hi

i want a complementaty light for my 3 gal pico
i was thinking about DIY led proyect something like Evilc66 led actinic addon
Sunpod LED Actinics

but...
i found this new item in dr foster & smith
a new led fixture from ecoxotic
ecoxotic Panorama LED Module




so... anyone with info about it, or a review
worth it instead a DIY add on???
corals will grow with this fixture??
evilc66... do you know something about it ???

thanks for replies

Well, those modules are part of a larger fixture, so the theory is that it will grow corals. They are 1W LEDs, but the only saving grace is that there are 12 of them in a relatively small area. My LFS has one of the full fixtures in as a demo and I will be doing some PAR measurements hopefully this weekend, if they get water in the tank. As an addon over a 3g tank, they could work pretty well. Certainly far better than the Powerbrites ever were.

thanks for the repply evilc
i thought about powerbrites but after read about them here and the spot issue, the powerbrites aren't a option... i was planning to do my own complementay led lights but i saw this option....
so i will wait for that PAR measurements

Ok, so I got a little time with the light yesterday. It's one of the 17.5" units (4 strips, 48W) over a 34g Solana. My LFS had water rock and sand in there, so I got a pretty good idea as to the overall appearance of the light. It's super crisp, and right around a 12K look. I kinda figured that based on the white and blue ratio. It would be nice if they had options for a heavier blue balance without having to resort to Stunner Strips, which won't do a lot IMO when used with the Panorama.

The fixture itself looks sharp and is built well. The only downer is that you can add more of the Panorama strips without modifying the housing. The strips use external drivers, which are housed in the back of the fixture. Adding more and keeping it internal will be difficult. Because the drivers are external, it means that they can easily be replaced. You could replace the entire driver electronics with a single Meanwell ELN-60-24D and make it dimmable.

Anyway, on to the part you are really interested in; PAR measurements.

Fixture was set up about 10" over the water, and it's about 18" from the water to the sand. Average PAR at the water surface was about 200. Not too bad considering they are 1W LEDs. On the sand, it averaged about 90 PAR. Not stellar, but enough for softies and most lps. What was nice was that the PAR drop off was pretty linear. The reflectors that are used in the strips (which aren't shown in any of the product literature on the web site) are what helps the numbers. They are a little different than what you are used to. They are a linear reflector that spans the entire length of the strip.

It's no competitor to AI fixtures, but it is a nice simple fixture with reasonable performance. With a little TLC it could be an interesting platform to tweak.

wow evilc, that was nice and detailed info
they arent better than a DIY led setup, but at least is another option

really thanks you for all the reaserch!!!!

Cool i'm glad this subject has been started i hope the thread build. I'm following
Hey Evilc66 i was at the same lfs and saw the setup i'm courious too.
what do you think about building system using stunner strips?

Stunners are not powerfull enough for primary lighting. For reef applications they should be used for suppliment only.

Evil you said the par values taken was on the 17.5" fixture they also make a 23.5" fixture I was wondering what you think the par values would be with the 23.5" fixture on the same tank?

I believe the 17.5" fixture you took the readings off was 48 leds @ 46 watts

The 23.5" fixture is 72 leds at 73 watts.

Sould be little to no difference. The extra strips will just add coverage.

Wow, finally something decent from a commercial manufacturer without costing ridiculous amounts of money...

Well, jury is still out. It might not be the best option for sps. My LFS is seeing it's first issue, but it could be water parameter related. They had an orange monti cap in the tank now for a few weeks (about 3/4 up in the tank), and it's now looking almost the same color as the purple cap in there. There are two deepwater acros that are coloring nicely though.

Well, it's definitely possible that the light doesn't support as much as advertised, but it definitely seems like a solid little light- especially for achieving medium-high light in a nano. I'd be tempted to see how well these would do in a 10g tank or less.

This fixture is not much cheaper than an AI fixture. Why would anyone want this over an AI?

I can't figure that out yet either... if it were me I'd go AI over the Ecoxotic any day.

Over the same tank you would need two AI modules for proper coverage. So, double the cost, but a lot more light and flexibility.

Travisurfer, I have found so far that water parameters (Alk, Cal, Mag specifically) are far more important with LEDs than with other lighting sources. Makes a much bigger impact on coloration on certain sps corals.

How would 4 of the $95 Panorama LED Modules be different from the $617 Panorama LED Fixture? Arn't the LED's the same ? Any way to control them ?

everyday one learns something new

Yes, they are the same. The only way to control these lights is with timers.

Interesting. I wonder why this might be? Maybe it's because LEDs produce a more limited and narrower spectrum than other forms of light?

Evilc, you mentioned that Cal/Alk/Mag are more important for SPS under LED's, but what about LPS and Softies?
I know you keep all of those in your 40B, can you offer insight on those as well?
I ask because I'm more interested in LPS/Softies myself, and much more likely to keep those under my LED.

I haven't seen much of an issue with lps and softies. It has only been sps that have had coloration issues under the LEDs. It's not all of them either. My neon green birdsnest was much more sensitive than my purple bonsai acro.

I am hoping to add an LED strip like this to a 12 bulb T5 setup to add shimmer to the tank. Do you think these strips using only 1W bulbs could do that? ( 4 of them making a 48" strip)

I wish somebody would make 48" LED strip using 3W LEDs... dimmable.

Would the Panorama Module strips be enough for SPS and clams at the top of the tank?

Depends on how many you plan to use, but yes, it is possible.

Was thinking about 3 in a 29 gallon BC for which would completely replace the stock PC setup

I was looking at adding the Panorama strip to my 4x24 T5 set up in hope of adding PAR and making for some SPS. Has anyone tried this or know if it would work? Is there a better option (I have limited space)?

Same question but for the 6.30 T5 retro kit

p.s. I spoke with the Ecoxotic people and in march they are coming out with a 60 degree lens that will apparently boost par but will cost a little more money

3 might cut it for a BC29, but 4 would be a lot better. It's more for coverage than intensity.


It's only going to add PAR directly under the strip, and not into the whole tank. You would be better off investing in better bulbs. You should be able to keep sps with a 4x24W fixture anyway.



How much more PAR do you want? The 6.30 kit will be 180W of T5s. You have other problems if you can't keep what you want under that setup.

haha i know evil... i'm just getting impatient waiting to hear more about the 6.30!!!

Thanks for the reply...
I have good bulbs now (I think)... but I am always open to suggestions

Aquatic Life HO 420/460 NM
Geisemann HO Actinic Plus
UVL HO 75/25 14k AquaBlue
Geisemann HO Actinic Plus

...but I have not had any luck at all with SPS. I have explored all of the other options(water condition, flow, etc.) and I assumed it must have been a light issue. I guess I need to keep exploring options.

All the actinics are killing your PAR. Go take a read through the T5 Info thread for some recommendations on bulb combos that will produce way more PAR than you are getting right now. The only bulb that you are running that has reasonable PAR is the UVL 75/25.

evilc66-

Just thought I would let you know if you wanted to add more Panorama Modules to the fixture you wouldn't have to do anything internal. The Panorama Modules have their own separate power supply.

All you would have to do is add them into the fixture then plug them into the wall.

Now the modules that are in the fixture do in fact have individual drivers for easy replacement like you said.

Thank you, I will. I received those bulb recommendations from someone who has a great looking tank with lots of SPS but he runs a 6 bulb set up and may not have made the right adjustments for 4 bulbs. If I could get more PAR with the 4 bulbs then I could probably go with the cheaper "Stunner strips" to add some "actinics" and some "shimmer".

I was going to work on either the 3G JBJ pico or a 2.5G AGA tank. I was going to make a wooden canopy and I would love to use LEDs to light the canopy to avoid cooking the fish and coral. Would 1 strip of the ecoxotic Panorama LED Module be enough? Could i get away with just lighting the tank with ecoxotic Stunner LED Strips? If so how many? I plan to just do soft coral in the pictope.

If i have to go with the Panorama LED Module, does the ecoxotic Stunner LED Strips wire/connect to each other? I ask that because it would be nice to use the Panorama for the daylight and Stunner for the sunrise/dusk lighting

Thanks very much for your time

I think Stunners would be pushing it for primary lighting. A Panorama and a Stunner or two would be really nice. The Stunners link together (up to 6 per power supply), but won't link to the Panoramas.

Thanks

i'm not sure about this. i think the individual modules don't have the reflectors that the fixture modules have

i bought 2 of the white/blue panorama led modules for my 14 gal biocube back in February. Everything (mainly all softies and one birdnest) is doing well. I am looking to add a clam to my tank so I added another strip. Do you think this is enough lighting for a crocea clam? Would I still need to place it at the very top or could it sit in the middle of the tank?

I was hoping that Evilc66 would chime in and answer your questions because I also want to retrofit my BC14 with (3) of these...I think I read somewhere that even if the LEDs are blue they still add PAR not like other blue actinics. Anyhow I was hoping to keep virtually any light loving coral / invert, looking for a 14K overall effect. Anyhow, I figured I'd use (2) 50/50 Panorama's and (1) 452nm Panorama with an R2 Moonlight... Any thoughts?

you may find some of the info you need here. You'll at least be able to see what others are keeping with their ecoxotic modules/stunners