hey all setting up lighting on my nuvo 20 will mostly be sps with some zoas n such near the sand. Would you go with 2 ai prime 16hd or 2 ai blade grow? I have one ai prime already here is a pic of my setup currently
2 ai prime or 2 ai blade?
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if you have the 1 prime, just get a second. unless you would like to run 1 of each? 1 ai prime, 1 blade.
Say you went with the bladeshey all setting up lighting on my nuvo 20 will mostly be sps with some zoas n such near the sand. Would you go with 2 ai prime 16hd or 2 ai blade grow? I have one ai prime already here is a pic of my setup currently
1 grow + 1 glow = $460 plus.
40w each. = 80w
Arguably more diffuse coverage but I worry about the end distribution I e light falloff at the ends.
There are work arounds..
Single ai prime currently about $250 plus mount... $35 but silver arm discontinued?
55w each. = 110w
1.37x more light.
Keep in mind unless they fixed it the lenses seem to be a " consumable" to put it nicely.
$170 difference, less with 2 grows.
Almost a wash I believe, well about $100 more.
Less if new lens is needed for current ai.
Others can comment on use-ability/par
Depending on the age of the ai.
New may not " exactly" match in color at 100%.
"If" I understand this you really only have 11" width on the water.
Bars might be slightly better dimension wise than the pucks.
The actual in tank par between the 2 has a lot of variables including mounting height.
You " may" be able to squeeze a lot more par out of the primes than the bars based on focus and raw wattage.
At 13" water depth not seeing either coming up short though.
The prime is a " known" to you.
.
I have the Nuvo 10 with a single Prime mounted 8" off the water and a Nuvo 30L with three Primes mounted 10" off the water... See where I'm going here? 
A pair of Primes mounted about 9" off the water and centered about 7" in from each end would grow pretty much anything you'd care to grow in that tank.
As for the Blades... I would never just run Grows without a Glow unless it was a tiny tank and I could only fit one strip.
A pair of Primes mounted about 9" off the water and centered about 7" in from each end would grow pretty much anything you'd care to grow in that tank.
As for the Blades... I would never just run Grows without a Glow unless it was a tiny tank and I could only fit one strip.
2 16's is my choice. I ran 2 on my 20g nano cube and it will grow anything you want in your current system.
I currently run 7 on 2 systems.
My 20 at 10 months from day one.
I currently run 7 on 2 systems.
My 20 at 10 months from day one.
Sorry for pulling an old comment but what power level would you run the 2 AIs at? I'm working on sorting lighting for my Nuvo 20 as well, just trying to factor in lens melt.I have the Nuvo 10 with a single Prime mounted 8" off the water and a Nuvo 30L with three Primes mounted 10" off the water... See where I'm going here?
A pair of Primes mounted about 9" off the water and centered about 7" in from each end would grow pretty much anything you'd care to grow in that tank.
As for the Blades... I would never just run Grows without a Glow unless it was a tiny tank and I could only fit one strip.
What are you planning on keeping? For LPS or softies, you probably wouldn't need the lights more than 40% I wouldn't think. Even for SPS you'd probably still be well under 100%.
Using BRS' AB+ as a reference, I mean.
randomfishdude
Valuable Member
I would go with primes any day.
I have 2 over my 80 gal and love them.
But I have 3 blades over my 75gal and they get in the way, collect salt stuff and bug out. Also they are extremely expensive.
I have 2 over my 80 gal and love them.
But I have 3 blades over my 75gal and they get in the way, collect salt stuff and bug out. Also they are extremely expensive.
ready2get86d
New Member
Just to update on this thread i have been running 2 blades ofer a nuvo 20 since about this time. Actually this thread is one of the things that prompted me to try it out. First let me say i love the AI echosystem and have a nero 3 running as well. The prime to me is too much of a spotlight. Given it was a single, i ran it for almost 2 years without much of an issue… or so i thought. I used to think corals were just really finicky about light. I would have certain corals burn under it, then just a couple of inches to the left it would start to wither. Never had a problem with softies but LPS were hit or miss. Harder LPS like cyphastrea and pretty much all SPS were next to impossible. I did par tests to make sure i was putting them in a light range they ‘should’ like but to no avail. Since getting grow and glow blades (one of each, I’ve seen huge improvements. I’m able to grow sps with ease, nothing too hard as of yet, but stylo, pocilopora, digitata, and even a bali green acro are thriving. Acans are always big and fluffy basically telling me when they are hungry by extending their polyps a bit extra when they are ready for a feast, usually as the lights start to fade out at night. New little acan heads are always popping up around the edges. A cyphastrea that i thought was dead, one day just started showing color again after almost a month of looking like a skeleton. All three heads of my Kryptonite candy canes started splitting for the first time since I've had them.
I went from being afraid i would kill something to not being able to kill anything and it feels good. I change the water, 2 gal every week or two. My goni tells me when its time, it looks like it just got out of the pool if i need to change the water. I dose all for reef, constantly trying to dial that in due to corals growing and up-taking more and more. I do a little dash of AB+ every day or every other, depending on if there is algae present. I do 4-5 drops of phytofeast live by the same principle. And i feed LFR with occasional reef roids or benepets. I like to go back and forth and mix what will balance on a toothpick into the food every so often. Levels are good, pretty low nutrient. They always have been. Im pretty meticulous. I think the lesson is that these blades are flood lights, vs the concentrated par beam of the primes. And without an excess of nutrients, my corals rely on that flood of light for their zoanthelle to produce food for them. They still have plenty in the water column, but now with this flood of light from all sides, they have never been happier.
I went from being afraid i would kill something to not being able to kill anything and it feels good. I change the water, 2 gal every week or two. My goni tells me when its time, it looks like it just got out of the pool if i need to change the water. I dose all for reef, constantly trying to dial that in due to corals growing and up-taking more and more. I do a little dash of AB+ every day or every other, depending on if there is algae present. I do 4-5 drops of phytofeast live by the same principle. And i feed LFR with occasional reef roids or benepets. I like to go back and forth and mix what will balance on a toothpick into the food every so often. Levels are good, pretty low nutrient. They always have been. Im pretty meticulous. I think the lesson is that these blades are flood lights, vs the concentrated par beam of the primes. And without an excess of nutrients, my corals rely on that flood of light for their zoanthelle to produce food for them. They still have plenty in the water column, but now with this flood of light from all sides, they have never been happier.
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