The real Black Box light study

[Brhutchi]

I jumped on this late. can't wait to see the black boxes. I have the viparspectra so can't wait to see what its results are. I run mine at 25white and 45blue, on a 20 long about 9in above the surface.

 

[Manose]

I have been really surprised by the numbers in this Noopsyche K7 test and honestly think it could turn out to be a major player in this industry, especially given the price.
The real test will come when we start getting data on coral growth/color over a extended time and I suspect that should happen very soon.

As for the Black Box study that will begin after a short break. I have been going and going so taking a couple days to spend on my personal aquarium is the right thing to do.
Lets keep this a real public test study and come up with more ideas and means to test different lights. This community is wonderful because many brains are better than one, so let us put that to the test.

Thanks,
Matt

 

[cvrle1]

Thanks again for all the hard work and updates @Manose

As mentioned, I am more and more interested in the K7s, they looked promising before, and now they look even more so. If we could get a group buy somehow with your 50, I would be interested as well for sure.

 

[Pinky80]

Any test or review planned for the Lumini Aqua Pixie 150? It looks like a worthy contender, maybe along the ranks of the Noopsyche K7.

 

[Pinky80]

Any test or review planned for the Lumini Aqua Pixie 150? It looks like a worthy contender, maybe along the ranks of the Noopsyche K7.

 

[Idaho Mojo]

I have been really surprised by the numbers in this Noopsyche K7 test and honestly think it could turn out to be a major player in this industry, especially given the price.
The real test will come when we start getting data on coral growth/color over a extended time and I suspect that should happen very soon.

As for the Black Box study that will begin after a short break. I have been going and going so taking a couple days to spend on my personal aquarium is the right thing to do.
Lets keep this a real public test study and come up with more ideas and means to test different lights. This community is wonderful because many brains are better than one, so let us put that to the test.

Thanks,
Matt

A break well deserved! Gotta take time for yourself. This should give some more time for people to tune into this topic as well, I'm sure there will be a myriad of ideas to consider by the time you're ready for the next round of testing.

Looking forward to the continuation!

 

[crusso1993]

I have been really surprised by the numbers in this Noopsyche K7 test and honestly think it could turn out to be a major player in this industry, especially given the price.
The real test will come when we start getting data on coral growth/color over a extended time and I suspect that should happen very soon.

As for the Black Box study that will begin after a short break. I have been going and going so taking a couple days to spend on my personal aquarium is the right thing to do.
Lets keep this a real public test study and come up with more ideas and means to test different lights. This community is wonderful because many brains are better than one, so let us put that to the test.

Thanks,
Matt

Thanks Matt for all the work and, yes, a break is well deserved. Especially given the fact that @dantimdad will be heading your way this weekend!

 

[Lonely reefer's]

 

[dantimdad]

Every time I hear Marc's reaction I laugh.

 

[Manose]

Any test or review planned for the Lumini Aqua Pixie 150? It looks like a worthy contender, maybe along the ranks of the Noopsyche K7.

I have 2 on my new 80g that I ran to set them up and fine tune but have not turned them on since my cycle. I am going to bring them to the shop and do a review and test on them along with the other Black Boxes.
They seem very well made but they come at a steep price point compared to other BB lights on the market.
259ea plus 100 for the controller and shipping from China was not cheap. I am going to put the K7's (250$ all in)on my tank and use them instead if the Pixie 150's because I really want to see how they do in a "NEW"
home tank that is just getting ready for it's first coral vs. one that has been set up for a long while.
I am going to try the modified AB+ settings that @MSB123 and @dantimdad have been working on for the K7.

 

[mrblack44]

Joining in

 

[Manose]

Thanks Matt for all the work and, yes, a break is well deserved. Especially given the fact that @dantimdad will be heading your way this weekend!

Thank you and yes I am so stoked for @dantimdad to come up and visit this weekend.
I am thinking that we should take lots of pictures

 

[Pinky80]

I have 2 on my new 80g that I ran to set them up and fine tune but have not turned them on since my cycle. I am going to bring them to the shop and do a review and test on them along with the other Black Boxes.
They seem very well made but they come at a steep price point compared to other BB lights on the market.
259ea plus 100 for the controller and shipping from China was not cheap. I am going to put the K7's (250$ all in)on my tank and use them instead if the Pixie 150's because I really want to see how they do in a "NEW"
home tank that is just getting ready for it's first coral vs. one that has been set up for a long while.
I am going to try the modified AB+ settings that @MSB123 and @dantimdad have been working on for the K7.

Ohhhh! I'm excited about the K7's too! And thank YOU for doing such a comprehensive test on all these lights.

 

[ReefWithCare]

I think this study should be broken into 2 forum topics - 1st part being the Noopsyche test and the 2nd part being the other black boxes. The Noopsyche sponsored test took over on this topic when most ppl want to see how the other BB perform.

 

[dantimdad]

I think this study should be broken into 2 forum topics - 1st part being the Noopsyche test and the 2nd part being the other black boxes. The Noopsyche sponsored test took over on this topic when most ppl want to see how the other BB perform.

Agreed.

I read both topics and am interested. But, it has gotten a bit muddled.

 

[Matt Carden]

Either way we'd have to wait for the Sponsored portion to be complete before starting the black box portion. So I say let's see how this develops. Thanks Manose for dedicating your time and money to this study!

 

[ireland425]

I'm not sure if anyone has done any research on the Dsuny LED fixtures but I've been using them for almost a year and with great success.

I have 4 of them over my 120 Tall Marineland.

Here are the settings and PAR results:

Channel 1: Whites Back
Channel 2: Actinics
Channel 3: Blues + Red
Channel 4: Whites Front

Light mounting height (distance from light panel to water surface) : 13 Inches

Aquarium Specifications (lengthxdepthxheight):
60inch x 18inch x 26inch

Note:
-Back of tank is painted black
-Aquarium features a coast to coast low profile overflow
-Water clearity should be optimal (100% water change performed within 48 hours)

Peak Light Output On Slow Acclimation Setting:

Settings:
Ch1: 77%
Ch2: 100%
Ch3: 80%
Ch4: 77%

READING AVERAGE

Top of water: 600
Halfway: 300
Sandbed: 200
_______________

Manual Setting 50% All

Settings:
Ch1: 50%
Ch2: 50%
Ch3: 50%
Ch4: 50%

Top of water: 350
Halfway: 250
Sandbed: 150

I had them over my tank but noticed a great difference when I switched to kessil seemed I got a bit of algea build up with the spectrum of dsuny units as mine was more violent then blue but still nice unit for price

 

[Manose]

I think this study should be broken into 2 forum topics - 1st part being the Noopsyche test and the 2nd part being the other black boxes. The Noopsyche sponsored test took over on this topic when most ppl want to see how the other BB perform.

I understand what you are saying as this was not planned well on my part. People came to see a black box study and they will see a BB study. What I am going to do is edit the front page and separate the 2 studies
from one another and that should help ease the confusion.
One thing would be to put a link at the first page to the corresponding page of the light that is tested.
What do you guys think?

 

[Matt Carden]

@NY_Caveman has his build thread setup like this if you need help setting it up.

 

[OllieNZ]

I think this study should be broken into 2 forum topics - 1st part being the Noopsyche test and the 2nd part being the other black boxes. The Noopsyche sponsored test took over on this topic when most ppl want to see how the other BB perform.

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree. The noopsyche study is setting up the methods and providing an excellent baseline against which we will be able to compare other units. I know we're all keen to see how other units perform but establishing a consistent methodology is important to be able to provide valid data. The fact that proven units are in the test too should help give credibility to the data and allow us as hobbyists to decide whether the proven stuff is worth the premium price tag.

 

[Pinky80]

I understand what you are saying as this was not planned well on my part. People came to see a black box study and they will see a BB study. What I am going to do is edit the front page and separate the 2 studies
from one another and that should help ease the confusion.
One thing would be to put a link at the first page to the corresponding page of the light that is tested.
What do you guys think?

I don't think there needs to be a separate study. You have essentially compared several LEDs and established a comparative baseline for all to see, and to later see how the BB's stand up against the high dollar units. Keeping the K7 and the Pixie along with all the proposed BB's to be tested here with the high dollar units just makes performance comparisons easier to see and track. At this point, don't change anything. Just run through the different light units and post results. We'll deal with the long thread on this forum. You've done so much so far and you've gathered much precious data. Hell, I'd donate a light assembly of I had one! Your research here is much appreciated, I'm in the market for a new light or a DIY build. I would love to help test these lights with you, in your lab, with your setup, so the controlled variables stay the same. I really want to see how these different brands compare to each other. The K7 is just another great item to compare, and I bet there could be a BB that may come close if not better! Who knows? I know people are impatient and/or complaining because the have a lot to read here. But that is what this hobby is: patience, research, and lots of reading.