Noopsyche K7 Pro II - Crimson's Review and Growth Thread

[Cerberusfish]

You won’t regret getting these lights. I have used them for over a year with out any problems. Some people complain about the controller. I think it’s because most people are familiar with a touch screen.However once you set the lights up. You will probably not mess with the lights much. At least that has been my experience.

I will say, the controller has lost my programming a few times when I've gone to make adjustments and had to start over which is very annoying. But ideally you won't have to change it ever. I've had to change mine when I decided to start keeping higher light corals and needed to slowly ramp up to accommodate, and again when I added the third fixture.

 

[User]

You won’t regret getting these lights. I have used them for over a year with out any problems. Some people complain about the controller. I think it’s because most people are familiar with a touch screen.However once you set the lights up. You will probably not mess with the lights much. At least that has been my experience.

I’ve used my controller three times in a year. First time to program the initial 4 that I bought, then to add a program to the two additional I bought for the frag tank, then third was to reduce settings during a move to a new house because I put everyone into 2 frag tanks for a month

practically set it and forget it.

 

[alabella1]

I'm entertaining grabbing 2 of these plus the controller for my RSM 250 and sticking them in the existing hood/T5 area. What are your thoughts on that?

 

[Cerberusfish]

I'm entertaining grabbing 2 of these plus the controller for my RSM 250 and sticking them in the existing hood/T5 area. What are your thoughts on that?

I definitely would. I've had them for about a year now and they're a great light. Are they perfect? No. But they work really well still, especially for what you pay for.

 

[Dilan Patel]

Would 6 of these over a mixed reef 6'x24" be overkill? Standard 180 has two braces, so divides the tank into 24x24" 'sections' x 3. 2 lights per section

I currently have 3 mars aqua 165w, but hate that there is no dimming and I'm sure I could do way better

I do have growth on a couple favia, some Duncan's, hammers at mid tank, plus happy fungia plates on the sand. Looking to add a lot more lps and some easy sps very soon

Thanks!

Did you end up buying these for the 180? I think Im getting towards the end of the life cycle for my sbreeflights on my standard 180 (run 6 of those LEDs currently) and was thinking of slowly migrating over to these. How is growth on SPS?

 

[User]

Did you end up buying these for the 180? I think Im getting towards the end of the life cycle for my sbreeflights on my standard 180 (run 6 of those LEDs currently) and was thinking of slowly migrating over to these. How is growth on SPS?

Yes- I got amazing results using 4 over the 180, and I have 3 more for and frag tanks.

Cyphastrea on the bottom sand have exploded and gained almost triple size in a year or so. Encrusting monti has also made big growth gains. Anemones tripled in size in a month and split 3-4 times.

They discontinued the K2’s, and are now offering a new K3 with a different diode set up, higher power, and better remote for around the same price. Will he released in about a month.

 

[Cerberusfish]

Did you end up buying these for the 180? I think Im getting towards the end of the life cycle for my sbreeflights on my standard 180 (run 6 of those LEDs currently) and was thinking of slowly migrating over to these. How is growth on SPS?

My sps growth has been fine. I'm growing montipora (various kinds) birds nest, a couple different types of pavona, ANacropora (no actual ACROpora just yet) and they all do well. They aren't the most intense of lights but they grow SPS just fine.

 

[GuppyHJD]

First off, I wanted to give a shout out to everyone involved at Noopsyche and allowing us to review the product. I was given four lights, four mounting brackets, and 1 controller for my 48x24x24" 120 mixed reef. I am SPS dominate, but I do love my zoas and LPS as well. More information about my system can be seen in my build thread here.

This is my tank prior to trialing the Noopsyche K7 Pro II​

(AquaticsLife Hybrid T5 with Ocean Revive Leds)​

I am going to break down my review into sections to help keep me on track as well as hopefully make it easier for you, the reader.

Packaging
The package was shipped to my door straight from Hong Kong. I have not received many packages directly from China, but the ones that I have seem to take a week if not longer to receive. This was not the case with the package. I received a shipping notification on Thursday and I received it on Tuesday. Everything came packaged very well and did not show any signs of damage.

This was the part I was most excited about! I wanted to see these new lights and compare them to what I have currently. The lights themselves were packed extremely well and the box included the power cable, light fixture, and operating instructions.

Mounts
The mounts seem to be quality material. All the pieces came individually wrapped and the hardware was in four bags, one for each mount. One thing that I liked about the mount was that the wet side of the mount is made of plastic. I have used mounts for my Kessil and AI lights, and they are made of metal. This confuses me, because even though the light mount should not be getting wet, it is possible if it is on the inside of the tank. This is not the case here. Nice planning.

A few hiccups with the mounting systems. Firstly, no instructions are included. A picture of the mount is included, but no instructions on how to assemble it. For someone who is handy, it is easy to figure out, but there are about ten screws that I had to figure out where they all went. It would be nice to have an easy reference just to double check myself. The other issue I ran into with mounting the lights is the casing on my tank. The casing on my tank is 1.5", and the mount opening is 1.25".

So with a little fiddling and spacers, I was able to get them mounted. This may not be an issue for those that have rimless tanks, but if you are using these lights on standard 120+ tanks, you may run into an issue with the casing being larger than the mount allows.

Light
The light itself is very attractive. It measures 7.5"x4.5", so it is relatively compact. The top is a black heat sink with a single fan for ventilation. The bottom of the fixture is made of a nice molded plastic (that I believe comes in white and black) and has two lenses.

When inspecting the unit, I did place the lenses down on the table and noticed that they protrude out past the plastic mold. So be careful if you set them down on the lenses, it could scratch or worse break them.

The light has 7 channels: Cool white, light blue, dark blue, violet, uv, red, and green.

On the bottom/side of the unit, there is a button, a status led, and micro SD slot for uploading programming and software. The button will allow you to change from Manual to Auto modes for lighting. However, you will need to use the remote to alter intensities of each color spectrum as this cannot be completed on the unit itself. The status LED will illuminate blue or red depending on which mode of operation you are in.

The included power supply is approximately 8 ft long. There is an initial pigtail that you connect to a brick and three prong plug. I was happy with the length, because I constantly find myself looking for extension cords. I did run into some problems with the pigtail from the light and the connection to the brick. You really have to put some force behind them, to have them connect properly. I didn't realize this upon initial install. Once they are connected, it makes a very secure connection.

The programming of the light was okay. The included instructions need to be revised (Which I believe is being worked on as we speak), just because translation is not exactly correct. You can make it out though, it just takes a second. The included controller is very basic, scroll and click. You cannot really mess this up. One bonus though, they included a nice micro usb cord and power supply to recharge the remote as well as a holding dock.

I altered my initial settings until I am able to use a PAR meter to get exact readings on the PAR that is being generated. The current settings will ramp up to 55% blue and white, and will gradually ramp down. I will update the thread with my exact settings and PAR readings as soon as I am able.

Overall the lighting produced is very nice! It has A LOT of shimmer. I did not notice any disco ball effects, so I am assuming the lenses help blend the colors well. Due to the size and style of my aquascape, I did notice some shadowing, but this is not uncommon in my situation. This is why I added the AquaticLife T5 to my previous LEDs, to help eliminate shadowing around the overhangs. I had contemplated adding another LED in the center of my fixture to help even out the PAR in the center of the tank, but with these four lights, I think there is very good coverage.

So after a long initial review here is my tank with four Noopsyche K7 Pro II's.
​

Final Thoughts
I think the construction of the light is sound and that it packs a punch for being such a small fixture. Programming of the light is easy enough once you understand how to do it, and it is nice to be able to control 7 channels in a light for under $200.

After the month is complete I will update this post as to whether or not I would purchase this fixture.

Are you still using the lights?

 

[GuppyHJD]

Don't feel bad, I did the same thing and ended up twist-pushing them together and it slipped right up and sealed it.....

Are you still using the lights?

 

[GuppyHJD]

In response to the "no real review" i love my noopsyches and the controller is really not that hard to use it's just not fancy.

Are you still using the Noopsyche?

 

[nano reef]

I love my noopsyche BUT I have neglected my tank for several months being hospitilized and very sick and bedridden before and after hospitalization! Anyway I am back on it hardcore and l lost so many high end zoas that I am sick over it! Some hanging in but lost a lot of polyps!

I had just spent over 3 k on them in the few months prior! UGGGHHH!

Anyway I just wiped out my whole schedule just by trying to up it a little! Is there anyway to get it back? I think the beginning of the post said that happens if you try to change anything! I cant even remember what I had it set at and being they are in such a bad way I am really worried!

Can anyone help me get it back or at least recommend a good lower end setting! I do have some lps in there as well but not as high end as my zoas! I did lose a lot of the lps and zoas totally and just had to throw them out! UGGGGH!

I had them on a 12 hour schedule starting at noon to midnight! slow ramp up!

Please help I am so desperate! Oh , they are the k7 11 not the newer ones!

Please help out a fellow Tampa Bay reef keeper! LOL

 

[nano reef]

I’ve used my controller three times in a year. First time to program the initial 4 that I bought, then to add a program to the two additional I bought for the frag tank, then third was to reduce settings during a move to a new house because I put everyone into 2 frag tanks for a month

practically set it and forget it.

How do you make changes without wiping out the whole schedule? I tried to up mine a little and lost the whole schedule and cant remember what it was s et at! I am desperate because my tank was negleted for months because I was so sick and hospitalized and my family didint have a clue so all the did was feed fish! LOL Can I get the schedule back? It had been a while since I had messed with it!

Lost a ton of high end zoas and shrooms Lps to butthe werent

Are you still using the Noopsyche?

so high end! and trying to save what left! UGH about 4 k worth that i had spent the months prior! Cant afford to do that again!