time to update lights

[Milky Way]

Fluvial EVO 12 gall about 4-5 months old tank,

 

have some lps, zoas, and 1 frag of bird's nest and 1 frag of pocci.

 

i use the stock light and i feel it's not enough at all. I don't see a grow at all plus the light doesn't bring any any coloration.

 

planing to update lights LED. My budget is 250-300maximum

 

i'm thinking about Ai prime HD, Kesill 160w or any other suggestions???

 

I would really love to have hydra but it's over my budget 350$ plus 70 for mount. Ai prime HD perfectly fits my budget, For kesill 160 you will have to bye controller which is additional 100$+

 

Do you have a good sps coral with Ai prime????

 

Do you have to have controller for kesil 160?

 

Is there any other lightening suggestions within my budget ???

 

 

 

[kersh]

I'm just starting out and had the same question and I'm pretty much decided on getting the AI Prime HD. Looks like a great addition and I can't wait to get it. Thats what I'd go with.

[moosubi]

For a budget, considering all brand new fixtures, it's tough to beat what you can get with the Prime HD out of the box.  It's capable of growing SPS provided you stay within it's limits, which the Evo does.  It's a good light for a good price, used over an 18" cube.  I got a smokin deal on a Nanobox Duo, so that's what's on it now, but no complaints about the Prime HD, really.

 

It does have a disco ball effect that I didn't notice with the Kessil 160 or the Nanobox, and out of the three, I definitely prefer both the clean looks of the Nanobox and the more diffused lighting it puts out.  Both the Prime and the Kessil threw out some pretty harsh shadows, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the Nanobox is able to provide a more subdued and softer look without looking T5 flat.  The Kessil doesn't "require" a controller per se, however you'd be manually fiddling with the knobs all day, and that wasn't something I wanted to do.  I hooked mine up to an Apex, so I didn't need it, but I can't go back to manual dimming

 

tldr; The Prime is a great light with limitations, much like the other options out there, but one of the most budget friendly out of the box high performance options in my opinion.  Were I to do it again?  I'd pick up a Nanobox right out the bat.

[yungKitten]

I'd recommend the AI prime HD without hesitation. 

[moosubi]

I left a bit out of the last response: you can't go wrong with either of the three, really

[TheBig053]

I have a Prime HD over my EVO 13.5 and really like it so far.  I can't compare it to the Kessil or NanoBox because I have never used either of these lights. I went with the Prime because of the ability to program and control it through my phone without the purchase of a separate controller.  The MyAI app is really easy to use IMO.  If you go the AI Prime HD route, just be sure to start out low and let your corals acclimate to the much more powerful light. 

 

BTW, you're going to be shocked how much better your tank looks with either of these three options over the stock EVO light!

[moosubi]

2 minutes ago, TheBig053 said:

I have a Prime HD over my EVO 13.5 and really like it so far.  I can't compare it to the Kessil or NanoBox because I have never used either of these lights. I went with the Prime because of the ability to program and control it through my phone without the purchase of a separate controller.  The MyAI app is really easy to use IMO.  If you go the AI Prime HD route, just be sure to start out low and let your corals acclimate to the much more powerful light. 

 

BTW, you're going to be shocked how much better your tank looks with either of these three options over the stock EVO light!

Also, out of the 3 MyAI had the best and easiest to use acclimation mode

[bonghapster]

Can't go wrong with Kessil or prime.  If you want the hydra 26, look for a used one.

[Nidilsky]

Ima T5 myself. Cheap upfront, bulbs go quick. The nanobox stuff looks incredible and relatively cheap. If I did it over again I would buy something strong, dimmable, multicolored and has an app. 

[Nixperience]

AI Prime HD. The interface is so easy, it's more than powerful enough, has a great spectrum, and is small. 

[Clown79]

I have the Ai Prime(not hd) on a standard 15g. I have birdsnest, stylophora and montipora for sps.

 

The rest is all lps.

 

Both birdsnest have tripled in size, the stylo has spread but at a slower rate, its a known slow grower, the monti is new so can't say.

 

I've had my frogspawn grow an extra head, a new head on 1 hammer, my acans have gone from 3 heads to too many to count, my blasto was 3 heads and its got 7 or more.

 

I love the light.

[Milky Way]

7 hours ago, Clown79 said:

I have the Ai Prime(not hd) on a standard 15g. I have birdsnest, stylophora and montipora for sps.

 

The rest is all lps.

 

Both birdsnest have tripled in size, the stylo has spread but at a slower rate, its a known slow grower, the monti is new so can't say.

 

I've had my frogspawn grow an extra head, a new head on 1 hammer, my acans have gone from 3 heads to too many to count, my blasto was 3 heads and its got 7 or more.

 

I love the light.

thank you for your response ,

 

I'll go with Prime hd, since it's the cheapest option and you can grow sps with it.

 

Could you share your settings with me please

 

[Nixperience]

I can also vouch for growing sps in a 20" cube with a Prime. I had millepora, acropora, birdsnest, setosa, hammers and torch all show good growth. I run the Prime and a hydra 26 over my 30L now. My Prime is 15" above the water, so keep in mind the strength, but these ratios give good growth and color. I go heavy on the blue. 

[Milky Way]

3 minutes ago, Nixperience said:

I can also vouch for growing sps in a 20" cube with a Prime. I had millepora, acropora, birdsnest, setosa, hammers and torch all show good growth. I run the Prime and a hydra 26 over my 30L now. My Prime is 15" above the water, so keep in mind the strength, but these ratios give good growth and color. I go heavy on the blue. 

 

 

thank you for sharing. 

[Clown79]

I like a lot of blue too, thats what makes the colour pop.

 

Here is my schedule and settings.

 

11am-1pm ramp up blue only

 

1-8 full spectrum

 

Royal B, B, V, UV - 80%

White 30%

Red 15%

Green 10%

8pm-10pm ramp down blue only

 

10pm-12am blue at 5-3% for moonlighting

[Milky Way]

2 minutes ago, Clown79 said:

I like a lot of blue too, thats what makes the colour pop.

 

Here is my schedule and settings.

 

11am-1pm ramp up blue only

 

1-8 full spectrum

 

Royal B, B, V, UV - 80%

White 30%

Red 15%

Green 10%

8pm-10pm ramp down blue only

 

10pm-12am blue at 5-3% for moonlighting

thank you Clown 79

[Clown79]

You're welcome?

[Milky Way]

i've just placed an order for Ai Prime on Amazon. will be arriving today by 9pm ........................so exited 

[moosubi]

1 hour ago, Milky Way said:

i've just placed an order for Ai Prime on Amazon. will be arriving today by 9pm ........................so exited 

Awesome.  Like the others above, I ran heavy blues with mine.  It made the colors pop more than any other light I've used!

[Hirsh]

I will always use Kessil

[Milky Way]

the lights are finally arrived!!!

 

I'm very happy with lights! the tank looks so much nicer

 

I have no idea how to acclimate the lights and what settings to use for the first week or so

 

 

[Hirsh]

I would start at about 50% and work your way up. The kessil controller has a pre installed program for such things 

And btw it does look really noice

[moosubi]

If you're running Nix or Clown's settings, you can set them up as is, then set acclimation mode to 50% for a few weeks.  My AI automatically handles the daily ramping.  Check this thread out for info: 

 

[Milky Way]

25 minutes ago, moosubi said:

If you're running Nix or Clown's settings, you can set them up as is, then set acclimation mode to 50% for a few weeks.  My AI automatically handles the daily ramping.  Check this thread out for info: 

 

thank you for the link

 

does it look ok for the first week??

[moosubi]

That screen will show you what you set, so with those settings, if you set acclimation mode to 50% for 4 weeks with tomorrow as a start date, tomorrow you'll get

UV 30%

V 30%

RY 30%

B 30%

G 7%

DR 7%

CW 20%

 

The % will increase automatically based on the length of the acclimation you set (end date).

 

Personally, if I were running only softies, I like those % but I would max out my whites at 30% for blue viewing pleasure   I've had the prime kessil and a nano, and frankly I thought the prime had the most visually appealing colors in the blues.