wary of here, seems like a good deal..

 

[Stray32]

No, but based solely on their 99.5% feedback score from almost 10K transactions, I'd say they are reliable.

 

[CJO]

I haven't personally, but I know a couple of people who were satisfied with him/them. One thing to be careful of these fixtures is that I don't think that they are UL certified. Could be a shocking experience!

CJ

 

[akabryanhall]

Lol thanks guys! Think I may go for it. May still change the bulbs though. I know geismann are my choice for T-5, but what about a good 20k MH bulb?

 

[Stray32]

Lol thanks guys! Think I may go for it. May still change the bulbs though. I know geismann are my choice for T-5, but what about a good 20k MH bulb?

You may have convinced me as well. I have been looking for a 24 inch fixture for my frag tank, and they are pretty nice one for sale. I did notice, one of the buyer's that gave negative feedback (doconnel) is a member on ReefCen..., and lives in the Pittsburgh area. I am going to give her a shout and ask her what happened.

 

[akabryanhall]

Awesome, I will wait till you hear back from her before I purchase, thanks Jared.

 

[whip1]

tagging along.
I need a 36inch light:)

 

[whip1]

it say's it's CE certified "European conformity". rather than UL listed.

 

[akabryanhall]

Hmm, will I need an adapter of some kind?

 

[whip1]

Hmm, will I need an adapter of some kind?

I really don't know? maybe someone can tell us or maybe email the seller and ask.. not sure

 

[Stray32]

Here is the response I received from Danette (doconnel)

"the fans on the top don't really work. they don't blow very well. I wouldn't really call them fans but more like vents. they are a great price for lights but they get really hot as lights do. I specifically ask him if they had working fans and he said yes. they aren't fans."

Definitely a question to ask the seller.

 

[emerald525]

I have used them. It's a great price for lights just remember you get what you pay for. The lights do run very hot. It was too hot for my nano tank I use for a propogation tank. My friend also found the same thing too that the MH heated the water up too much in his prop tank. Just using a portable fan helped with that but the evaporation it caused for my nano was too much trouble. The MH was of a little cheaper quality as i also got quite the algae bloom.

 

[caudill187]

I ordered the 30" inch version of this for a 56 gallon reef. The fixture itself was flimsy and the legs made me very nervous. The halide was bright but the bulb color was not so good. It did run very hot!!! The fixture arrived with one of the T5 tubes non-functional and the seller was very good to quickly send me a replacement ballast. When I went to install the ballast, I noticed that those that came with the fixture were T5 NO ballasts instead of HO. (14W I think, vs. 24W). The seller was very helpful when I pointed this out and paid for return shipping and gave me a full refund. I bought a Hamilton Pendant for a little more money and am way more satisfied. Overall impression: "Get what you pay for" quality fixture. Working halide ballast that runs hot with an less than optimal bulb, NO T5's instead of HO T5's, but a great eBay seller!!

 

[akabryanhall]

Well mine gets here tomorrow, ups and fedex ground is so weird, it departed from Texas last Friday, and then it just disappears until tomorrow, no updates on tracking so far, it's like they take the full 4 business days because god forbid it arrives early..
Anyway, will post pics and stuff when it gets here.