Clown79 Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 I'm thinking of upgrading my lighting and I really like the Ai. My issue is having a standard 15g. 24x12x12 Ai says the prime has an 18x18 spread snd i would need 2 but a lot of ppl have suggested 1 would be far more than enough on a smaller tank. Anyone has experience using the light on a non square tank? How was the coverage? Link to comment
rfalk Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 Not sure what type of corals you want to keep but being 24" I'd personally get 2 or a hydra 26 and hang it high. Link to comment
reefernanoman Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 I'm thinking of upgrading my lighting and I really like the Ai. My issue is having a standard 15g. 24x12x12 Ai says the prime has an 18x18 spread snd i would need 2 but a lot of ppl have suggested 1 would be far more than enough on a smaller tank. Anyone has experience using the light on a non square tank? How was the coverage? I would get two primes if it was me. That way, you would not have to worry about things not growing well on the sides of your tank. 24 inches is too long for one prime to cover (visually probably yes, but not good enough for corals. MHO). Link to comment
Renstar Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 I had one over my Biocube 29 before upgrading. It was plenty of light for the tank. It is 3 inches smaller than the length of your tank though. It depends on the corals you have or are planning to have in the short/long term. I'll agree that getting 2 Primes would be the best case scenario. Personally, I would do 2 AI Prime's over 1 Hydra but that's because I like to be able to determine the spread by moving 2 single pucks than trying to elevate 1 light. Either way the prime is a great light based on ROI. Link to comment
Clown79 Posted May 23, 2016 Author Share Posted May 23, 2016 I have pretty much all my corals. They are doing well under a cheap par38 Leather, zoas, xenia, frogspawn, and duncans. If I ever attempt sps there would be 1 spot for it pretty much under the direct light. 2 lights is above my budget:( I am upgrading 2 tanks lights. Its so conflicting. So many say 1 and then so many say 2. I have only seen 1 prime in action. It was on a 36g cube, 4 inches shorter than mine. I was really impressed with the coverage. Link to comment
Renstar Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 From the AI website it says AI Prime's have a 30x30 spread. I mean the par drops off significantly but the edges would be fine for lower light pieces if you do decide to go 1. http://www.aquaillumination.com/lighting/prime/ Quote from them: With a spread of 30" x 30", the AI Prime® has a peak PAR of 260µMol at a depth of 12 inches, more than enough for your hungriest of livestock. Drawing a maximum of 50 watts from the wall, it follows in the family’s efficient footsteps. Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 30x30 coverage is an absolute joke if they are talking inches. No more than ~12x12-16x16 at the absolute maximum, and that is with a tank height of no more than 12", as the light will be hung above that and PAR drops significantly with added distance. Link to comment
Renstar Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 30x30 coverage is an absolute joke if they are talking inches. No more than ~12x12-16x16 at the absolute maximum, and that is with a tank height of no more than 12", as the light will be hung above that and PAR drops significantly with added distance. I'm not disagreeing with you but that's what they list on the site. I ran 1 prime on my biocube which is 20x21x18 and it did just fine. I wasn't growing any SPS on there but everything was happy. I did upgrade to an XR15W though because I did want to grow SPS. Link to comment
Elizabeth94 Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 I agree with this.. I can't imagine my Prime being able to light anything much larger than my fusion 10 which is 12"x12". I would suggest two lights minimum. That said, I absolutely love my prime, and have some sps living and growing happily under it. 30x30 coverage is an absolute joke if they are talking inches. No more than ~12x12-16x16 at the absolute maximum, and that is with a tank height of no more than 12", as the light will be hung above that and PAR drops significantly with added distance. Link to comment
Clown79 Posted May 24, 2016 Author Share Posted May 24, 2016 Its very misleading this little light. I've seen it on a 36 deep cube and I was shocked at the light it produces-absolutely beautiful colouration and no dark spots...but it was a square tank. I contacted ai and they said the spread is 18x18. I probably could get away with 1 since my tank is not deep but there are other options: Evergrow chinese box (trying to get reviews on it) Coral compulsion par 38 - the 35 watt has a spread of 24x24 and full spectrum dimmable. Fyi: led lighting for non square tanks=PITA unless you have $800 Link to comment
Sharbuckle Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 First of all. Love the prime. Have two over my 29g which is 30x12. No chance that one would cover the 30x30. Get one, save up, by another. Link to comment
BoxKing Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 Look at the AI Hydra 26 HD - cheaper than buying two LED's, with more controlability. Should be just fine over your tank. Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 Look at the AI Hydra 26 HD - cheaper than buying two LED's, with more controlability. Should be just fine over your tank. That still will not cover a 30" long tank. It is not physically much larger than the Prime. Link to comment
BoxKing Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 That still will not cover a 30" long tank. It is not physically much larger than the Prime. True.. I for some reason thought the tank was 24"... Link to comment
Normang Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 I have 1 prime over my fusion 20, which is 24 inches across. my corals on the outsides of my tank seem to be doing best. I have a grape monti that is 4 inches from the edge of the tank and its encrusting on the rock around it. I used to have a normal orange monti directly under the light and it bleached out, so I moved it to the outside and the color has come back and its doing way better. Sure I bet you could use 2, but I am running 1 and its doing just fine. Link to comment
Sherman Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 If prime can cover 30 inch then hydra 52 can cover 120 inch. What a joke? Link to comment
Clown79 Posted May 25, 2016 Author Share Posted May 25, 2016 My tank is indeed 24". I would put low light corals on the sides like my xenia and I have dendros on 1 side which require no light. The hydra is way above budget- i simply can't spend $600 on lights. I have 2 tanks and upgrading both lights. I don't work so I have a set budget. At this point I'm thinking an Evergrow D120 which is like the Mars Aqua. Choices are limited in Cda. Ai(only certain ones) Radion(NOT HAPPENING) Maxrazor Rapid led par38 Marineland orbits Evergrow Nanolight The other lights aren't even worth mentioning.lol Coral compulsion has been sold out for over a mnth and the duties, taxes, and shipping will cost the same as Ai prime...thats why I was hoping 1 Ai would work. I have been debating on the new light and the more research i do-the worst it gets. Normang, do you have any pics you can share because my tank is 24x12x12 Link to comment
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