New Product! Current USA Orbit Marine LED Aquarium Light

Candi said:
I'd love some assistance figuring out the best settings to use with my 28g nanocube. Long story short it was a intermediate LED stock tank, but the stock leds never worked very well. When we moved about 6 months ago I went ahead and gutted the hood and installed 2 of the 18-24" orbit marine led strips (I was told 2 would be needed on another forum for LPS & softies). I'm thinking that was incorrect... I took frags out of my T5 70g tank and immediately had issues. Even running the two currents at 60% acclimation setting my zoas refused to open, my shrooms quickly melted away and the LPS closed up and started melting away/dying until I put them back into the 70g.

So... if I wanted to keep both in the tank (more even lighting that way and I already have both) what settings would you use for LPS & softies (zoas/shrooms)? What intensity, duration, etc. Or would you definitely recommend only using one, and then again... what settings would you recommend?

Thank you very much!
Click to expand...

Hi Candi,

Part of the issue may have been due to acclimation as the light put out by LED's and T5 are very different. One Orbit Marine should be sufficient for a nanocube. We would recommend using with just one strip at 40% and gradually increase it to your desired intensity in 4-6 weeks. Our own preference is to have the blues at a higher intensity than the whites. For duration, 8-10 hour photoperiod is typical.
 
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I have an innovative marine 30L coming and orderd the 36" orbit LED fixture for lighting. I am new to LED (always ran MH in the past). The tank is only 13" tall and figured this would be enough to keep softies and LPS. Appreciate your feedback and experience. Is this light sufficient for that purpose?

Thanks!!
 
JRob722 said:
I have an innovative marine 30L coming and orderd the 36" orbit LED fixture for lighting. I am new to LED (always ran MH in the past). The tank is only 13" tall and figured this would be enough to keep softies and LPS. Appreciate your feedback and experience. Is this light sufficient for that purpose?

Thanks!!
Click to expand...

Hi JRob722,

The Orbit is an great option for the 30L. Since the Fusion 30L is fairly shallow at 13" tall, keeping softies and LPS with the Orbit Marine should work very nicely.
 
Right on...thanks. Have been out of the hobby for many years and LED technology may be one of the coolest advancements I have noticed so far. It seems to be a true game changer.

Is there any place that will give the PAR details of this light??

Thanks again/Jim
 
JRob722 said:
Right on...thanks. Have been out of the hobby for many years and LED technology may be one of the coolest advancements I have noticed so far. It seems to be a true game changer.

Is there any place that will give the PAR details of this light??

Thanks again/Jim
Click to expand...

Hi Jim, LED technology is indeed a great advancement and improves year after year. Current USA did publish some PAR details shown here. You will want to note that PAR meters are not very accurate for LED's and reading are typically about 30% lower than what they actually are.

par_values_1.jpg
 
Marine Depot,

I bought 2 of these, 1 year ago for my standard dimension 75 gallon mixed reef. They are placed directly on top of the tank (not hung), and are both in the middle of the tank (depth wise) with about 2 inches between both fixtures.

Everyone's always told me that it wouldn't be strong enough for any SPS and most LPS. Here are my questions:

1. What kind of overlap can you expect from both units and how will that increase the PAR that hits the top 6 inches of the tank?

2. I've added an acropora and immediately placed it within 6 inches under one of the units directly, as opposed to acclimating slowly because the LFS had it under some Kessils. Well, it started fading after 2 weeks and now is STN. How come this happened if I went from a stronger LED to this one?

3. I know for a fact that there is sufficient PAR in the top 6 inches of the tank because I have a maxima clam that has grown consistently for the past 8 months (I keep track by counting the notches). So would this be enouigh to suggest these lights x2 can grow Acros near the top?

4. Based on research, they say because this has a lot of LED at lower wattage, it won't penetrate deep but the surface is pretty high. So you think having 2 is too much light for Acropora? I also have a reverse superman monti 8 inches from the light, that has lost its vibrant fluorescence and is now a duller pink. (Cant be nutrients b/c I feed heavily)

Thanks. Just trying to see if I should give up on these lights and upgrade, or stick to it.
 
makers marc said:
Marine Depot,

I bought 2 of these, 1 year ago for my standard dimension 75 gallon mixed reef. They are placed directly on top of the tank (not hung), and are both in the middle of the tank (depth wise) with about 2 inches between both fixtures.

Everyone's always told me that it wouldn't be strong enough for any SPS and most LPS. Here are my questions:

1. What kind of overlap can you expect from both units and how will that increase the PAR that hits the top 6 inches of the tank?

2. I've added an acropora and immediately placed it within 6 inches under one of the units directly, as opposed to acclimating slowly because the LFS had it under some Kessils. Well, it started fading after 2 weeks and now is STN. How come this happened if I went from a stronger LED to this one?

3. I know for a fact that there is sufficient PAR in the top 6 inches of the tank because I have a maxima clam that has grown consistently for the past 8 months (I keep track by counting the notches). So would this be enouigh to suggest these lights x2 can grow Acros near the top?

4. Based on research, they say because this has a lot of LED at lower wattage, it won't penetrate deep but the surface is pretty high. So you think having 2 is too much light for Acropora? I also have a reverse superman monti 8 inches from the light, that has lost its vibrant fluorescence and is now a duller pink. (Cant be nutrients b/c I feed heavily)

Thanks. Just trying to see if I should give up on these lights and upgrade, or stick to it.
Click to expand...

Hi makers marc,

1. Orbit Marine LED's are great lights when used in the correct application. However, they are not designed for most SPS corals as lower wattage LED diodes are used. By overlapping two of these fixtures you would be able to increasing the light spread. The increase in PAR would be less significant: not enough to keep light demanding SPS in most cases.

2. There are numerous reasons why a coral would start to decline in health. Insufficient lighting is definitely one of the possibilities. Other factors such as nutrient levels (nitrate and phosphate), calcium/alkalinity levels, fluctuations in water temperature and water flow are just some of the other reason why a coral may perish.

3. Current USA provides a chart (shown below) that is a useful guide when considering coral using this particular light fixture. I have owned this light fixture myself, and with it I too was able to keep a clam at the very top of my tank while target feeding the clam live phytoplankton. However Acroporas would not make it.

4. As you noted, the Orbit Marine does use a lot of LED's at a lower wattage: which is great for coverage and spread, but not as efficient for penetration. As shown on the chart, the PAR drops quickly from 400+ to 120-150. Having too much light with these fixtures is unlikely.

If your goal is too keep SPS corals, we would suggest looking into more powerful LED fixtures such as the MaxSpect Razor, Orbit Marine Pro or EcoTech Radion. If you feed heavily, keeping a close eye on your water parameters will also be a good idea.

par_values_1.jpg
 
Marine,

Thanks for your thoughts. But heres where things confuse me. Ive read some stuff of Advanced aquarists and other sites, that say keeping Acropora around 300 PAR is possible. FBased on that marketing piece, my Acro would be placed around the 300 mark for one unit (my tank is only 21 inches deep, not 24 like the diagram) and I place it around the 4-6 inches from up top. Then adding a 2nd unit nearby can only help, albeit a little... right?

Either way, my parameters are stable SPS levels with ca=425, KH=8.6, Mg =1350, using GFO. Nitrates are the only one that stays around 15ppm. But wouldnt that make the acro and monti brown out, bot start paling or bleaching?

I dunno....paralysis by analysis is exhausting in this hobby..
 
Hi makers marc,

What we gather from the chart is that the par is 400 an inch or two below the surface. Past about 2", it drops to 120-150: which is expected as the LED chips are lower wattage.

15ppm is not bad at all. May cause more sensitive SPS to brown out but usually is not high enough to cause bleaching. We would recommend to also check your phosphate levels.
 
I am getting back in the hobby after several years and had a question about these lights. I have a jbj45 and was wondering if I would be better served with two of the regular fixtures or one of the pro fixtures. Assuming I want the ability to keep any type of corals which would be best?
 
cwgibson said:
I am getting back in the hobby after several years and had a question about these lights. I have a jbj45 and was wondering if I would be better served with two of the regular fixtures or one of the pro fixtures. Assuming I want the ability to keep any type of corals which would be best?
Click to expand...

If you are looking to be able to keep any type of corals. You can get by with a single Orbit Pro. Suspending the fixture 4"-6" above the aquarium would be preferable over the tank mount as it would provide better coverage.

As an alternative option, we would recommend taking a look at the MaxSpect 20.5" Razor. For a few extra dollars, you get a lot more power: which can come in handy when you get in to SPS corals.
 
I have one of these on a 40G breeder the 36-48" one.

Instead of updating the whole thing I'm thinking of adding a second one of the G1 models so I have two of them.

All I want in the tank is two gold striped maroons with a RTBA. Will two of the G1's run on the full intensity schedule work for this? Tank is only 17" deep and Id try to set it in about 10-12"

Thanks - Steve
 
I should mention I use the leg mounts not the hanging kit but by having two of these on a 36 x 18 Id assume the spread would be ok?
 
Marchillo said:
I have one of these on a 40G breeder the 36-48" one.

Instead of updating the whole thing I'm thinking of adding a second one of the G1 models so I have two of them.

All I want in the tank is two gold striped maroons with a RTBA. Will two of the G1's run on the full intensity schedule work for this? Tank is only 17" deep and Id try to set it in about 10-12"

Thanks - Steve
Click to expand...

Hi Marchillo,

Two Orbit Marine strips on a 40G breeder should work nicely for the bubble tip anemone. The LED strips have a fairly wide output so two should cover the tank well.
 
I have the Pro on a 45G Tall with just a few soft corals so far. Was wondering what the best white/blue split would be. I too am using the leg mounts and the light sits on top of the tank.
 
Mbakeroo said:
I have the Pro on a 45G Tall with just a few soft corals so far. Was wondering what the best white/blue split would be. I too am using the leg mounts and the light sits on top of the tank.
Click to expand...

Hi Mbakeroo,

There is really no 'best' white/blue split. Just your color preference.
 
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