News

Orphek was back on the road this year to visit Public Aquariums spread world wide.

This time we landed in the land of Fado (Lisbon, Portugal) to presence the most beautiful and most unique experience of Takashi Amano’s 40m planted aquarium aquascape* in Oceanário de Lisboa (Lisbon Oceanarium).

*Aquascaping is the art of recreate an underwater landscape with the inspiration of both underwater locations, but also natural scenes, such as mountains, jungles, deserts, waterfalls and many others.

This fantastic massive Nature Aquarium measures 40m in length, 2.5m in depth, 1.5m in water depth and contains 160 tons of water, which contains 8,550L of Amazonia Soil, 20t of volcanic stones, 78 giant driftwood, 46 species of plants, and 10,000 tropical fish of 40 species. (As at April 22, 2015)

It was designed with a U shape layout so when you walk alongside of the tank you would feel as if you were in the forest underwater (Florestas Submersas).

“The tank has varying views from shallow to deep water and from open space to a lush jungle. When you pass the entrance, you will first see the shallow water with impressively attractive shades of green. Then, you will move deeper and deeper into the river. From the right side corner, various species of aquatic plants form an underwater forest. Then, you will see a broad open space in front of you. Once you pass through the open space followed by the driftwood covered with ferns and mosses, the huge clumps of stem plants welcome you. Open space and dense aquatic plants create a rhythm. On the left side, there is a beautiful slope of colorful stem plants. At last, you will be invited to an aquascape resembling a lush jungle.” (description by www.adana.co.jp)

In 2017 we have been also mesmerized with Takashi Amano’s living art aquariums at The Sumida Aquarium in Tokyo (you can read all about our Japan tour 1, 2, 3) but this huge forest under water simply brought tears to our eyes. It was for us the most real and most fulfilling way to get inspired and to renew our desire to continue to develop the best environmentally friendly solutions to recreate Nature as closely as possible.

In his own words “The aquarium with arranged plants to enjoy its beauty is generally called the planted aquarium. Nature Aquarium is a part of planted aquariums in a broad sense; however, it has unique philosophy and maintenance approach. They are based on the fundamental concept, “learning from nature”. Now, what is it to learn from nature? That is to learn the beauty of nature and to incorporate the aesthetic expression into a layout. It is like to clip the beautiful piece among endless beautiful landscapes existing in nature by building a composition with stones and driftwood and arranging plants in a tank to represent a beautiful aquascape.”

” The environment in Nature Aquarium is supported in the small ecosystem formed by plants, fish and microorganisms while interacting each other. Nature Aquarium is like a microcosm of nature, and that is why we can see lively swimming fish in their true colors.”

” Creating Nature Aquarium to build an aquascape where the fish confuse with natural environment and to recreate a natural ecosystem in full scale is simply one of the great ambitions.” (extracted form www.adana.co.jp)

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Orphek offers an entire line of LED lighting solutions for fresh water aquariums. Please check our freshwater product page to learn more about them.

Orphek Atlantik V4 gen 2 – Planted Aquarium spectrum

Our technology features built-in wireless control allowing users to easily program, control, and monitor their light(s) locally or from any location in the world where internet access is available (Wifi/3G/4G).

The Spectrum

Orphek understands that selecting the best fixture for your system is an important part of the overall success that you will achieve. We have refused to compromise with research, development and production. This expectation of high quality is evident in the spectrum that your Orphek Atlantik series light delivers.

Each LED diode is designed, produced and implemented with a specific goal in mind; to produce the best possible light for aquatic plants to grow and thrive and produce vibrant color.
Our spectral advancements are second to none in the industry as we refuse to use off the shelf LEDs, instead choosing to utilize custom made LED diodes that fit our exact specifications. This allows us to tailor our individual LED spectrum as well as the total fixture spectrum, unlike the competition that simply repackaged existing LED technologies, often adding in colors that can do more harm than good.

Orphek Amazonas 320 W –  Aquarium LED lighting Up to 32,000 Lumens

Orphek new Models  Amazonas 320W LED Light Fixtures for use in reef or freshwater systems.

Revolutionary, Powerful, Efficient, Versatile, Durable The Orphek R&D team developed a revolutionary emitter XP 80 White for Planted Aquarium

If you are in any country around the globe and you are also wishing to:

• Improve the quality of life of your plants and fresh water species
• Install a neat and easy to clean fixture
• Own not only a conceptual design LED light solution, but a true color & growth technology

We will be very happy to find the best Orphek LED Lights for your tank.

Email us to  contact@orphek.com and we will help get you started! You can also reach us by filling our form

Our Amazonas line is the perfect solution for big tanks and humid environments

Orphek for years now has been offering solutions for Oceanariums; Public Aquariums, research aquariums and marine projects. You will also see Orphek in public venues displaying aquariums, such as palaces, hospitals, hotels & shopping malls.

Orphek has been helping them to create a more natural, more easy-to-adapt and healthier environment to any kind of installation and animals and also has been helping them to develop and to explore the beauty that a proper atmosphere can bring to the exhibition.

Mostly, what moves and motivates us to develop such solutions is the fact that Orphek understands that most people do not live near the sea, nor has the possibility or means of learning how to scuba dive. We are aware that the life below the ocean surface and in deep water is beyond our reach as beings that need air to breath. Fortunately it is not impossible and these public venues are there to offer us these experiences!

How rich and close to reality these experiences will be depends fully on how the aquarium developing team and biologists will treat nature as art in the context of display.

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Understanding each peculiarity of these habitats, ORPHEK LED LIGHTING has been giving consulting and support to make the correct choice of lightening, installation, and spectrum that will make all the difference for both visitors and species.

Our expertise and our products have been showcased in many important projects world wide and now we are proud to announce that our solutions are upgraded to IP67 certification!

For these venues this is a groundbreaking technology since they face many challenges from financial (they are on a budget) to maintenance of these lights.

Tested for product quality and performance issues means that Orphek has reduced warranty issues and is now providing EXCELLENCE by improving product reliability.

Implementing IP67 testing means that our solutions were tested for:

• Water ingress contamination (waterproof)
• Dust ingress and solid parts contamination
• Fluid ingress contamination

Check out some photos of our lights being tested!

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There are many other reasons why to implement our Orphek Amazonas LED light fixtures over your tanks:

• No fan – our Amazonas solution has no need for cooler fans, therefore the problem of salt impregnation in the fans was eliminated. This means that Orphek is providing a longer life spam to its solutions.

• Menwell relocated power supply for maximum safety – our power supply does not stand over salted water therefore we eliminated the risk of electrical shock hazard from accidents with power supplies.

• Customized LED ratio and spectrum – Orphek does customize Amazonas LEDs according to the species and atmospheres desired.

• We provide reflectors options for deep aquariums.

• Amazonas 960/80Plus LED fixtures have control system – you will use the same app used for our Atlantik V4 Gen2.

• As we said above, they are now IP 67 water resistance certified for harsh salt environments.

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• Improve the quality of life of your corals and marine species.
• Install neat water resistant easy to clean fixtures.
• Own not only a conceptual design LED light solution, but a true color & growth technology.
• We will be very happy to find the best Orphek LED Lights and spectrum for your aquariums.

For more information about our Amazonas line check here:

AMAZONAS 500

AMAZONAS 320

*OUR AMAZONAS 80 web page is under construction, but you can email us meanwhile to get all the detailed info about this solution!

CONTACT US TODAY!
If you are a Public Venue or researcher from any country around the globe and you are also wishing to:

Also if you wish to know more details about our Amazonas line, email us to contact@orphek.com and we will help get you started! You can also reach us by filling our form.

A complete review with PAR Measurements

Danireef blog is the greatest Italian source for reefers in Europe and for our surprise and excitement has published recently a complete review of our lights, offering a lot of technical information about our product and what is really interesting is to check out the extensive PAR measurements results and the comparative tables displaying other brands.

“The Orphek Atlantik V4 is a very solid ceiling light, that is characterized by the use of led of 5 watt but is steered by less than 3, and a big acrylic sheet that divides the led and the aquarium. Thanks to the fact that they are steered by low current the LED will last longer. The ceiling light can be compared to a diffused ceiling light, following the example of the Philips Coralcare (test) and the GNC Bluray (article). Differently from these ceiling lights, the use of little powerful led gives to the Atlantik the possibility to have little reflection…We really appreciated the possibility to have a cooling vent on the side grill that sucks the air and blows it upside, avoiding to put in the ceiling light air with moisture coming from the aquarium, like other ceiling lights that suck the air from below the ceiling light itself…The design in fact, is extremely functional, we have already talked about the vents, but the construction is voted to simplicity and modularity…”

According to Danireef, among the various LED pendant lights in the market today, Orphek is offering a better LED reef light solution for suspended on ceiling layouts being extremely functional and flexible.

They go on giving details about our driver and app which you can fully read in their website (to read all about their technical review of our product go to page 1 of the review by clicking HERE)

Let’s jump to PAR results because this is what we think you all are interested in knowing!

“Orphek Atlantik V4 – our measurements
We found something very interesting when we measured also the PAR, expressed in PFFD that is photosynthetic photon flux density in μmol m-2 s-1 through the best device on the market, the Quantum Meter MQ-510 di Apogee. It is calibrated in order to work under water, then if used in air the measured value has to be divided by 1,32, that’s the diving factor. When we did our test it wasn’t under water, so we had to make the conversion…We did 5 measurements, all at the center of the ceiling light, 1 for each channel at their maximum. In uniformity with the other measurements we’ve done, and most of all for the ones we’ve going to do, we held the probe 20 cm from the ceiling light. We also had measured, as usual, the absorbed power…The total consumption of the ceiling light at its power maximum it was of 226 watt as you can see from the picture…The Cos(fi) has an enviable value of 0,97…Now we can see the 4 channels, individually taken. We alternated the channels in turn, leaving just one on at the 100% by one, then we measured the values.”

CHANNEL 1

Channel 1 offered a set of 5.000° Kelvin and 20.000° Kelvin, green and cyan.

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That is a value of 808/1,32=612 μmol m-2 s-1 and a consumption of 72 watt.

CHANNEL 2

Channel 2 shows a complete blue spectrum that includes 430nm, 440nm, 450nm/460nm and 470 nm.

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That is a value of 906/1,32=686 μmol m-2 s-1 and a consumption of 84 watt.

CHANNEL 3

It’s the channel where UV and UVb are isolated, 380 nm, 410 nm and 420 nm.

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That is a value of 254/1,32=192 μmol m-2 s-1 and a consumption of 43 watt.

CHANNEL 4

The channel 4 is where you will find the two infrared leds.

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That is the 353/1,32=267 μmol m-2 s-1 and a consumption of 42 watt.

Summing up the obtained values of the Orphek Atlantik V4 Gen2:

Channel	Gradation	PAR	Consumption	PAR per watt
Channel 1	Green Cyan	612	72 w	8,5
Channel 2	Blue	686	84 w	8,16
Channel 3	UV	192	43 w	4,47
Channel 4	Blue, red and infrared	267	42 w	6,36
All the Channels	1.515	226 w	6,7

Conclusion by Danireef:

“It’s easy to notice from the chart that the major contribution of the PAR are given by the channels green and cyan and the blue channel. The other two channels affect between the half and two-thirds of the measurement.The incredible thing, beyond the excellent measurements, is great uniformity center-edges. We played a little with our quantum meter and we found pretty much identical values on almost the entire area covered by the ceiling light, as if it was a distribution of a neon T5. Very impressive values.”

To read the full detailed review click HERE

COMPARING ORPHEK V4 GEN 2 TO OTHERS

After taking PAR measures of our channels Danireef compared ours results with other fixtures sold in the market:

“Recently, we begin to use the new Quantum Meter MQ-510 di Apogee. So the data in comparison between ceiling lights aren’t totally comparable because we were used to use the probe Seneye. Moreover, we have to consider the Orphek with ceiling lights of diffused light like the Philips CoralCare (test), the GNC 466 (italian review) and partially the Maxspect Ethereal. The Philips registered 1.496 PAR, the GNC 696 PAR while the Ethereal 689 PAR… Remember that we did the PAR measurements from 20 cm in air…So, seen the devices, the Orphek Atlantik V4 registers the highest value ever seen in our hands. The ceiling lights, compared to the Philips, are slightly penalized only for their pretty high price. But often the ceiling lights can be found on sale about 8/900 euro, making the cost per watt much more appealing…The values in comparison with the data got by the Seneye may not be too truthful, because they’ve been done with two different devices, one of which is professional. We think that the optimal coverage for SPS corals strongly demanding, it’s an area of 70×50 cm.

Ceiling light	PAR	Watt	Price	PAR/watt	euro per watt
GNC 466	696 (Seneye)	120	1.400 euro	5,8 diffused	11,7
Orphek Atlantik V4	1.515 (Apogee)	226	1.099 euro	6,7 diffused	4,9
Philips CoralCare	1.496 (Seneye)	190	749 euro	7,8 diffused	3,9
Maxspect Ethereal	689 (Seneye)	130	500 euro	5,3 semi diffused	3,8
Led bar Askoll Pure Marine	237 (Apogee)	28	n.d.	8,4
Zetlight UFO ZE-8000	791 (Seneye)	91,5	500 euro	8,6 cluster	5,5
Aqamai LRM	1.088 (Seneye)	87,5	465 euro	12,4 double cluster	5,2

The absorbed power we’ve seen is of 226 watt, then in a relationship cost/watt of about 4,9 euro for each watt. We can make a comparison with the other ceiling lights that we had in our hands is enough to look at the chart below:

Ceiling light	Price	Consumption	Relationship euro per watt
Philips Coralcare	749 euro	190 watt	3,9 euro per watt	Test
Maxspect Ethereal	500 euro	126 watt	4,0 euro per watt	Test (italian page)
Radion XR30w G2 PRO	790 euro	170 watt	4,7 euro per watt	Italian review
Radion XR30w G4 PRO	915 euro	190 watt	4,8 euro per watt	Italian article
OceanLed Sunrise 600	870 euro	180 watt	4,8 euro per watt	Test (italian page)
Orphek Atlantik V4	1099 euro	226 watt	4,9 euro per watt
Radion XR30w G2	690 euro	140 watt	4,9 euro per watt	Italian review
Radion XR30w G4	760 euro	150 watt	5,1 euro per watt	Italian article
Aqamai LRM	465 euro	87,5 watt	5,2 euro per watt	Test
Zetlight UFO ZE-8000	500 euro	91,5 watt	5,5 euro per watt	Test
CEAB Slide & Led	2.700 euro	275 watt	9,8 euro per watt	Review
Sicce GNC 466	1.592 euro	120 watt	13,3 euro per watt	Receview

Danirref conclusion about our Atlantik V4 Gen2 (please read fixture where you see ceiling light)

“The ceiling light is very well built, the covering is optimal and the application very simple and reactive. The cost per watt is in the average, while the PAR expressed are incredible.”

To read full review and comparisons please click HERE

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*Copyrights of all photos and data – Danireef.com

**Extracts misspellings edited by Orphek

We would like in this opportunity to thank Danireef for the extensive research and its contribution in behalf of all Orphek Team!

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If you are a shop, importer our a private collector and you are also looking for customization or if you are from the Australia or any country around the globe and you are also wishing to purchase or upgrade your Orphek units and:

• Improve the quality of life of your corals and marine species
• Install a neat and easy to clean fixture
• Own not only a conceptual design LED light solution, but a true color & growth technology
• We will be very happy to find the best Orphek LED Lights for your tank.

Also if you wish to know more details about our ATLANTIK V4 GEN 2, email us to contact@orphek.com and we will help get you started! You can also reach us by filling our form

A Quick Look at Orphek’s ‘Blue Sky’ LED Strip Light

By Dana Riddle

Light-emitting diode (LED) strip lighting has become popular when used singularly or in plurality. In smaller or shallow aquaria, a single strip is possibly enough or can act as supplement to other lighting. In larger aquaria, multiple strips can provide adequate light.

Orphek’s strip lights are a no-nonsense approach to aquarium lighting. An aluminum housing acts as the heat sink and keeps operating temperatures under control, thus avoiding cooling fans. A simple on/off switch controls power to the unit and of course allows optional use of a third-party timer. In short, the unit is robust and reliable.

The unit marketed as ‘Blue Sky’ is a mix of two LEDs with distinctly different spectral qualities. The blue LEDs (12 of them) peaks one at about 450nm and the others (six) at about 495nm. These wavelengths are important in zooxanthellae photosynthesis – chlorophylls a and c₂ utilize blue while the accessory pigment peridinin absorbs green light up to about 450nm. See Figures 1 – 3. These wavelengths are also away from protective xanthophyll absorption – a plus photosynthetically speaking. Figure 4 demonstrates Photosynthetically Usable Radiation (PUR) of the ‘Blue Sky’ luminaire and sunlight.

Figure 1. Spectral quality of the ‘Blue Sky’ LED light.

Figure 2. ‘Blue Sky’ LED spectrum by 10nm bandwidths.

Figure 3. Cyan and green wavelengths are important in coral photosynthesis.

Figure 4. The Photosynthetically Usable Radiation output of the ‘Blue Sky’ fixture is about 15% greater than sunlight.

Judging lighting on a strictly visual basis is subjective, but I found the light to be pleasing. It avoids the ‘Windex’ look of LEDs with shorter wavelengths yet can still provide radiation to cause fluorescence (‘pop’) in proteins found in many corals.

Intensity is surprisingly high for a fixture drawing only 33 watts. Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density (PPFD) was 190 µmol·m²·second at 19 inches (48 centimeters) from the light (‘air’ measurements.)

Testing Protocol                                                                                                                                                

Spectral quality was measured with an Ocean Optics USB2000 fiber optic spectrometer. Data were exported to an Excel proprietary worksheet for further analysis. Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) and reported as Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density (PPFD) were measured by an Apogee Instrument’s MQ-510 quantum meter with the ‘improved’ sensor. Photosynthetically Usable Radiation (PUR) and Correlated Color Temperature (CCT, reported as degrees Kelvin) was estimated by a Seneye ‘Reef’ device.

 

OR 120/90/60 BAR LED Lighting

We want an Orphek product to be under your Christmas Tree this year.

If you order now an Orphek Atlantik V4 Gen 2 or any Orphek Bar LED Lighting an Azurelite will be included with your order!!

Take advantage of this cheerful time of the year and put an Orphek product under your Christmas Tree. 

Most importantly, over your aquarium!

This cool promotion is available till the end of the month!

*Pls notice: This promotion includes one Azurlite per order, not per quantity of products purchased.

 

Atlantik V4 Reef Aquarium LED lighting

 

Orphek OR 120, 90 and 60 – LED Lighting Bars for Aquariums

 

Does the price of these include shipping?
Yes – Free shipping worldwide express door to door

Do you except PayPal or Credit Card?
Yes – we will send you a PayPal invoice and you can pay with your PayPal account or credit card.

 

 

Lighting the Aquarium: Orphek’s Atlantik V4 LED Luminaire – Photosynthetically Active and Usable Radiation

By Dana Riddle

Lighting an aquarium would be a simple affair if only aesthetic considerations mattered, however advanced aquarists’ goals often include husbandry of plants, algae, corals and other photosynthetic organisms.

To that end, it was originally suggested that only ‘intense’ lighting was required, and spectral characteristics were of a secondary concern. Our understanding of the needs of reef organisms has advanced over the years.

In this installment, we’ll look at two important lighting parameters –

Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density (PPFD) – often referred to as simply

Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR with a bandwidth of 400-700nm)

and Photosynthetically Usable Radiation (PUR.)

These two categories can not be mutually exclusive. A lighting source of high intensity (PPFD) and low useful output (PUR) has few practical applications, while the opposite is also true – low PAR output with high PUR is of limited usefulness.

This time, we’ll look at PPFD and PUR generated by ultraviolet, violet, and blue LEDs in an Orphek Atlantik V4 LED luminaire.

The procedure used was as follows.

Black poster board with a hole exactly the diameter of the lens of each LED allowed measurement of individual LEDs (although the thick plastic cover of the luminaire allows some blending of light from adjacent diodes.)

A Li-Cor LI-1200 quantum meter’s sensor (calibrated for ‘air’ measurements) was placed directly over the LED and the result (as µmol·m²·second) was recorded.

PUR was estimated through use of a Seneye Reef device that reports the result as a per centage.

The Seneye estimates PUR by comparing red, green, and blue outputs. Photosynthetic efficacy was estimated by multiplying PPFD by per cent PUR.

While the procedure is not perfect (particularly with LEDs producing radiation outside of the PAR sensors window of 400-700nm) it does allow a rough estimate of performance.

Ultraviolet Radiation                                                                                                                                               

This luminaire contains 4 LEDs producing UV radiation with peaks at 382, 383, and two at 384 nm.

These wavelengths are useful in photosynthesis – they can be absorbed by chlorophylls a and c2.

They can also excite fluorescent proteins found in many corals. There is also the possibility that these can induce the expression of some of these colorful proteins (both fluorescent and reflective in nature.)

Violet Light                                                                                                                                                                 

Ten violet LEDs are found in this luminaire, with peak outputs at 410 to 428nm.

Some of the comments made about UV radiation are applicable to violet wavelengths as well.

Blue Light                                                                                                                                                                  

Water appearing blue to our eye is the hallmark of clear oceanic waters, hence blue light makes a reef aquarium appear natural but more importantly, chlorophylls absorb this light and use it in photosynthesis. This luminaire contains 32 LEDs producing blue light, ranging in peak outputs from 431 to 473nm.

Using the techniques previously described, these are the average PPFDs of these LEDs.

Figure 1. The Li-Cor PAR meter will under-report PPFD of ultraviolet and violet LEDs since the sensor’s cutoff is at 400nm. The blue LEDs are powerful. PPFD is reported as micromole per square meter per second (µmol·m²·sec.)

As mentioned, PPFD is only part of the story. We’ll now multiply the PPFD values by PUR factors obtained through use of the Seneye device. These are the results.

Figure 2. Using factors generated by the Seneye device, Violet wavelengths are most efficient (87%) in the promotion of photosynthesis, followed by Blue at 80%, and finally UV at 74%.PUR is reported as micromole per square meter per second (µmol·m²·sec.)

Next time, we’ll look at other bandwidths and discuss their importance.

Read More:

Lighting the Aquarium Part 7-Photosynthetically Usable Radiation

Lighting the Reef Aquarium Part 6 – Coral Coloration – A Primer

Lighting the Reef Aquarium Part 5 -Tridacna Clams

Lighting the Reef Aquarium Part 4

Lighting the Reef Aquarium Part 3- The Myth of Corals Requiring Unlimited Amounts of Light

Lighting the Reef Aquarium Part 2-Measuring Light Intensity

Lighting the Reef Aquarium – Part 1

 

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