Orphek LED: any experience with it?

[ColaAddict]

Lookin into Orphek PR 156. Does anyone have any experience with it? and do you like it? How are your SPS doing with it?

[snorvich]

Answered on your previous inquiry here.

[ColaAddict]

I read that. but that's just one guy. I want to know if there are other people who have tried it, particularly the wide optic model. I'm trying to decide if I should get one.

[gcarroll]

Pay no attention to the optics degree of the angle that Orphek provides. The 90 degree optics are no more than 40 degree and i have heard the 120 degree is no more than 60 degree. The fixture produces very decent PAR however this hotspot is isolated to directly below the fixture. The spread is so narrow, I have repeatedly heard recommendations to run the fixture 12 - 18" from the surface as a solution. Also the light output is white, this is how they achieve the high PAR numbers. The PR 156 I played with had 70% white LED diodes. I would estimate that a single AI sol white would definely rival the output of a Orphek. The advantage of the AI is that it is controllable, uses 40% less energy and 30% cheaper. The Orphek may have a 15% advantage total light output over the AI at best.

The fixture is well built and good looking however its really just 3 pieces of acrylic sandwiching some metal mesh material. Definitely not the build quality of the AI but uniqe and good looking none the less. The power supply size is enormous, larger than 2 of my 400 watt Galaxy ballasts put together.

If you notice, many of the tanks that feature their fixtures show bright light directly below the fixture and virtually nothing outside of that. the footprint of the light output on the PR 156 I played with was approx 18" x 32" at 32" distance. If this works for you then this is a fixture you might consider. Would I choose it, no becasue it is priced similar to high feature fixtures and it is no where close to a high feature light.

Of course this is only my opinion based on my experience. You can always order one and simply return it if you do not like it. Marine Depot has an excellent return policy.

[ColaAddict]

Originally Posted by gcarroll

Pay no attention to the optics degree of the angle that Orphek provides. The 90 degree optics are no more than 40 degree and i have heard the 120 degree is no more than 60 degree. The fixture produces very decent PAR however this hotspot is isolated to directly below the fixture. The spread is so narrow, I have repeatedly heard recommendations to run the fixture 12 - 18" from the surface as a solution. Also the light output is white, this is how they achieve the high PAR numbers. The PR 156 I played with had 70% white LED diodes. I would estimate that a single AI sol white would definely rival the output of a Orphek. The advantage of the AI is that it is controllable, uses 40% less energy and 30% cheaper. The Orphek may have a 15% advantage total light output over the AI at best.

The fixture is well built and good looking however its really just 3 pieces of acrylic sandwiching some metal mesh material. Definitely not the build quality of the AI but uniqe and good looking none the less. The power supply size is enormous, larger than 2 of my 400 watt Galaxy ballasts put together.

If you notice, many of the tanks that feature their fixtures show bright light directly below the fixture and virtually nothing outside of that. the footprint of the light output on the PR 156 I played with was approx 18" x 32" at 32" distance. If this works for you then this is a fixture you might consider. Would I choose it, no becasue it is priced similar to high feature fixtures and it is no where close to a high feature light.

Of course this is only my opinion based on my experience. You can always order one and simply return it if you do not like it. Marine Depot has an excellent return policy.

Thanks for the info, so it seems like you ended up going back to hallides - according to your tank info. Do you think hallides are still superior to LEDS when it comes to SPS?

[gcarroll]

I actually never switched, I just have lots of connections and was able to get one on loan for a weekend.

Unfortunately they are apples and oranges. MH is basically a dead technology. There is nothing more we will see that will vastly improve MH. It is tested and true and we know what the results, and they are good!

LED has the future in front of it. We already know it can grow corals, now if we can get the proper spectrum to get the coral colorations from sps that we have achieved from halides, it will be game over for halides. The biggest advantage is that all of the higher quality LED units seem to be more energy efficient (output/watt) than all of the halides used in our hobby.

I have not run a LED tank as of yet but I would guess that the coloration issues could be due to the fact that the most experienced long time sps keepers are holding off on LED. I expect to be moving to LED by the end of this year.

[msr224]

Cola,

I've had good results with my Orphek PR-25s and have recently ordered and received my PR-156 after a few months of saving. I liked the way the PR-25s looked on my tanks and am really liking the PR156 as well. I was skeptic at first with the pricing issues last year but I got over it. My PR156 arrived in pristine shape, well packaged and quickly. I ordered it on Tuesday and it arrived the following Monday.

The reasons I went with Orphek over AI is the fact that they have a natural looking light. I don't like the blue look of the AI sol blue and I really didn't like the look of the AI sol.

As for dimming...my PR-25s are dimmable...I set them up to be able to dim them and then NEVER used it.....

I don't know if you are following nineball's thread but he is using the Orphek and in fact is working with the manufacturer on a few product specifications. Peter and Mr. Wilson are not sponsored or getting special deals. They have been very adamant about this being a best practice thread.... Here is a link.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...3#post18635893

I put a lot more weight into opinions of people who have owned and used and critiqued a piece of equipment than the opinoin of people who haven't.

The thing that you always have to keep in mind is that someone who spends 1000's on lighting is probably not ever going to admit they don't like it....until they upgrade....

Peter (nineball) would not hesitate to change the system if he was even a little displeased. He has the resources to rebuild his fishroom a couple of times....the lighting probably wouldn't be an issue.

You can find success with multiple routes AI, Maxxspect, Orphek and probably some others... For me. I'm staying with Orphek because it has done very well for me and I believe that they are offering the best products on the market.

[msr224]

I forgot to share this one too....

bmco has switched his over to Orphek as well....

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...4#post18613134

[bmco]

Originally Posted by ColaAddict

Lookin into Orphek PR 156. Does anyone have any experience with it? and do you like it? How are your SPS doing with it?

For me, the move to Orphek PR 156 was a great success.
First, my electricity bills dropped, Chiller doesn't work at all!! (3 computer fans are doing the job of cooling my tank now) and most important, the look of SPS corals is much better. Great color strength, polyp extension growth and health extremly seen.
You can follow the test I've started (and finished ) here:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...1436135&page=5

[mordibv]

Not trrying to jack the thread ...
bmco .
Very ,very nice tank . It must have taken a lot of courage to go from MH to leds since you appear to be a die hard SPS fan . Yes , I know there is a lot of diversity in that tank of ur's
I am starting to wonder if having a more white to blue ratio works out better for the corals .
I saw 2 20 k fixtures (not orphek) on a LFS tank and it was way too blue for me . I found this odd since I am a fan of 20 k halides .
So how many months is it now ?
BTW since the growth rates are so good , when r u going to offer up a frag pack .Looks like u need to do some trimming . ...just kidding
A few more questions . Do you have any duplicate acro's in different areas of the tank and do they look different now ?

[ColaAddict]

Thanks guys, I was leaning towards Orphek, now I think I am going to get it for sure.

[ColaAddict]

I have a 90gal corner, 30" deep, which is why I was looking into Orphek. The problem is the shape of the tank, being a corner tank, I can really just fit 1, maybe 2 orphek over it. Maybe if I get the 120 optics, I may need only 1, but I have to research that too.

[mykol]

Wow, this may be just the light I'm looking for. I have a new 40 gallon breeder, and looking at their site, just one of these should be enough. Do any of you have any tips or suggestions on a way to hang this thing as well as how high id have to hang it to keep from over lighting my shallow tank? I live in an apt and drilling into the ceiling or wall is less than ideal. I'm hoping for maybe brackets or an hob suspension device.

[msr224]

Originally Posted by ColaAddict

I have a 90gal corner, 30" deep, which is why I was looking into Orphek. The problem is the shape of the tank, being a corner tank, I can really just fit 1, maybe 2 orphek over it. Maybe if I get the 120 optics, I may need only 1, but I have to research that too.

Coladdict,

I am running a 54gallon corner bowfront and am more than satisfied with the light for my tank. I would imagine that the 120 degree optics will cover your tank. As Mr. Wilson stated the company coverage may be a tad conservative BUT start with one and go from there.

I have hung mine over my tank and really like the look. I wish I had ordered the UV version since I really liked the ML7 over my tank and the flourescence that it produced.....

So far the corals have responded well. The coloring on my green slimer and forest fire digitata has been great. A couple of softies are not feeling the love, I moved them down lower and have the photo period shortened as well.

I anticipate aclimation via increasing the photo period over the next couple of weeks.

[msr224]

Originally Posted by mykol

Wow, this may be just the light I'm looking for. I have a new 40 gallon breeder, and looking at their site, just one of these should be enough. Do any of you have any tips or suggestions on a way to hang this thing as well as how high id have to hang it to keep from over lighting my shallow tank? I live in an apt and drilling into the ceiling or wall is less than ideal. I'm hoping for maybe brackets or an hob suspension device.

One shelf bracket on the the wall that is centered on the tank will be enough to support the light as it isn't very heavy. I would suggest two....or you can look at some of the lighting threads and find something that will work. When I did my PR25s I went through the lighting section at home depot and lowes until I found something I liked. I have seen a lot of cool stuff at Ikea too....

If you do a DIY mount with this thing then be sure to make it look as top notch as possible. If not it will look ghetto....the light looks so good it would be a shame to jack it all up....hahahahahaha

One will definitely light that 40 breeder up.

[mykol]

So my tank right now is pretty bare. I've got a little hammer, a Duncan, and some zoas. I'm a softies kinda guy but would like some specific sps. Should I be worried about these led being too much for zoas given the shallow depth of my tank?

[msr224]

Originally Posted by mykol

So my tank right now is pretty bare. I've got a little hammer, a Duncan, and some zoas. I'm a softies kinda guy but would like some specific sps. Should I be worried about these led being too much for zoas given the shallow depth of my tank?

No, what you will need to do is to adjust height of the light and the photoperiod in order to gradually acclimate your friends. I have some shrooms and zoas that are all doing fine. Just some palys that are looking a little stressed. I moved them into a shaded spot this morning, no big deal.

[mykol]

Happen to have a link to the par output of the fixture @ different heights so I know how high i need to mount it.

[msr224]

Originally Posted by mykol

Happen to have a link to the par output of the fixture @ different heights so I know how high i need to mount it.

Yea if you look at bmco's thread you will see the switch over and the par measurements that he attained.

Here it is to make it easier for you to find.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...1436135&page=7

[mykol]

reading their site some more, and looking at his findings, i think this pendant will be a bit stronger than what i'm looking for. it seems like an amazing pendant for deep tanks, but my shallow little guy is going to make it awkward.

[scram42]

Mykol, I have the PR 156 35 cm. (1 ft.) over a 30 gal breeder and not burning anything.

[mykol]

How high off your tank is it?

[scram42]

How high off your tank is it?

Mykol, I have the PR 156, 35 cm. (1 ft.) over a 30 gal breeder and not burning anything.

[mykol]

sorry, i misread that and was thinking the size of the pendant was 1ft =p

how long have you had it up and running? are you mostly sps, or do you have softies?

[scram42]

I've had it up for a little over 4 weeks now. I have mostly lps and sps and a couple softies.
I had it on for, I think only 6 hrs. to start and gradually increased to 8 hrs daylight and 12hrs. for the blues.