Noopsyche K7 Coral growth/color study

[Manose]

this was just last week before I pulled my UV beating those Dinos into submission
JOND7988 by jon duboy, on Flickr

Looks really good man!! I had dinos and beat them with some killer UV and adding Nitrate and Phosphate

 

[Bouncingsoul39]

Wish I would have taken photos when I got them. In the month I have had them. I have gotten better color from these lights than I did with my radion. Seems like better polyp extension and my coralline is growing a lot faster as well.

Not trying to rain on anyone's parade here, but the old wisdom was that polyp extension was not an indicator or coral health or that even a coral is thriving. I've seen a couple mentions of observed polyp extension in the context as a benefit of these new lights. Its really not a benefit. It would be more helpful to discuss measured growth and improvement in color (from brown to colored up) for example in the discussion for how good theses lights are.

 

[Manose]

Not trying to rain on anyone's parade here, but the old wisdom was that polyp extension was not an indicator or coral health or that even a coral is thriving. I've seen a couple mentions of observed polyp extension in the context as a benefit of these new lights. Its really not a benefit. It would be more helpful to discuss measured growth and improvement in color (from brown to colored up) for example in the discussion for how good theses lights are.

You are not raining on anyone's parade but as my coral grow then my measurements will be more valid to say light is good or it's not. The study is young so lets give it time and see what this coral does.

 

[Diggem]

I was talking about intensity settings and you're ranting about time schedule settings. Haha, no worries. Rant away my friend. I for one would actually like less settings per day than seven. For example, the Aquamaxx Prism LED, which is re-badged Micmol Air, only has a few settings labeled sunrise, morning, afternoon, sunset, and dusk and you set the time blocks and intensities for those. I actually prefer less customization myself. So the current number of 7 is plenty for me.

I've got a Vipar Spectra over the tank now and that thing only has Ch 1 on and off and Ch2 on and off. Even better! lol I suppose there are those that like to fine tune and tinker and those that want to set and forget, I fall into the latter group. I've got two Noopsyches that just arrived by UPS today and I'm looking forward to setting them up when I get home from work. I'm interested to compare the visible spectrum of each and see which provides a more natural and appealing look for my taste. I'm actually quite liking the Vipar so I may end up ordering another Vipar and returning the Noopsyches. The Vipars are much cheaper, and like I said, easy on/off programming.

Can you let me know if there Worth the extra money over the viparspectra I'm thinking there is some bias people pushing these lights

 

[Jonreefer]

Can you let me know if there Worth the extra money over the viparspectra I'm thinking there is some bias people pushing these lights

the fact that you can program them and they wont have a discoball and color separation like all those mutli led setups give to me is worth the extra cash. if you have a tight budget hard to beat the viparspectra but if you want little more features and much better color blending.

 

[Manose]

Can you let me know if there Worth the extra money over the viparspectra I'm thinking there is some bias people pushing these lights

If you think that we are some biased cult who is pushing the Noopsyche agenda do yourself a favor and read other reviews on both lights or better yet do what I did and buy many different lights and test them till you find one you like.
If I was totally for Noopsyche I would not complain about how crappy the controller is. It works and does what it needs to but is missing many things I want in a controller. Noopsyche lights are good and so is
Viparspectra but the Noopsyche has some things I want more ie.
a- shimmer like a Kessil
b- more than 2 channels
c- small and lightweight

 

[Bouncingsoul39]

Can you let me know if there Worth the extra money over the viparspectra I'm thinking there is some bias people pushing these lights

Yeah there's some strong hype going for these lights right now on this website that's for sure. Everyone wants to pat themselves on the back and validate their purchase decisions. That's the internet forums for ya. It's the same everywhere from gaming to reef keeping.

The PAR testing that was done on them by the resident lighting guy @Dana Riddle showed they have sufficient PAR and PUR to grow corals. So there is no question that they will work. How good of quality they really are and how long they will work for is the BIG question. If the remote is any indicator, it's not looking good.

Is it worth the extra money? That's a personal choice. Having both of them right now, I will say that there is value in being able to tweek five different channels, which really allows you to dial in the spectrum on the Noopsyche's to one that is visually appealing to you that cannot be done with the two channels on the Vipar. The fan on the Noop is also significantly lower Db level than the Vipar which is really important to me. The tank mount bracket is also a nice option you don't get with the Vipar which will need to be hung in some fashion.
There are a few drawbacks to the Noopsyche though, the remote is a cheap piece of junk for multiple reasons, the focused two point light source design creates excessive shimmer over say a Kessil or the Vipar. I have two Noopsyche over a four foot tank and that shimmer is so extreme it's giving me headache looking at it. But oxygenation and good circulation are key to me, so I've got a lot of turbulence on the water's surface so I'm probably seeing more shimmer than others. This will be mostly resolved with a diffuser I will be adding soon if I decide to keep them and return the Vipar.

With all of that said, it just depends on your budget. If you are on a truly tight budget then I would say, no, the Noops aren't worth it. If you've got a little extra cash to play with and want a little more customization options, and are OK with taking a chance with an new, unproven light then maybe the Noops will work for you.

Hope that helps!

 

[crusso1993]

Tested par at my highest setting during the day

I am leaving the lights right were they are as coral is doing great and par seems to be spot on.

Looking fine as wine!

 

[Manose]

Looking fine as wine!

I am curious how this setting works for awhile. Lets see what kind of growth and color we can achieve if we leave it like this foe awhile.

 

[Diggem]

Yeah there's some strong hype going for these lights right now on this website that's for sure. Everyone wants to pat themselves on the back and validate their purchase decisions. That's the internet forums for ya. It's the same everywhere from gaming to reef keeping.

The PAR testing that was done on them by the resident lighting guy @Dana Riddle showed they have sufficient PAR and PUR to grow corals. So there is no question that they will work. How good of quality they really are and how long they will work for is the BIG question. If the remote is any indicator, it's not looking good.

Is it worth the extra money? That's a personal choice. Having both of them right now, I will say that there is value in being able to tweek five different channels, which really allows you to dial in the spectrum on the Noopsyche's to one that is visually appealing to you that cannot be done with the two channels on the Vipar. The fan on the Noop is also significantly lower Db level than the Vipar which is really important to me. The tank mount bracket is also a nice option you don't get with the Vipar which will need to be hung in some fashion.
There are a few drawbacks to the Noopsyche though, the remote is a cheap piece of junk for multiple reasons, the focused two point light source design creates excessive shimmer over say a Kessil or the Vipar. I have two Noopsyche over a four foot tank and that shimmer is so extreme it's giving me headache looking at it. But oxygenation and good circulation are key to me, so I've got a lot of turbulence on the water's surface so I'm probably seeing more shimmer than others. This will be mostly resolved with a diffuser I will be adding soon if I decide to keep them and return the Vipar.

With all of that said, it just depends on your budget. If you are on a truly tight budget then I would say, no, the Noops aren't worth it. If you've got a little extra cash to play with and want a little more customization options, and are OK with taking a chance with an new, unproven light then maybe the Noops will work for you.

Hope that helps!

Thank you for your answer you helping me out thinking viparspectra budget

 

[Diggem]

If you think that we are some biased cult who is pushing the Noopsyche agenda do yourself a favor and read other reviews on both lights or better yet do what I did and buy many different lights and test them till you find one you like.
If I was totally for Noopsyche I would not complain about how crappy the controller is. It works and does what it needs to but is missing many things I want in a controller. Noopsyche lights are good and so is
Viparspectra but the Noopsyche has some things I want more ie.
a- shimmer like a Kessil
b- more than 2 channels
c- small and lightweight

Hope dad is doing good after surgery

 

[cvrle1]

Just my 2c. I think this light is getting initial hype because it does show really good potential. I dont think anyone here is hyping it because they have any sort of vested interest (see $$$) in them. SO far they are putting out much better PAR numbers than anyone initially thought. They are on par (no pun intended) or even better than some high end units for quite a bit less cost. Big questions of course remain, and will be answered with time. How will they hold up over longer period of use, will corals grow and show color like you would expect, can they match growth and color of the big boys, and so on. Are they perfect, no, but they have good potential to really shake things up if they turn out to be as good as they look like they can be.

Stay tuned and we'll see what happens in the end

And just to add: I was initially all over Viparspectra/Bloomspect fixtures. I made up my mind that Bloomspect is the one I will use. Hell I even bought 1 just to see what it is like before I even put a drop of water into the tank.

 

[Diggem]

Just my 2c. I think this light is getting initial hype because it does show really good potential. I dont think anyone here is hyping it because they have any sort of vested interest (see $$$) in them. SO far they are putting out much better PAR numbers than anyone initially thought. They are on par (no pun intended) or even better than some high end units for quite a bit less cost. Big questions of course remain, and will be answered with time. How will they hold up over longer period of use, will corals grow and show color like you would expect, can they match growth and color of the big boys, and so on. Are they perfect, no, but they have good potential to really shake things up if they turn out to be as good as they look like they can be.

Stay tuned and we'll see what happens in the end

And just to add: I was initially all over Viparspectra/Bloomspect fixtures. I made up my mind that Bloomspect is the one I will use. Hell I even bought 1 just to see what it is like before I even put a drop of water into the tank.

Thanks if I had the money I would try one of the k7 shoot I tried to win one at the frag swap I went to but like you said what's there longevity the viparspectra been around awhile and good reviews for the most part as if there people making money off of these lights that's all good with me i would if I could

 

[Manose]

I am thinking I will keep my highest setting like this for awhile now as I know the par numbers. I say we give the coral time to react to this setting before adjusting the light anymore.
What do you guys think?
This is my midday setting and on for 3 hours before ramping down.

 

[drcole]

Would 2 lights over a RSR250 do well for SPS?

 

[Manose]

Would 2 lights over a RSR250 do well for SPS?

I would say yes.

 

[Ruben's Reef]

@Manose Here is the Noopsyche K7 on my 40g. Love this lights. Better than the Viparspectra.

 

[Manose]

What are your settings? I love a 40gallon Breeder as it it one of the best tanks in it's size.

 

[Manose]

I am leaving for Reef-A-Palooza early Thursday morning and helping setup the Noopsyche booth. I am so excited so anyone coming down look me up at the booth!!

 

[ianryd]

So I'm really close to buying a set of these lights (it's between these and the Reefbreeders Photon 48" V2+) and have a few questions.
1. How many should I get for a 75 gal 4x2 with center brace. Mostly LPS & Softies, with a few SPS and hopes to add acropora eventually. Would 2 be enough, or do I need 3 (or more)?
2.Will they fit in the T5 Hybrid fixtures? I don't have one but am entertaining the idea.
3. I know they are very different lights, but would anyone recommend the Photon over these for any reason?