A80 Tuna Blue vs Ai HD Prime

kathya0321

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I currently have an A80 Tuna Blue Kessil light over my 16 gallon Bio Cube. I'm looking to replace it with an Ai HD Prime, however I'm reading a lot about the lenses melting and that the fans are really loud. Can anyone give me advice on either of these for growing corals?
 

Max93

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I really love halides too, but have you tried modern led fixtures on a reef of your own? They have improved a whole lot in the last decade. I couldn't justify running halides on a nano given how well the current LEDs work. And I loved running massive halides on my nano in the past. Honestly I don't know that I will ever run my halides again. You better believe that I'm keeping those lumenarc 3 reflectors and halide ballasts that I have in storage though. Just in case.
Yes definitely in a nano - and I’ve had better success with the cheap led black boxes than I have the fancier ones. I currently have a hybrid LED/T5 fixture over my 220, but my issue with this is longevity of the t5 bulbs and the hydra 32s are all melted on the UV section.

so, I’m making the switch to two of the 36” reefbrites halide hybrid (I’m starting with one for now, but with 2 LED strips on each side). I can definitely switch one bulb every 10 months no problem, and I’ve never tried halides myself, just all the evidence shows they are the superior equipment. A watt is a watt, and it can be done at a much lower cost than a higher end LED fixture.
 
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Reef and Dive

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I currently have an A80 Tuna Blue Kessil light over my 16 gallon Bio Cube. I'm looking to replace it with an Ai HD Prime, however I'm reading a lot about the lenses melting and that the fans are really loud. Can anyone give me advice on either of these for growing corals?
I have 2 primes HD and 1 hydra 64 over my DT. Check my build if you wish…
I love them. To me they’re not loud. And yes with high UV / white melting lenses is a problem I’ve had.
 
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Tamberav

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I currently have an A80 Tuna Blue Kessil light over my 16 gallon Bio Cube. I'm looking to replace it with an Ai HD Prime, however I'm reading a lot about the lenses melting and that the fans are really loud. Can anyone give me advice on either of these for growing corals?

you will probably be fine in such a small tank. I have two primes on two different small nanos and yes the fans are loud but they don’t run often since the tanks run lower settings. The lenses are easy to replace and should also wear slower on lower settings.

Ya they are not perfect but manageable I guess when on a smaller tank.
 
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Bpb

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I currently have an A80 Tuna Blue Kessil light over my 16 gallon Bio Cube. I'm looking to replace it with an Ai HD Prime, however I'm reading a lot about the lenses melting and that the fans are really loud. Can anyone give me advice on either of these for growing corals?

Distraction aside, the prime will have more output than the a80 does. Lens melting will be less of an issue if you’re not driving it at max intensity all the time. What kind of coral are you keeping
 
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Daftendire

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Hi, can you tell me what model noctua fan you used and how you wired it up thanks
Hey where did you get the fans that you reached the prime fans with
I used NF-A8, 5V, 3 pin fans. Full disclosure: this 80mm fan is both too wide and tall to fit in the stock fan location. I made it work with a 3D printed spacer and longer screws. You will also need to solder and heat shrink 3 small wires. I never made a writeup for the process because it's not the more aesthetically pleasing result.
 
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Dabcrusher

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I used NF-A8, 5V, 3 pin fans. Full disclosure: this 80mm fan is both too wide and tall to fit in the stock fan location. I made it work with a 3D printed spacer and longer screws. You will also need to solder and heat shrink 3 small wires. I never made a writeup for the process because it's not the more aesthetically pleasing result.
appreciate it
 
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kathya0321

kathya0321

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Distraction aside, the prime will have more output than the a80 does. Lens melting will be less of an issue if you’re not driving it at max intensity all the time. What kind of coral are you keeping
Mostly LPS and Softies
 
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