40 breeder T5 lighting, easy sps

[neyes_ice]

thinking of getting a aquatic life hybrid T5 which has 4 bulbs, will this be enough for sps with the ai prime on top of them? if so what bulbs do i get?

[Tamberav]

Yes, should be fine since your rockwork is centered under the prime.  

 

Bulbs just entirely depends on how you want the tank to look. 

 

Popular combos:

2 blue+, 2 coral+ (for those that like whiter more natural look)

2 blue+, 2 true actinic (if you want to get most of your white from the LED only)

2 blue+, 1 coral+, 1 purple+ (blue with some white, not being overly blue or white, this is a balanced look)

 

[ajmckay]

55 minutes ago, neyes_ice said:

thinking of getting a aquatic life hybrid T5 which has 4 bulbs, will this be enough for sps with the ai prime on top of them? if so what bulbs do i get?

I'm confused...  You want a 4 bulb T5 along with the LED pendant?    How would that even work?  I ask because the wide T5 would pretty much block the pendant completely. 

 

Besides, I think a 36" wide 4 bulb t5 is enough on it's own to keep SPS.

[neyes_ice]

8 minutes ago, ajmckay said:

I'm confused...  You want a 4 bulb T5 along with the LED pendant?    How would that even work?  I ask because the wide T5 would pretty much block the pendant completely. 

 

Besides, I think a 36" wide 4 bulb t5 is enough on it's own to keep SPS.

there is a hybrid fixture. aquatic life. there is space in between bulbs for leds

[mcarroll]

1 hour ago, ajmckay said:

Besides, I think a 36" wide 4 bulb t5 is enough on it's own to keep SPS.

Ditto.

 

@neyes_ice Do you not like the AI enough to add a second unit?  If not, I'd sell the Prime to fund the T5 fixture that you really want. (Or perhaps a different LED system.)  

 

I don't vote for the hybrid though.  Either all-in on LED or switch over to T5, IMO.

[neyes_ice]

39 minutes ago, mcarroll said:

Ditto.

 

@neyes_ice Do you not like the AI enough to add a second unit?  If not, I'd sell the Prime to fund the T5 fixture that you really want. (Or perhaps a different LED system.)  

 

I don't vote for the hybrid though.  Either all-in on LED or switch over to T5, IMO.

two ai primes enough for sps?

[mcarroll]

8 hours ago, neyes_ice said:

two ai primes enough for sps?

Assuming the light is doing well for the corals that are under it now, then that's one big hint that adding a second fixture would be a smart way to light up the rest of the tank.

 

Remember that "SPS" is a useful term for coral marketing, but tells you little to nothing about a coral's requirements.

 

So the question isn't so much whether it's "enough for SPS" as it is whether it's "enough for your tank".

 

Your Tank

A 40 Breeder is only 16" tall on the outside.  

 

15" tall inside.  

 

It's only about 14" up to the water line.  

 

Minus sand bed (if you have one) leaves you with only about 12" of coral space to light up.  

 

So with so little water space yes, two Primes on a 40 Breeder.  😉

 

Or in a nutshell....AI wouldn't say it if it wasn't true:

Quote

Power Output

With a spread of 24″ x 24″, the AI Prime® 16HD has a peak PAR of 100µMol at a depth of 24 inches, perfect for the small to medium reef tank. Drawing a maximum of 55 watts from the wall, it follows in the family’s efficient footsteps.

If you were planning on getting a clam, then that's another reason I'd suggest more power....regardless of depth.  Clams actually need more light.  

 

Corals almost never need "high" light levels tho.  So when you add a second light (assuming all is well now) the goal will actually be to keep the overall lighting level about the same as it is now.  Shouldn't be difficult as long as you have some kind of light meter.  (Even a cheapie lux meter will do.)

 

A set of LED strips such as Current's IC Pro setup would be an acceptable alternative, just for reference.  In case you were really after that more even look you get with T5's...this type of LED setup would be fairly similar.

[neyes_ice]

correct me if i am wrong or misunderstood what ai is saying or brs’s regarding ai prime and SPS.

 

to my, understanding that if all channels are 100% it could be enough. those are the uv, blue, red, green, white channels.

 

my current setup is 10% white 0% on the red and green.

[mcarroll]

12 hours ago, neyes_ice said:

correct me if i am wrong or misunderstood what ai is saying or brs’s regarding ai prime and SPS.

 

to my, understanding that if all channels are 100% it could be enough. those are the uv, blue, red, green, white channels.

 

my current setup is 10% white 0% on the red and green.

I don't think those channels carry an appreciable amount of power...and hopefully you're running the blue channel(s) at something close to 100%.  

 

Blue is what's carrying all the weight, so to speak...the other emitters are mostly just along for the ride.

 

Again from AI's website:

Quote

LEDs

The AI Prime® 16HD utilizes the latest LED technology from leading manufacturers, arranged to provide the best performance.

• 4 – Cool White
• 4 – Blue
• 4 – Royal Blue
• 1 – Photo Red
• 1 – Green
• 1 – Violet
• 1 – UV
• 1 – Moonlight

Even assuming all emitters are of the same power (which is unlikely to be true), the blue (et al) has a 12:1 ratio with every other color.  Even with "decorative emitters" set to 100% the blue's carry a 3:1 ratio.  (Not counting a moonlight LED.  🙄)

 

("Photo red."  That's funny....admitting it's more or less just there for faking red color so photographs look "better than real" or whatever.  Arguably that's what all the decorator colors are there for...vs daily, everyday use.)

 

Measure the watts being drawn from the wall or measure with a lux meter or PAR meter while you adjust those channels to see what difference they make.  It would be easy to infer even from comparing power measurements.  In a pinch a lux meter in a ziplock bag can be used to sample underwater light levels for about $15.  (Or $free if you can get a working lux meter app on your smartphone...and don't mind doing the baggie trick with your phone.)

 

Also, AI's claim is 100 PAR on a 24" deep measurement....24" would be below the bottom of your tank. 😉  Numbers for the bottom of your tank should be closer to double that number.  

Edited February 5, 2021 by mcarroll
kept saying "blues" when referring to blues and whites....same idea

[pokerdobe]

Check out other SPS dominated tanks and draw inspiration from them.