AI Prime- Different answers!!!

[HWEP]

Hi,

I seem to have a tank that's causing a clash of opinions on what size light to get.

My tank dimensions are: L61 x W50 x H50cm (24” x 19.7” x 20”) and i have a fairly flat scape; 4 rocks in a row, kept basic for coral real estate and basically no shadowing.

I keep LPS and softies- nothing particularly rare or exceptionally hard. I had an AI prime a while ago and it suddenly died, i carried it over from my evo. Now using a Nicrew 100W which i just can't get on with due to my working life.

Is ONE 16HD enough to cover the tank with the par i'd require? Some people say yes easily, others say absolutely not you need 2 or a Hydra.

I just don't have the money for a Hydra 32. After the last 16hd died i learned the seller basically took it for a swim before he sold it to me, so i won't buy 2nd hand again.

I'm happy to keep my Nicrew as well and pop it on blues at night for a few hours when i'm home but i just need a light with scheduling as i work very long days 6 days a week.

Can someone just give me a clear, concise answer before i lose my mind!!

[aclman88]

I would say start off with one 16 HD and then go from there. Odds are in the long run you’ll end up wanting two since that is a pretty wide and deep tank for a one. For reference, I had to over a 20 gallon high (24” long and 16” deep) And I ended up putting two and then eventually three over. Three was definitely overkill but with one there was a lot left to be desired and your tank is deeper than the one I had.

[Clown79]

I ran a regular prime on my 15g which was 24x 12x 12. I had absolutely no issues with 1 light and it wasn't at 100%.

 

I ran the prime hd on my 20g which was 24x 15x 13

 

I had LPS and bta's.

 

This light was also not run at 100%

 

 

The light can spread to 24", its strongest par is at 18. 

 

You have lps and softies, both not requiring high light. Try 1 and see how it goes. Put it around 8 - 10" above water level.

 

Keep all low light corals outside of the 18 x 18 and higher light corals within it.

 

If you need more light than add another one. You may need more than 1 because of depth and width.

 

You could also supplement the lighting with other lights.

 

Or skip the prime all together and get a black box like Viparspectra. 1 of those should be plenty for your tank size.

 

Does it have all the bells and whistles as the prime, no but you don't have to have all the functions it offers. 

 

 

[Orangutran]

20" is pretty deep, if you rent a par meter you'll see how quick par drops. Unless your rocks are high.

On 9/20/2021 at 11:32 AM, aclman88 said:

I would say start off with one 16 HD and then go from there. Odds are in the long run you’ll end up wanting two since that is a pretty wide and deep tank for a one. For reference, I had to over a 20 gallon high (24” long and 16” deep) And I ended up putting two and then eventually three over. Three was definitely overkill but with one there was a lot left to be desired and your tank is deeper than the one I had.

+1 

[Murphs_Reef]

What this bsr video on the primes.. gave me a lot to think about. I have 2 over a 92 Gallon 2 foot deep .

 

https://youtu.be/QH2nsgrxoRI

[spazizz]

Par you will be covered. With two you will have even light spread and less harsh shadows.

[A.m.P]

Hydra's are really meant for far deeper tanks, a pair of primes gives much better coverage.
That said this is really going to be up to you, without a ton of details and long-term plans none of us are going to be able to accurately judge what your needs will be.

 

For Coral PAR requirements I'd lean towards Tidal Garden's numbers, Thein's consistently on the low end, consistently talks about feeding corals, and consistently provides down-to-earth and real advice to hobbyists which is an approach reef builders tends to share (when it comes to LPS and softies) and they both have long-histories and results to back-up such approaches.

 

My own thoughts, one prime should be fine (if that's where you want to go), LPS is a broad, broad ballpark with some legitimately preferring over 150 PAR and others being just fine in 50.
From the sound of it your rockscape should allow you to shuffle things around easily enough, just be aware of shading along the outside edges.

 

Clown was 100% correct though, if you want to be able to grow acros for the same price as a prime, grab a viparspectra and mount the sucker 18-24" above your tank, rent a PAR meter and get whatever numbers you want down onto your scape.

 

Otherwise NiCrew's Hyperreef 50w's (a pair run on low settings since they're known to be spotlights), you can find them used, you can find them open-box, and their retail price isn't bad at all either. There's not a not of long-term use information and quite a few of the amazon reviews reek of being "sponsored" or outright fake, but I've had a 30W running for a while now without issue and corals look/grow fine under it.
Word of warning, I wouldn't run the blues past 80% I'd bet money that the violet and UV are overdriven and that their lenses can't take anything near that without toasting.

[Jakesaw]

On 9/20/2021 at 10:52 AM, Clown79 said:

Or skip the prime all together and get a black box like Viparspectra. 1 of those should be plenty for your tank size.

 

Does it have all the bells and whistles as the prime, no but you don't have to have all the functions it offers. 

 

 

Vipar is simple but it works.  Remote for setup, separate Built in time function for 2 channels blue / white.  Mine is never hot, so should work a good long while.

 

For me, it's was the best budget light out there that can cover the most area giving long term flexability.  Requires a little upfront creativity as to how / what to hang the black box to.  Also as a non-shimmer guy, I like that I don't have to watch any disco ball effect on my tank.  Opinions differ on the shimmer though.

 

If price wasn't an concern, I'd probably get a nicer looking / mounted light.

 

 

[Clown79]

1 hour ago, Jakesaw said:

Vipar is simple but it works.  Remote for setup, separate Built in time function for 2 channels blue / white.  Mine is never hot, so should work a good long while.

 

For me, it's was the best budget light out there that can cover the most area giving long term flexability.  Requires a little upfront creativity as to how / what to hang the black box to.  Also as a non-shimmer guy, I like that I don't have to watch any disco ball effect on my tank.  Opinions differ on the shimmer though.

 

If price wasn't an concern, I'd probably get a nicer looking / mounted light.

 

 

You don't really need all the bells and whistles, they are just selling features.

 

Yrs ago we put a light on a timer and done

 It worked then it will work now.

 

I would have gone the black box route but hanging it was too difficult 

 

I've used budget lights and brand name, there was no significant difference in coral growth from one to the other.

[mcarroll]

On 9/20/2021 at 5:39 AM, HWEP said:

Hi,

I seem to have a tank that's causing a clash of opinions on what size light to get.

My tank dimensions are: L61 x W50 x H50cm (24” x 19.7” x 20”) and i have a fairly flat scape; 4 rocks in a row, kept basic for coral real estate and basically no shadowing.

I keep LPS and softies- nothing particularly rare or exceptionally hard. I had an AI prime a while ago and it suddenly died, i carried it over from my evo. Now using a Nicrew 100W which i just can't get on with due to my working life.

Is ONE 16HD enough to cover the tank with the par i'd require? Some people say yes easily, others say absolutely not you need 2 or a Hydra.

I just don't have the money for a Hydra 32. After the last 16hd died i learned the seller basically took it for a swim before he sold it to me, so i won't buy 2nd hand again.

I'm happy to keep my Nicrew as well and pop it on blues at night for a few hours when i'm home but i just need a light with scheduling as i work very long days 6 days a week.

Can someone just give me a clear, concise answer before i lose my mind!!

Why can't you put the light you have on a timer like the rest of us?

 

$15.

 

While you're at it, make the tank's "day" line up exactly with your viewing time, so lights come on around the time you come home from work.  (This works better in a naturally dark/low-lilght space so nighttime can be extended easily.)