Orphek Atlantik iCon in our DaniReef LAB: power and control

How to value these numbers in aquarium?

This is a good question. At first we thought that we could transport these values to the aquarium tout-court. Than we filled the aquarium, insert the probe and redone the measurements. We fazed but, as we have already said in elsewhere, we’re going to talk about this in another article. Basically, while at 20 cm the result is practically the same, as we progressed, thanks to the glass and the water itself reflecting the light, we found even the double of the values measured in air. Obviously this isn’t a detail that can be standardized, so we think that our method of calculation is the most correct, and the best for the comparison of coverages of different ceiling lights.

The comparison with other ceiling lights on the market

The data detected in our DaniReef LAB have been collected through the Quantum Meter MQ-510 by Apogee.

Considering the energy per watt, the PAR and the energy per euro either, the ceiling light is in the average. What stands out it the power at 60 cm, incredibly high. All these data suggest that these ceiling lights are perfect for aquariums up to 60 cm, max 70 cm, considering that the corals are never placed right next to the glass.

Maintenance costs

The ceiling light Orphek Atlantik iCon costs 1.350 euro.

The absorbed power is 229 watt, so with a cost/watt ratio of about 5,89 euro watt. For a comparison with the other ceiling lights you can consult the following chart. Notice that they’re sorted by decreasing efficiency, so the best are the first ones.

The ceiling light is very well built, heavy and solid. You can see the improvement in relation to the previous V4. The price reflects the quality.

The energy efficiency is in the average, the economic efficiency is lower. Which means if you want quality and power, you have to pay for it.

This chart is the spectral power distribution (SPD) in different depths, in clear oceanic waters:

So, at 37 cm of distance an iCon obtains 966 µmoli/M2/s, which approximately is 5 meters under the sea level. An outstanding power! We’re almost reaching the same values of sunlight.

These results show that this celing light is great for nanoreefs up to 60/70 cm per side, both for SPS and anything else. The expressed power is the best for the whole central line. On the front and behind it drops a little, but it’s still at the same level of other ceiling lights. You can breed anything with every coloration. The only problem may be the length of the iCon, that’s of 61,5 cm. This might limit the use in some aquariums, but I think that 2 of them in an aquarium of 130 should be perfect. Maybe in a tank of 120 cm you should try to couple it with the compact sister.

Questions and comments, as usual, are very welcome.

The Orphek systems are officially imported and distributed in Italy by AGP. The Orphek iCon has been sent by Orphek in order to do this evaluation.