I personally don’t mind. It’s white noise to me. But tomorrow I will use a decible meter to get a reading on these fans and post on this and my build thread.Because it is a 140w lamp, the radiator needs relatively strong power to dissipate heat to prevent burnout.
When I usually test the lamps and lanterns, 10 sets of them are tested together, and the sound they make is not too loud.
Maybe your environment is very quiet
My SPS preset is much whiter with a touch of blue. I like both presets but chose SPS/LPS because I wasn't sure how strong the light would be on the corals since I have never used LEDs
When my unit fan kicks on, I barely hear it when I am 4 feet from the tankBecause it is a 140w lamp, the radiator needs relatively strong power to dissipate heat to prevent burnout.
When I usually test the lamps and lanterns, 10 sets of them are tested together, and the sound they make is not too loud.
Maybe your environment is very quiet
I did a decibel reading from my iphone. With my door closed and everything off in my room besides my laptop and my monitor (and of course the tank). I was recording an average of 52 decibels. When the fan turned on...i was at 54 decibel average from 6 feet away and 55 decibels from 1 foot away. As such, yes, you can hear it. But no..it is not that loud.
I tested the decibels with the lights off, and just the sound of my filter in the room. The lights are too low for the fan to kick on yet, so I'll measure after work for The Big Reveal.
Missed you!! Haha. The CEO of my company is in town through Wednesday with eyes on my department so I have to work in the office. ;Yuck I haven't been there in person since August.
Wow. that is quite a jump. How far away were you from the lights? I know it shouldnt make a difference but that was a pretty large jumpDoor closed, lights off last night:
Door closed, only one of two fans running tonight:
Again, it's not a deal breaker for me, but it would probably bug me if it was in another room.
In other news, my gorgonian coral is SUPER fluffy and loving life.
Same place, standing in front of the tank both times to eliminate any ambient noise or other variables.
OMG, so sorry to see you came home to your tank looking that way but that is amazing to see your Goni come to life!! That is incredible! What is so weird is that I just read an article that mentioned something about these guys liking their water a little dirty. I was actually trying to find the article again when I saw your post. I think your tank confirms it! Haha. That is crazy!! The more I read about Gonis the more I'm quite convinced I'm going to have a dedicated tank for them. They are fascinating! Thanks for sharing!I came home from work today to the tank being COMPLETELY covered in green slime algae. It was clear this morning.
My hammer coral is all but dead.
But will you LOOK at my gorgonian?! It looks like an alpaca! It's so fluffy!!
cc: @Karen00 check out the corky sea finger gorgonian (Briareum asbestinum).
They really are so amazing. They're smooth and creepy when their polyps aren't extended (really like their other common name, "dead man's fingers"). I was excited when the polyps were out from tip to tail, but had no idea they could floof out like this!
You're pretty freaking funny. Nice write up!How Will My Noo-Psyches Grow?
I won two Noo-Psyche K7 V3 140 Watt LEDs in a giveaway on R2R and was asked to record my coral growth over a two-month period, updating this thread week-over-week in that time. This presented a unique opportunity, as I was planning to set up a 40-gallon breeder tank in my bedroom with primarily SPS corals. I upgraded from this tank to an RSR250 a few weeks back and decided that rather than swap out lights I am happy with, I would use the NPs on a brand new setup, recording corals from their first day in the tank.
I was not asked to do an unboxing video, provide a review of the lights, or endorse Noo-Psyche in any way. As such, this will be an unbiased, transparent experiment, full of my opinions and pulling no punches.
Impressions and Prejudices
My lights arrived in a nondescript brown cardboard box, taped to hell, with my last name scrawling across the back in black marker. DHL left it in the rain, but I was able to bring it in relatively quickly. The lights I had on my 40B, which I am still using on the RSR, are Maxspect Razor X5 150s, which are currently available from SaltwaterAquarium.com for $612.14 (+$60 if you want the Maxspect Connect ICV6 to be able to program and control your lights from a phone app). If you don't opt for the ICV6, there is an LCD controller on the side of the light, which is easy to program and use. Maxspect is also a company based in Hong Kong, but they’re obviously a more established brand. I share this information as my baseline for comparison. The Razor X5 has three (3) LED clusters with a total of 60 LEDs with four (4) controllable channels. The NPs have two (2) clusters and 40 LEDs per fixture with six (6) programmable channels. As such, I will have four (4) clusters and 80 LEDs with perhaps a broader light spectrum feeding my corals with that sweet, sweet light.
Noo-Psyche’s retail price per 140W fixture is $298 (+$70 for their wired controller with no wifi-connectivity or app). Out the door, not counting freight charges or discounts, you’re looking at the mark of the beast, $666. NP is essentially charging the same price as Maxspect, with a more rudimentary functionality and tedious manual programming. Additionally, the commercial invoice was affixed to the outside of the box, stating each fixture is worth $50. At the same retail price-point will their light spread and mixing-spectrum technology out-perform Maxspect?
Out of the Box
The packaging is simple, and all of the contents are well wrapped and otherwise protected. Buyer beware: there are no written assembly instructions included. If you’re a visual thinker, assembly is pretty simple, and it will only take a few minutes to get the brackets assembled and the claws attached to the fixtures. If you need step-by-step instructions, they have a quick assembly video on YouTube.
The fixture itself seems well-built and sturdy, but all of the screws are very short. I have trust issues, so I’m a little leery hanging 280 watts of electricity above a box of water. Additionally, the claw which connects the fixture to the mounting arm is made of plastic and connects to the mount with another disconcertingly small screw. Just one.
I don’t know who Rick is, but I bet he likes to party.
The two plastic bolts that secure each arm to the tank are a real cabrona to screw in. The holes aren’t threaded consistently, so twisting them by hand only got them in about ⅓ of the way -- even with my freakishly strong kung fu grip. I didn’t have a socket wrench large enough for the bolt heads, so I had to turn them, half-turn by agonizing half-turn, with channel locks.
Attaching the fixtures to the mounts was easy enough, and adjustments were a breeze thanks to my handy 25-year-old electric screwdriver.
With the lights securely (hopefully) mounted above my tank, I was pleasantly surprised. They look nice, and the branding on the front is much more discrete than online images show.
I mounted the lights 9.5” from the surface of the water and 10.5” apart.
Programming
On first impression, the controller feels like Prototype A. It feels cheap, is unlabeled, and overall just seems unfinished. It has a small LCD screen in the upper right corner, and although nothing on the display makes obvious sense, it is through navigating this menu that one programs their lights.
Said navigation is not at all intuitive but is better than programming with the buttons on the fixtures themselves. With the NP controller, you are able to set your light schedule and manually set each channel per your preferences, or you can choose one of their preset options: SPS, LPS, or SPS/LPS.
I opted to set my own schedule and light settings, which I may tweak as time goes on.
Below are the NP presets in action:
My light schedule and settings:
Channel A Channel B Channel C Channel D Channel E Channel F Time White Light Blue Blue UV Red Green & Blue 6:00:00 AM 0% 1% 1% 1% 0% 0% 7:00:00 AM 1% 10% 10% 3% 0% 10% 8:00:00 AM 2% 30% 30% 25% 1% 30% 9:00:00 AM 5% 80% 80% 50% 2% 80% 5:00:00 PM 5% 80% 80% 25% 2% 80% 7:00:00 PM 2% 30% 30% 5% 1% 30% 8:00:00 PM 1% 10% 10% 3% 0% 10% 9:00:00 PM 0% 0% 1% 1% 0% 0%
I know, I know...I am ancient and go to bed early!
I checked the PAR at 11 points in my tank based on where I will be placing corals.
- 550 (at the surface of the water)
- 323
- 260
- 303
- 184
- 181
- 249
- 71
- 60
- 210
- 188
The Build
For now, this is a HOB build, so it’s a pretty simple setup.
I decided to go with CaribSea Arag-Alive Hawaiian Black substrate, and am only using 20 pounds. I toyed with the idea of going bare bottom, but I’m really liking the way the black looks, and hope it will make my corals pop. I also have 10 pounds of premium live rock from KP Aquatics and 30 pounds of live rock from my LFS.
- Aqueon 40B box
- Marineland Emperor Bio-Wheel Power Filter (400 GPH)
- Tunze Turbelle Nanostream 6015s (2)
- Macro Aqua M-50 Mini Hang-on External Protein Skimmer (not currently running)
- 200 Watt Eheim Jager Heater
- Inkbird 306-A
Livestock
Fish
- Banggai Cardinalfish (2)*
- TBD
Clean-Up Crew
- Scarlet Legged Hermit Crabs (20)*
- Pincushion Urchins (3)*
- Red Mithrax Crab*
- Any and all hitchhikers (at least a few brittle stars survived the journey, as well as a snail who has a teeny crab living on it and a couple of baby ceriths)*
The SPS Corals
- Pinkberry Table Acro
- Mary Poppins Acro
- Purple Plasma Stylo
- Forest Fire Digi
- Rainbow Monti
- GARF Bonsai
- Tyree Aequituberculata Cap Montipora
- Rainbow Pocillopora
- Jason Fox Enchanted Forest Birdsnest
The LPS Corals
- Black Light Torch
- Stardust Chalice Coral
- Christmas Favia
- Acanthastrea echinata
The Softies
*new livestock that was not previously in the RSR250
- Lime Green Warty Corallimorph*
- Gorgonian Corals (2)*
- Pink Feather Duster
- Long Tip Anemone*
- Q3 Ultra Ricordea
- Fan Coral (my foxface was eating it in the RSR250)
Let There Be Light
Once I got everything programmed and situated with the lights, I turned them on and left them for about an hour. At this time, the only corals in the tank were two gorgonians, the corallimorph, and the black light torch, in addition to the anemone and fan coral. Before leaving the room, I noted that the torch didn’t seem to pop, or “glow,” if you will, under these lights as much as they do with the Maxspect lights. To be fair, the lighting is also different in my bedroom than in the living room. I will have to judge when the sun goes down.
When I came back upstairs, the two gorgonians, which previously looked like plucked chickens with just a few polyps extended here and there, were all fluffy and happy! +1 for NP. I've noticed that even with yellow and orange lenses, photos under this light come out VERY blue.
Fast-forward a couple of hours, and I’d worked up enough energy to bring my frags upstairs and figure out where I’d like to place them. I brought my lens filters up and wanted to turn the lights to blues only to see how much my corals would pop.
I’ll be darned. Despite 10+ attempts, I cannot get any new settings to take. At one point pressing the preset button made the left and right fixtures alternate brightness and light settings. This controller is absolutely horrible. I’m a very logical, analytical person, and nothing about how this “controller” works is logical. I am so frustrated. The controller alone would make me not buy NP lights -- good thing I didn’t have to buy them. -100 for NP.
Additionally, the internal fans are quite loud and put off a burning electrical smell. Another NP owner also noticed the burning smell but says that it did go away after some time.
Buckle up, buttercup. Let’s see if the lights promote more coral growth. That’s why we’re here.
Day One
My computer fan is loud enough it drowns out my skimmer pump. Nothing is more loud on my aquarium than my skimmer. If you are a super tech geek repair tool guy/person/animal/thing, you would/could replace the fans with less noisy ones. That probably removes waranty. They have a nice 2 year warranty.
I find them kind of loud, but not box fan loud...might need to blow some air through them
How's it looking today? Hopefully you didnt lose anything.I came home from work today to the tank being COMPLETELY covered in green slime algae. It was clear this morning.
My hammer coral is all but dead.
But will you LOOK at my gorgonian?! It looks like an alpaca! It's so fluffy!!
cc: @Karen00 check out the corky sea finger gorgonian (Briareum asbestinum).
