acrofish Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Introduction Following the footsteps of a fellow reefer who recently posted a nice review of the Eco-Lamps LED light, I was intrigued enough to take the plunge myself. Since a few years ago when PFO released their first generation of Solaris lamps I have been itching to try LEDs, being impressed by claims of long life, low heat and promising performance. But like many fellow hobbyists, I was put off not only by the high price points but also by reports of poor quality and technical shortcomings of the early iterations of high powered LED light fixtures. Things have really moved on, especially over the last 12 months – there are now more options of LED lighting to choose from. Many of the options seem to cater to the high-output SPS or DIY crowd, but lately Eco-Lamps has released an interesting model that seems quite well suited to reefers with less demanding lighting requirements more suitable for soft corals or LPS corals. The Eco-Lamps LED Reef Light seemingly came out of nowhere. There was not much of a marketing campaign to speak of, and relatively little was known about the light. Nonetheless, the company has a decent web site that gave me enough details and confidence to take the plunge. I took advantage of a trip to Hong Kong and actually picked up the light (which is custom modified, more on this later) in Hong Kong back in April this year. Picking up the light from the factory saved me quite a bit on shipping charges. I have been using the light for more than a month now. So far, results have exceeded my expectations. The LED Light The Eco-Lamp LED fixture comes in various lengths (12”, 18”, 24”, 36”, 48”). I ordered the 18” model, which fit my 24G NanoCube perfectly. The light features two white LED strips (around 12-14K) and one actinic blue LED strip. Power consumption is rated at 70W, which is comparable to the stock PC bulbs at 72W. The standard model comes with what the manufacturer refers to as “unity control”, which basically is a one touch-sensitive button that allows the user to rotate between “white on”, “blue on”, “white + blue both on” or “all off” – I asked for a mod to this feature (see Customization below). The light can be ordered either in black or aluminum silver. Also, the lamp features a “flip-up” mount for easy maintenance, and the mounts are slightly adjustable (by maybe 1” either way). Finally, the LED is supposed to be very long lived (~ five years) – but obviously I cannot validate this claim. The Eco-Lamp LED light fixture targets a different market than the established LED manufacturers such as Aquailluminations - there are no fancy sun rise, sun set features. The controls are very basic. Light Output The Eco-Lamp LED light is not designed for corals with high light requirements. However, for soft corals, or most LPS corals, it should be more than enough. I never figured out the PAR or Lumen ratings, and to be quite honest this is not my main concern. I just need to know that it can keep LPS and softies, and so far it has been doing a good job at that. If you look closely you can see that the LEDs are die-on-PCB types. To the naked eye, the lamp is much brighter than the stock NanoCube PC bulbs. I think the light given out by the lamp is much more beautiful than the stock PC light (obviously this is my subjective assessment). The LED lamp gives out a radiant and dynamic look that is very pleasing to the eye. The light is able to make my corals really pop with fluorescence – especially the green corals which really glow under actinic lighting – I found this to be very rewarding. Since using this light for a month, I noticed that my frog spawn changed colour from a dull greenish brown to a very brilliant lime green. During the first two to three weeks, I noticed the frog spawn repeatedly “spit out” zooxanthellae. I am no expert but to me this signifies that the coral is adjusting to the new lighting regime. The “spitting” has recently stopped and the corals seem still healthy but with a more beautiful colour. My GSP continued its rapid growth, but I note that this coral has always grown quite rapidly even before replacing the light. Other corals (I have very few) seem to be at least as good as before. Colour Banding I noticed no banding in my tank. I was initially worried about this due to the experience of another fellow reefer who ordered a shorter version with only one white and one blue LED strip. I am not sure what made the difference but I guess that the extra length and depth of the tank, plus the white+blue+white configuration helped blend the colours much better. I really cannot notice any banding either up close or from afar. The light works just fine for me. Shimmer Yes the LED light does create soothing shimmer lines similar to MH lamps. I would say that there is a bit less shimmer than MH, but the shimmer is certainly very noticeable. Note that the more turbulence you have at the water surface, the more apparent the shimmering becomes. Whereas previously the tank had a dull, white-washed look, it is now dynamic and looks much more natural. I also noticed that the lamp casts a flood of glitter lines 2 to 3 feet around the walls and floor of the tank, and when the shimmering lights move about it really immerses the viewer into the tank and makes the tank look larger than it is. Just this enhancement alone was worth the price of the upgrade from the stock PC lamps for me! Heat The light gives off very little heat downwards and greatly assisted my heat management as advertised. When I put my hand underneath the light, I can feel very little heat directing down towards the water surface. Prior to the light upgrade, with the hood on my temps would have been in the 82/83F range. Now with the hood off my temps stay at 79F which is where I have set my heater to turn on. Obviously evaporation is much faster with the hood off, but I have an ATO that takes care of the evaporation issue so it is fine for me. The top surface of the light is hot to the touch, not scalding hot but you won’t want to press your hand on it for more than 10 seconds. Overall, the Eco-lamps gives off little heat downwards towards the water, just as advertised. Build Quality The build quality of the Eco-Lamp LED light is outstanding. The whole unit seems to be made in one solid hunk of aluminum, and has a very solid feel to it. If you see it in person you would agree that it looks sleek and expensive. My only complaint is with the mounts, which are made of flimsy plastic. Otherwise, the unit is of a very high quality, thumbs up! Customization If you call their sales people you can inquire about customizing a lamp just for your needs. In my case, I did not like the single switch lighting control and wanted to have independent control of the white and blue LEDs. Eco-Lamps was more than accommodating and did that for me with no questions asked. I can stagger my blue and white lights to achieve the dawn/dusk effect. I especially enjoy watching my corals glow late in the evening with just the actinics on, very soothing indeed! Customer Service Customer service is top-notch. I asked lots of question. Demanded modifications. Asked for local pick up. Etc. All accommodated. The light was apparently custom made and was ready in about 10 days. The reps that I interacted with seem professional and are reef hobbyists themselves. I noticed that they have a reef tank in their offices when I picked up my light in Hong Kong (looks like the one they showcase on their web page). Future Models While I was at their offices I had a chance to chat with the owner (I think) who was a very nice gentleman. He seems to be a reef hobbyist himself and was quite excited talking about the various developments in LED reef lighting, freely discussing technology trends, new LED lights coming out of Singapore, etc. Of great interest to me was a prototype that he showed me, which the owner dubbed the “KR-92” (as opposed to the KR-91). He indicated that this will be the next generation of reef LED lights from Eco-Lamps, and will be positioned as a MH replacement using higher output LEDs. I am really excited about this prototype and hope Eco-Lamps will come through with a commercial model soon. Conclusion Overall I am very pleased with the Eco-Lamps KR91 fixture. I am pleasantly surprised by the build quality, beautiful shimmer, low heat and great price point of this light. The lamp seems capable of growing softies and LPS, and is a welcome option for the reef hobbyist. Long term results will need to be validated, but this looks like an extremely promising option for reefers interested in a LED light. Pros • Beautiful light producing amazing fluorescence in corals • Sleek looking fixture • Shimmer • Various lengths to choose from • Low heat • Low power consumption Cons • Mounts are plastic and look cheap • Standard model does not come with independent blue-white controls • Light output only enough for softies or LPS Link to comment
ADAreef Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Great review! I will be interested to see what happens with the new model you mentioned... Link to comment
Marteen Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 I can't wait to see when someone finally puts a PAR meter under one of these things. Link to comment
Kamao Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 http://www.eco-sell.com/services/eshop/mai...ory&CatID=1 Link to comment
Graver Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 It's just too damn expensive for a light that cannot support sps IMO Link to comment
mg4015 Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 you can build an led setup for $500 that will support anything you wish to keep, anywhere in the tank, for a nanocube. thats what i will be doing. Link to comment
Weetabix7 Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Thanks for the excellent write-up. My goals are very similar to yours in that I am much more interested in keeping nice Softies and LPS, and if I could afford one of these, I'd probably get it. Link to comment
acrofish Posted June 3, 2009 Author Share Posted June 3, 2009 I'm not sure "watt per LED" is really such a useful metric in this case. As I mentioned these are more long strips of LEDs soldered on the PCB. Link to comment
mg4015 Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 im gona use 28 3watt leds with 60 degree optics if they fit under the stock splas guard. this will easily get you 20 par at the sandbed and will let you keep sps anywhere in the tank, even on the sandbed. for $500 to DIY an led setup vs $$$$$$$ for this one, the diy seems like a better choice to me... Link to comment
battman Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 im gona use 28 3watt leds with 60 degree optics if they fit under the stock splas guard. this will easily get you 20 par at the sandbed and will let you keep sps anywhere in the tank, even on the sandbed. for $500 to DIY an led setup vs $$$$$$$ for this one, the diy seems like a better choice to me... 20 par at the sandbed can keep SPS ? I thought the PAR only over 100 can keep SPS. Link to comment
evilc66 Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 I think he ment 200 PAR. With 60 degree optics at that kind of distance it would be in the 400 PAR range. Link to comment
acrofish Posted June 10, 2009 Author Share Posted June 10, 2009 The eco-lamps.com website seems to have some news about the new higher powered light that I mentioned earlier (KR92). http://www.eco-lamps.com/pdf/KR92%20leaflet.pdf It seems like the new light is not for sale yet. But if the performance lives up to the claims, it has got my interest. Link to comment
evilc66 Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Thats pretty good if it's true. 270 PAR at 16" is more like a 150W MH though. If they can keep costs reasonable, they could have a pretty good fixture on their hands. Interesting array setup though. Not sure how thats going to work. Link to comment
battman Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 I think he ment 200 PAR. With 60 degree optics at that kind of distance it would be in the 400 PAR range. Can the LED provide 200 PAR at the sandbed? Link to comment
evilc66 Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 The Eco-Lamps ones? Don't know. The high power DIYs, certainly. Link to comment
QbnSuperman Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 great write-up. I'm still very happy with mine and agree with all points of your review. for anyone curious: I paid ~$200 for mine. Link to comment
JoshG Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 The eco-lamps.com website seems to have some news about the new higher powered light that I mentioned earlier (KR92). http://www.eco-lamps.com/pdf/KR92%20leaflet.pdf It seems like the new light is not for sale yet. But if the performance lives up to the claims, it has got my interest. I emailed them on that, said it will be available in August. Not sure on the price though. Link to comment
JoshG Posted June 13, 2009 Share Posted June 13, 2009 I emailed them on that, said it will be available in August. Not sure on the price though. Ok, just heard back, price for the K92 will be under $700. Link to comment
evilc66 Posted June 13, 2009 Share Posted June 13, 2009 For what size though. If it's for a decent sized fixture with good output, it should be a winner. Link to comment
mg4015 Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 lol definetly meant 200 par. computer sometimes lags on the typing. for the sake for talking about DIY par, havent you reccorded like 550 par with diys at some point? Link to comment
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