Maxspect Razor Owners thread

[pgrVII]

I've thought about making a drop-in replacement controller board for these that would interface with our lighting controller. Is there any interest in that? It would give you wi-fi control from phone/tablets, location-based weather simulation, etc....all the features of the Bluefish controller.

Hmm I like this idea.

[Islandoftiki]

Good job. That will work well. I would just make sure the rod coupling is stainless steel, it looks like it may be galvanized which will corrode, especially when in contact with stainless. Do some research on dissimilar metals. If it is stainless disregard, but it has the sheen of galvanized/ zinc plated.

 

Good news, I was able to find a hardware store with 5/16-18 Stainless coupling nuts! So, I'll be done with this project tonight!

 

So, here are the finished extended arms to make the Razor Nano fit better on a IM Nuvo 30/38.

 

 

 

This is with the stainless coupling nuts. Additionally, to prevent saltwater from getting into the threads, they are completely sealed with epoxy resin.

 

 

Once the epoxy is fully cured, I'll get this set up on the tank and take a picture.

[Mirya]

I've thought about making a drop-in replacement controller board for these that would interface with our lighting controller. Is there any interest in that? It would give you wi-fi control from phone/tablets, location-based weather simulation, etc....all the features of the Bluefish controller.

 

Yes, the price point will be a factor, but I am very interested in this! I love the idea behind the BlueFish.

[Islandoftiki]

Ok guys and gals,

 

That was a lot of screwing around to get this thing to fit properly on an IM Nuvo 30 tank. Do I like the light? Absolutely. Do I like the available brackets for this particular application. NO. I do not. However, the whole problem is solved now.

 

Here is my modified bracket next to the standard aluminum bracket. You can see how much longer I made it.

 

 

 

Here's a quick gripe about the stainless steel bracket kit they sell for $50.00. I hope you own a good hand-file. The ends of the rod where they cut it are out of round and smashed enough that they won't fit into the holes in the light assembly. It's a tight fit if everything is perfect, but a no-go out of the box. It's a minor gripe, but if you didn't have a file or a bench grinder handy, you won't be installing your light right away.

 

 

 

After some filing and de-burring, I finally got the light re-mounted over the tank and positioned where I wanted it.

 

 

I'm happy with the look of the brackets and have plenty of fore/aft adjustment available.

 

 

 

The upside down shot glass in the picture is the center of the tank display, and as you can see I was able to move the light just forward of the center, which is the ideal location for my rockscape. There's enough room to move it another inch and a half forward if needed.

 

 

 

In closing, here are my opinions. The stainless steel bracket rods are quite a bit less bouncy and wobbly than the aluminum bracket rods. That's a good thing. It's solidly mounted to the tank now, which makes it easier to make programming adjustments. However, it's too bad you have to buy the entire $50.00 kit since all you really need are two bracket rods that are a couple inches longer than the stock rods.

 

Anyhow, it's not like this is the first thing I've had to custom modify to make it work the way I wanted. There are lots of different sizes and shapes of tanks, and I'm sure they try to make an average bracket to fit most tanks. What can you do? It is what it is. I still like the light, I just wish there was a ready-made bracket for these tanks.

 

I should also say that I could have mounted the light 90 degrees on the tank with this bracket kit with no modifications, but the brackets that attach to the glass are deep enough that they would contact the water surface and probably create a bunch of salt creep, which is why I didn't go with that much simpler route. I also need the tank covered to keep our parrots out of the main display and said brackets would make it difficult to install the glass top.

 

Anyhow, I hope this help everyone with an IM Nuvo 30/38 or other tanks of similar dimensions!

 

By the way, this only used half of the kit, so I have enough parts to make a second set of arms if anyone is in the same boat.

[SpencerShepard]

Sounds interesting… I think price point would be the biggest obstacle for most purchasers of this light IMO. I know I bought mine because the performance is on PAR (no pun intended) with other higher priced lights, where it is only lacking in the advanced control department. But if it can be done for a lower combined total than those other lights, I for one would definitely look into it. Especially now that I already own one.

I think this would be a roughly $200 upgrade path. Buying the light and controller together may not be overly competitive with the AI/Ecotech options, but could still be a viable upgrade for those who already own the light. Please help me gauge interest and like this post or PM me.

[icombs17]

Well I'm a total tool just got my razor 160w 16k lol. Does anyone else hear a high piched sound coming from the light itself?

[O-man21]

Yes, mine does that too, but only at 100% brightness.

 

Well I'm a total tool just got my razor 160w 16k lol. Does anyone else hear a high piched sound coming from the light itself?

[famousdan314]

My JBJ 30 with the 60W r420 nano, very same foot print as the IM38 just an inch shallower i believe. I also had to play with the mounting a little and ended up flipping the mounting rods backwards so the light would sit at the center of the tank.

 

 

My current FTS, its only been running a few weeks.

 

 

[pgrVII]

I just got my nano 10k replaced today(two blue lights went out) and actually got to exchange for the 16k model and I really like the look a lot. Makes everything pop out nicely.

[O-man21]

So I have had coral in my tank for about 4 weeks now, and specifically with an orange ricordea I have, I've noticed some serious browning. My water has been pristine, water changes every week and good test results. I think it has to be the lighting. The mouth used to be a bright green, and now it's a dim faded green. Most of my other corals are not quite as vibrant as they used to be either. I feel that I have the corals placed in the correct places in respect to the light levels they need. I have the ricordea on the sand bed in a shaded area and it's still browning. It has split though!

 

I've had my Razor set to a max of 20/30% White/Blue settings, and I'm still noticing color loss. What should I try out? Raising or lowering the brightness?

 

My exact schedule is as follows:

 

11 AM:

0% White

1% Blue

 

1 PM:

10% White

20% Blue

 

5 PM:

20% White

30% Blue

 

9 PM:

20% White

30% Blue

 

10 PM:

10% White

20% Blue

 

11 PM:

0% White

1% Blue

[Lorbear]

Hello

I'm new here and find the information offerred very helpful.

I have 3 Maxspect R420R 160 Warr 16000K fixtures. I bought 2 a year ago and the third one recently. I have 2 suspended over my 150 cm tank. One of the fixtures is the one I received a week ago, the other is a year old. Both fixtures have the same settings but - the new fixture does not seem as bright as the older one. The setting show the light intensities are the same but there is still a difference. Any suggestions? I think one would only notice such a difference when 2 fixtures are hanging side by side.

Has anyone else noticed this? Possible causes?

 

 

Thanks

[Maniu]

I've thought about making a drop-in replacement controller board for these that would interface with our lighting controller. Is there any interest in that? It would give you wi-fi control from phone/tablets, location-based weather simulation, etc....all the features of the Bluefish controller.

I would be interested

[jedimasterben]

So I have had coral in my tank for about 4 weeks now, and specifically with an orange ricordea I have, I've noticed some serious browning. My water has been pristine, water changes every week and good test results. I think it has to be the lighting. The mouth used to be a bright green, and now it's a dim faded green. Most of my other corals are not quite as vibrant as they used to be either. I feel that I have the corals placed in the correct places in respect to the light levels they need. I have the ricordea on the sand bed in a shaded area and it's still browning. It has split though!

 

I've had my Razor set to a max of 20/30% White/Blue settings, and I'm still noticing color loss. What should I try out? Raising or lowering the brightness?

Raise the intensity if your corals are turning brown (a response to lower intensity light). If they lighten in color or bleach, turn them down.

[Islandoftiki]

Raise the intensity if your corals are turning brown (a response to lower intensity light). If they lighten in color or bleach, turn them down.

 

This. The brown coloration is caused by a higher concentration of photosynthetic zooxanthellae.

 

When you raise the intensity of the light, do it slowly over a couple weeks or more. Let the corals slowly adjust their zooxanthellae. Raising the brightness too fast will shock them and cause more harm than good.

[Bobyboy]

What do you guys think about hanging the 20" 16000k over a tank 35Lx12.25Wx13T?

[jedimasterben]

Even with the new reflectors it still probably won't have the best coverage across a 35" length. The LEDs don't extend anywhere near the ends of the fixture or it would be different.

[Bobyboy]

Even with the new reflectors it still probably won't have the best coverage across a 35" length. The LEDs don't extend anywhere near the ends of the fixture or it would be different.

I saw this post earlier in the thread and thought it might work.

 

I found a 6mo old 20" 420r for 250 local and it seems like a super deal, I may just pick it up and see how it looks.

[Maniu]

250 is a really good deal. Def worth your time to check it out. Great light. I paid 300 for mine.

[jedimasterben]

The LEDs come in around 4.5" from the ends of the fixtures, so in the Nano, the LEDs cover 4.5" (it's design is a little different), in the 120w, the LEDs cover ~12", in the 160w they cover 18", and in the 300w they cover 36". Add around 8" to each side of those lengths and that's where your good intensity will be, everything outside of that will be a lot lower in PAR.

 

You can give it a shot, but I would definitely recommend the wide reflectors.

[Maniu]

Those 120degrees lenses run around $15 per set. So it isn't ridiculously expensive to try it out.

[Bobyboy]

Those 120degrees lenses run around $15 per set. So it isn't ridiculously expensive to try it out.

I figured the optics where a must have

Any idea as to where I can pick them up?

[Maniu]

Not sure where you could pick them up from but most Razor online vendors/resellers/dealers have those in stock.

[Mirya]

I bought mine direct from Coral Vue:

http://www.coralvue.com/maxspect-razor-r420r-120-degree-white-reflector

[Bobyboy]

I bought mine direct from Coral Vue:

http://www.coralvue.com/maxspect-razor-r420r-120-degree-white-reflector

Do I need 1 for each cluster is does it come with everything I need for 15.00?

[Mirya]

You need 1 for each cluster