kittenbritches
The Cat's Pajamas
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.
- 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)*- Tomato Clownfish
- Firefish
- Magenta Dottyback
- Green Clown Goby
Clean-Up Crew
- Scarlet Legged Hermit Crabs (20)*
Pincushion Urchins (3)*- Red Mithrax Crab*
- Turbo Snails (5)*
- Dwarf Zebra/Orange & Black Hermit Crabs (5)*
- 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(bleached in first week)- Purple Plasma Stylo
- Forest Fire Digi
- Rainbow Monti
- GARF Bonsai
- Tyree Aequituberculata Cap Montipora
- Rainbow Pocillopora
Jason Fox Enchanted Forest Birdsnest(was starting to bleach at the end of week one; moved back to RSR)
The LPS Corals
- Black Light Torch
- Stardust Chalice Coral
- Christmas Favia
- Acanthastrea echinata
ORA® Micronesian Hammer Coral*- Duncan
The Softies
- 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)
- Green Kenya Tree*
- Toadstool Mushroom Leather Coral*
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
Results
Week One
Last edited:
