Orphek OR3 Bar Distance From Water

Kragart · Sep 14, 2020

Hi all,

I have an Elos Aquataop on my 90 gallon, which is about 7 years old. One of the LED strips in it is almost entirely burnt out, and the other is aging so I'd like to replace it. I like the top quite a bit, as it is sleek, matches the tank and room well, and keeps my fish inside. Stock image of one:

What I would like to do is take it apart, pull the current strips out, and replace them with Orphek OR3 strips. These should fit very well, but the one worry is that they are 2" high, compared to the current strips which are only about an inch. My estimate is that the bottom of the Orpheks will be about 1 to 1.5" from the water surface if I do this install. My question is, is this too close?

From a spread perspective, I don't care very much as this tank is now mostly a fish only with live rock, and if I do get corals again they will mostly be softies.

I am most concerned about the electrical risks, if any. Are these lights good and waterproof? I assume anything designed to go over a fish tank should be pretty water resistant, but I want to be sure we are not adding a fire risk here. Note that I have very little surface turbulence in the tank, my MP40 is pretty low. But sometimes the fish do break the surface when chasing food. I doubt the occasional splash would be a big deal, but it never hurts to ask.

Thanks very much!

Silent · Sep 14, 2020

They seem to be sealed well for your purpose. The leds have one solid lens cover that should protect it very well.

vetteguy53081 · Sep 14, 2020

12-15” from surface
Although sealed nicely- for me , a risk with warranty as salt has a way of creeping into nooks and crannies .
i have all mine at 15-18”

piranhaman00 · Sep 15, 2020

What about the fluval marine lights? They aren’t the strongest and now sure how many you could fit in there but they are splash proof.

1.5” from surface is not gonna work with non splash proof lights

Kragart · Sep 15, 2020

Are the orphek lights non-splash proof? I can’t find any info on it. I’ll take a look at the fluvals, thanks.

vetteguy53081 · Sep 15, 2020

Kragart said:
Are the orphek lights non-splash proof? I can’t find any info on it. I’ll take a look at the fluvals, thanks.

Always even if they are assume lights are NOT splashproof as it affects both resale and warranties

Kragart · Sep 15, 2020

from company website:

Orphek says:

”OR3 LED bar lights are ideal for the harsh water environments: Splash, water, and dust resistant/tested under controlled laboratory conditions with a rating of IP67 & CE Certification.“

Fluval says:

“Industry leading IP67 waterproof rating – light can be mounted directly above water surface for greater light penetration”

So the same rating It seems?

I never really thought much about this with the Elos LEDs. I wonder what their rating is. Definitely they didn’t hold up well, but I’m not super concerned about longevity or resale now, only safety.

Looked up the rating they both have and it seems quite good:
”IP67 equipment is the most commonly found in the connectivity market. It is 100% protected against solid objects like dust and sand, and it has been tested to work for at least 30 minutes while under 15cm to 1m of water.”

bam123 · Sep 15, 2020

I have ORPHEK BAR lights. Great and well built. IMHO, The par is super high and you will likely burn your corals if not at least 10 inches above the tank (experience for a 24 inch high tank).