Maxspect Razor Owners thread

[tierarzt]

I have a 16k razor nano mounted about 8" over a 20 G cube. I recently changed the stock optics to the 120° lenses. Definitely less shadowing, better coverage at edges of tank, less if any "disco ball" effect. My light appears whiter now although my max settings are A 30% B 50%. I agree with a previous poster in saying it has more of a t5 look now. Only negative I've noticed is the light is more glaring when staring up into the LEDs. This is noticeable when sitting on adjacent sofa staring at tank..I assume because light is now not focused as downward as before. I think my retinas have gotten used to it.

[Mirya]

Got to borrow a PAR meter from my local club. Hopefully I can have some numbers in a day or two comparing the 90 vs 120 degree lenses.

[Bobyboy]

Installed the 120's on mine last week, I have the 20" hung about 10" above a 30L. With the stock 90's the sides had some shadows to them the 120's definitely brightened it up not as bright as dead center but much better, the disco is gone aswell.

[Mirya]

OK, PAR values have been obtained! The 120 optics definitely negatively affects PAR as compared to the 90 optics. It decreases PAR by roughly 20%. I still think that the 120 optics give a better quality light though. (Hurray for no more disco!)

 

I've made some charts of the PAR readings from my tank. The PAR meter was pretty finicky, just tilting the sensor slightly could really affect readings. That being said, I tried to be as consistent as possible with sensor placement. I think you can get the idea of the trends. I also played around with the settings on the Razor to see what PAR various settings were putting out. Here is a shot of my tank with the sites where I took measurements marked, as well as a scale for depth reference:

 

Now, for the readings...

 

W: 50 B: 50

90 120

1 104 83

2 70 50

3 45 44

4 61 43

5 61 47

6 65 53

 

W: 75 B: 75

90 120

1 285 205

2 187 129

3 126 115

4 164 112

5 161 123

6 169 141

 

W: 100 B: 100

90 120

1 520 365

2 345 240

3 230 210

4 299 204

5 297 238

6 317 255

 

So, my take away from this experiment is that I can work on slowly increasing my light settings since I will continue to use the 120 optics. I had already been doing so, just based on how some of my Palys were stretching and fading in some Zoas. Also, it was interesting for me to see how I actually have higher PAR down at the sandbed, due to reflection of light, than I do slightly slightly closer to the light.

[O-man21]

Thanks for the info, very helpful!

 

Just to clarify, is the Nano exactly half of a 20.5" unit? Or what is the comparison like?

 

It can probably be assumed that the same distances on a larger unit will have slightly higher PAR readings, I would guess by about 20% or so, since there will be overlap in coverage between the LED groups, correct?

[jedimasterben]

Just to clarify, is the Nano exactly half of a 20.5" unit? Or what is the comparison like?

The Nano has one LED cluster, the 20.5" has two, the 27" has three, the 43.5" has six.

It can probably be assumed that the same distances on a larger unit will have slightly higher PAR readings, I would guess by about 20% or so, since there will be overlap in coverage between the LED groups, correct?

Correct.

[markalot]

I didn't like the 120 degree reflectors at all, took them back off. I now own the 16K 160W version over my 40 breeder. I've got it hanging about 12 inches above the glass lid, so about 13 inches above the water line. Blues at 100%, whites at 75%, and looking closely for fading colors, but so far all the corals seem to love it.

 

[BluCrab]

So I decided not to hang my light since I'm planning on upgrading the tank later on this year.

Ended up just swapping out the lens on the edges to the 120 optics.

 

I actually like how the 120 optics spread the lights to the edges of my tank. Not a great shot but I'll try to get a better one in a day or so.

 

before

 

after upgrade

[O-man21]

W: 50 B: 50

90 120

1 104 83

2 70 50

3 45 44

4 61 43

5 61 47

6 65 53

 

W: 75 B: 75

90 120

1 285 205

2 187 129

3 126 115

4 164 112

5 161 123

6 169 141

 

W: 100 B: 100

90 120

1 520 365

2 345 240

3 230 210

4 299 204

5 297 238

6 317 255

 

 

Anyone notice the drastic increases in PAR compared to the % in light increase? Just between 50 and 75 is crazy. The 75% values are more than 2x more PAR than the 50% levels, when it was only a 50% increase in light output.

[jedimasterben]

The dimming may not be linear on their drivers.

[markalot]

Has anyone ever removed ALL optics from their Razor? The 120 lenses are comical, frankly. The cone has the same limitation as the 90 so outside of 90 degrees the LED is not visible, just the reflection off of the white surface. Not impressed. If it was a polished surface maybe it would work, but not white plastic.

 

Unlike the stock 90 the 120 lenses have a plastic insert above a plexiglass shield. I removed the insert so only the shield remained and re-installed so I have no reflectors. Now this is spread, but I'm unsure how much PAR is getting into the tank. I lowered down to aprox stand height (6 inches) and the tank looks bright but the shimmer is a little too much for my taste. Debating what to do at this point.

[Islandoftiki]

Has anyone ever removed ALL optics from their Razor? The 120 lenses are comical, frankly. The cone has the same limitation as the 90 so outside of 90 degrees the LED is not visible, just the reflection off of the white surface. Not impressed. If it was a polished surface maybe it would work, but not white plastic.

 

Unlike the stock 90 the 120 lenses have a plastic insert above a plexiglass shield. I removed the insert so only the shield remained and re-installed so I have no reflectors. Now this is spread, but I'm unsure how much PAR is getting into the tank. I lowered down to aprox stand height (6 inches) and the tank looks bright but the shimmer is a little too much for my taste. Debating what to do at this point.

 

 

I'm confused about what problem you're having exactly. Is it that you don't like the general visual look and spread of the light?

 

 

Personally, I'm running a Razor Nano 16k with 120 degree "optics" on my 30 gallon IM Nuvo tank and the light is about 7 inches above the surface and the tank has a glass top. 100% A, 100% B. As far as things go, I'm having great results. I like the overall look of the lighting (which I understand is entirely subjective), and the SPS are really loving it. I even have a new forest green acro frag that was a little browned out sitting way down at sand bed level near the very front of the tank and it's coloring up nicely. I would think if you're concerned about having enough PAR, I would be surprised if you didn't. Some corals will have to adapt a bit, but so far all of mine have done so beautifully.

[markalot]

I'm confused about what problem you're having exactly. Is it that you don't like the general visual look and spread of the light?

 

 

Personally, I'm running a Razor Nano 16k with 120 degree "optics" on my 30 gallon IM Nuvo tank and the light is about 7 inches above the surface and the tank has a glass top. 100% A, 100% B. As far as things go, I'm having great results. I like the overall look of the lighting (which I understand is entirely subjective), and the SPS are really loving it. I even have a new forest green acro frag that was a little browned out sitting way down at sand bed level near the very front of the tank and it's coloring up nicely. I would think if you're concerned about having enough PAR, I would be surprised if you didn't. Some corals will have to adapt a bit, but so far all of mine have done so beautifully.

 

I love the color, but the spread over the width of my 40 breeder wasn't enough so I tried the 120 optics, which offer very little improvement for my needs over the 36" width of the tank. I'm trying to resist rescaping the tank to fit the light but I might have too if having no optics doesn't work.

 

Unfortunately the PAR meter I usually rent was ruined when some jackass dropped it in his tank.

 

Here's a video of the razor hung 6 inches above a glass top, no optics.

 

[Islandoftiki]

I love the color, but the spread over the width of my 40 breeder wasn't enough so I tried the 120 optics, which offer very little improvement for my needs over the 36" width of the tank. I'm trying to resist rescaping the tank to fit the light but I might have too if having no optics doesn't work.

 

Unfortunately the PAR meter I usually rent was ruined when some jackass dropped it in his tank.

 

Here's a video of the razor hung 6 inches above a glass top, no optics.

 

You might be getting more par than you think. My tank is obviously narrower than a 40b, so I get plenty of spread.

 

 

The darkest spot in my tank is probably the front corners. See that kinda brown-ish acropora in front of the birdsnest in the picture below, it's in about the darkest spot in the tank and it's really coloring up fast, and I thought for sure I was going to have to move it toward the upper middle part of the tank. Now, my nitrates and phosphates are really low. In fact, my phosphates are almost too low. So, it's hard to say how each individual coral will adapt to the lighting. I was expecting more of my SPS to brown when I first switched from T5 to LED, but I started the LED's low (like 60% if I recall correctly) and brought them up to 100% about 1% or less per day. They've been at 100% for a couple weeks and the colors keep getting better every week.

 

 

 

It's hard to say without a par meter, but you might be better off than you think.

[zooman72]

I have my 27" Razors hung about 12" above the top rim of my 40B's (I have 2 different tanks, each lit with a Razor, and both with custom-cut full glass tops - no center hinge), and am maxing out at 75% currently, and I appear to have plenty of spread and intensity - I personally think that is one of the draws of these lights: to be able to hang them up "out of the way" and still have plenty of light for shallower tanks.

 

Mark, I would see how it looks with the standard optics but hanging twice as high as you currently have it.

[Islandoftiki]

Mark, what are you comparing the Razor to? What was your previous lighting?

[markalot]

Mark, what are you comparing the Razor to? What was your previous lighting?

 

6 T5's in a poorly ventilated fixture, on legs, with ok reflectors and a DIY fan to cool the bulbs. My lowest PAR reading was 180 in a corner unless I used non ATI bulbs. It was too bright, too heavy to hang, and I really like the shimmer of LED.

 

I have my 27" Razors hung about 12" above the top rim of my 40B's (I have 2 different tanks, each lit with a Razor, and both with custom-cut full glass tops - no center hinge), and am maxing out at 75% currently, and I appear to have plenty of spread and intensity - I personally think that is one of the draws of these lights: to be able to hang them up "out of the way" and still have plenty of light for shallower tanks.

 

Mark, I would see how it looks with the standard optics but hanging twice as high as you currently have it.

 

The Razor is light enough that I can hang it from our drop ceiling, so raising it up is certainly an option. I had it up around 12 inches with the 90 degree optics, then put in the 120 and lowered it, then realized there wasn't really that much extra spread, and then tried no optics. It's nice to hear you're having good results with a 40B so I will probably put the optics back in and raise it up. I'm this close to just buying a PAR meter so I can stop guessing.

 

I use standard glass lids with the hinge removed.

[vlapinta]

I just got my 120w 16k razor. I have it on the attached legs over my new IM Nuvo 40 gallon cube. I am very confused on a lighting schedule so I was hoping someone could help me out with one. I am in the middle of upgrading from a 12 gallon cube with LEDs The Leds on the 12 gallon are not very strong. It is a current orbit light. I have all softies. I dont like the very blue look except at night for actinics. I usually like my lights to come on@ 10AM and go to blue moonlights at 10 or 11 at night. Can someone suggest a lighting schedule with having the blue moonlights on all night, or most of the night. I also would like lights to have a dawn/dusk effect. I have to keep the intensity down to acclimate my corals to the razor. Also how fast and what % should I raise the intensity and what intensity should I max out for my tank size?

[FlowerMama]

When I start my rock flower breeding tank in my 45w which is 36 x 24 x12H, I have the 27" I know they don't need more than med high but how many inches above does anyone suggest I hang this light? The nems will be on the so called "sand", which will actually be a grey gravel of sorts so it won't be reflecting back the white of typical sand. a foot, 1.5 ft? 2 ft? I will have a glass lid to prevent any dust going in.

[zooman72]

I just got my 120w 16k razor. I have it on the attached legs over my new IM Nuvo 40 gallon cube. I am very confused on a lighting schedule so I was hoping someone could help me out with one. I am in the middle of upgrading from a 12 gallon cube with LEDs The Leds on the 12 gallon are not very strong. It is a current orbit light. I have all softies. I dont like the very blue look except at night for actinics. I usually like my lights to come on@ 10AM and go to blue moonlights at 10 or 11 at night. Can someone suggest a lighting schedule with having the blue moonlights on all night, or most of the night. I also would like lights to have a dawn/dusk effect. I have to keep the intensity down to acclimate my corals to the razor. Also how fast and what % should I raise the intensity and what intensity should I max out for my tank size?

 

Lot of questions here, but I suggest you take a look at the manual for a start. Intensity and acclimation have already been discussed numerous times throughout this thread, but keep in mind that it also depends on what you are keeping and how high above the tank you have it.

 

When I start my rock flower breeding tank in my 45w which is 36 x 24 x12H, I have the 27" I know they don't need more than med high but how many inches above does anyone suggest I hang this light? The nems will be on the so called "sand", which will actually be a grey gravel of sorts so it won't be reflecting back the white of typical sand. a foot, 1.5 ft? 2 ft? I will have a glass lid to prevent any dust going in.

 

I have mine about a foot over the tank (40B) and like it at that height, but you could go higher if you wanted...

[FlowerMama]

 

Lot of questions here, but I suggest you take a look at the manual for a start. Intensity and acclimation have already been discussed numerous times throughout this thread, but keep in mind that it also depends on what you are keeping and how high above the tank you have it.

 

 

I have mine about a foot over the tank (40B) and like it at that height, but you could go higher if you wanted...

 

Thanks, I think I'll start them at 12", see how it goes and I could always raise it up if I need but I wouldn't think I'd need to really because they'd be 24" from the corals so you think that would be fine, esp w/ being able to dim.

[zooman72]

Thanks, I think I'll start them at 12", see how it goes and I could always raise it up if I need but I wouldn't think I'd need to really because they'd be 24" from the corals so you think that would be fine, esp w/ being able to dim.

 

No problem, and yes, the ability to raise or lower is the biggest reason to hang them honestly - I was simply referring to the coverage/ spread possibilities for your example...

[FlowerMama]

Thank You. I've been so good, I haven't even taken them out and stuck them on the 34 just to compare what those corals look like under that instead of my Kessil A350W . hmmm, maybe this weekend! Just for a moment. What I need to do is get a ladder and clean off the ceiling fan that will be above the 45, all the crud on top that you never notice until the fan is stopped. So once the lights go up and lid is on, it'll be nice and clean.

[vlapinta]

 

Lot of questions here, but I suggest you take a look at the manual for a start. Intensity and acclimation have already been discussed numerous times throughout this thread, but keep in mind that it also depends on what you are keeping and how high above the tank you have it.

 

 

I have mine about a foot over the tank (40B) and like it at that height, but you could go higher if you wanted...

Yes a lot of questions... sorry. I can't hang the light so I am stuck using the legs. I am keeping mostly softies (for now) I have looked at the manual and read through this thread. I am still confused about a lighting schedule. Looking to have the light come on around between 10-11 AM and go off the same time PM but keep the blue moonlights on all night.

[CrazyCarl]

Yes a lot of questions... sorry. I can't hang the light so I am stuck using the legs. I am keeping mostly softies (for now) I have looked at the manual and read through this thread. I am still confused about a lighting schedule. Looking to have the light come on around between 10-11 AM and go off the same time PM but keep the blue moonlights on all night.

 

Just an example but you can start with this and tinker. I wouldn't go above 35% on channel A(you may even want to start lower) to start since you have softies. A is the (mostly)white channel and B is the blues. Use the dial/push button as mentioned in the manual.

 

Time point 1. 11:00 AM A:0 B:1

Time point 2. 1: 30 PM A: 10 B: 20

Time point 3. 4:30 PM A: 35 B:35

Time point 4. 7:30 PM A:35 B:35

Time point 5. 9:30 PM A:10 B:20

Time Point 6. 11:00 PM A:0 B:1

 

Hope that helps.