AI Prime HD vs Current USA IC Loop PRO

[AshwinRavi]

Hello, reefers!

My tank is 75G, 48" wideX18" long X21" deep. I went from 2X165W Chinese LED to Current USA IC loop pro(2x48" strip). I like the sleekness of the lights but I am afraid I don't have enough PAR for my corals. I have mostly soft corals with some LPS, & no intention of moving to SPS. I have had the IC loop pro for about a week now, not sure if I am happy with the way my corals are opening up. Even with the intensity of 80% blue and 40% white, my zoas are completely extended out and some of my corals aren't even opening up. Should I wait it out and see or should I return it when I can and get 2 AI prime HD+s?

My tank has a center brace, so I cannot install 3 prime hd+ and I cannot afford 2 hydra HD+ at the moment, so let me know if you experienced reefers have any other suggestions.

 

[ThUnDeR MoNkEy]

I have no experience with current products but I can say that the prime hds are plenty bright for a low to mid light demand 75. If you do go with the primes just be sure to intensify the power super gradually.

 

[AshwinRavi]

I have no experience with current products but I can say that the prime hds are plenty bright for a low to mid light demand 75. If you do go with the primes just be sure to intensify the power super gradually.

do you think I can get by with 2 and have better results?

 

[Gungo]

Any soft coral, lps coral or zoa will be just fine with any light you provide... If you can't afford two hydras 26, or three primes just stay with the x2 current usa, two primes on a 48" tank will need to be mounted really high to cover the whole tank... In my opinion stay with the current usa... they can grow coral! Maybe your corals are just acclimating from the Chinese LEDs, which are too powerful, to the current usa... not to mention how stressful is to corals be playing around with lights.

 

[Gareth elliott]

Never used the current light, so use the loop system for pumps though.

I do own the ai primes though.

For sps 350-220 par you need 1 prime for 12”x12 of foot print.
For lps could probably get away with 1 per 18”x18”.

Keep in mind when your aquascaping, most people leave space between the glass and their rocks so dont need to light the whole foot print.
So would say at least 4 primes for sps.
3 for lps.

 

[ThUnDeR MoNkEy]

do you think I can get by with 2 and have better results?

I had four over a 75 set at about 40%. Frcarvajal is probably right about the coverage. I think the max recommended is 18x18” with the prime hds, so no, I don’t think 2 would be the best option. Could you get away with it? Probably. Just keep in mind that it may take a month or more for your livestock to get used to ANY new light you throw at it. It’s too early to say the current USA lights aren’t enough. It will take some time for your inhabitants to acclimate to the setup/spectrum/par of the new lighting.

 

[Shabalaba]

Theres no doubt the primes are better lights, but those current leds should grow softies and lps no problem. You may have to turn your whites up more during day hours to get better extension, but your corals are just acclimating to the light I'm sure. If you ever upgrade to AI primes, I would be confident that 2 could cover your tank. Their recommended coverage is 18x18 and max coverage is 24x24 so theoretically they will cover everything. I have 2 over my 36x18 frag tank and they rock it

 

[Who me?]

How far above the tank are you IC pros mounted. If they are sitting on top the tank, you should have ~50 par at 20" into the tank with the intensity you specified for your blue and white.
Half way down ( 10-12" from light) you should have ~120 par.
That should keep most lps and softies.
You could always add a third current strip ( would need another light hub or a Bluetooth hub to Daisy chain) which would give you better coverage and approx. 30% increase over your current par.


Edit - why not crank up the blue to 100% and then push the whites upto 50% or so to get the same color you have now but with more par?
You also have a red and green channel you can play with to see if the coral may respond to those additional spectrums.

 

[Gungo]

I know two primes hd+ will light the whole tank, but they will need to be mounted really HIGH and the problem with this is, If you don't have a canopy, the light will bother you when you sit in front of your tank (My own experience). I had current USA before on my 30 gal cube, I grew Birdnest, montis and pocilopora just fine.. not to mention all my lps and zoa collection! I'm telling you they will do the job! but as AI Prime HD owner, the prime has a more pleasant-to-eyes spectrum.

 

[Who me?]

They're both fine options for lighting. Personally, I like what current is doing with the synchronization of lights and pumps with the loop Bluetooth.

I like the storm effects and the moonlight effects. I like that they're programmable and not just on demand. I like that I can control everything from a single phone app.

The AI does have nice color. I like the color my current gives me as well. To each their own. Not sure which spectrum each individual coral will prefer - that's the fun part of this hobby!

 

[Pmj]

JMO should have stuck with the black boxes and bought more coral.

 

[AshwinRavi]

JMO should have stuck with the black boxes and bought more coral.

lol, that's exactly what my wife thinks. the only problem I had with black boxes were the light spill on to the entire living room.

 

[AshwinRavi]

I know two primes hd+ will light the whole tank, but they will need to be mounted really HIGH and the problem with this is, If you don't have a canopy, the light will bother you when you sit in front of your tank (My own experience). I had current USA before on my 30 gal cube, I grew Birdnest, montis and pocilopora just fine.. not to mention all my lps and zoa collection! I'm telling you they will do the job! but as AI Prime HD owner, the prime has a more pleasant-to-eyes spectrum.

That's kind of what I sense too, my whole problem, to begin with, was the light spill from black boxes, they grew corals just fine for my purpose. I like the way current USA is mounted right now, very little light spill and I can actually sit in front of the tank and enjoy (I don't have a canopy). My only major concern is that I might end up regretting not purchasing AI when I have the chance.

 

[AshwinRavi]

How far above the tank are you IC pros mounted. If they are sitting on top the tank, you should have ~50 par at 20" into the tank with the intensity you specified for your blue and white.
Half way down ( 10-12" from light) you should have ~120 par.
That should keep most lps and softies.
You could always add a third current strip ( would need another light hub or a Bluetooth hub to Daisy chain) which would give you better coverage and approx. 30% increase over your current par.


Edit - why not crank up the blue to 100% and then push the whites upto 50% or so to get the same color you have now but with more par?
You also have a red and green channel you can play with to see if the coral may respond to those additional spectrums.

Right now, I have it mounted at 4" above the tank, will try increasing the intensity and see what it does.

 

[samnaz]

I have the 24-36" Current Orbit Pro on my 20L (30 x 12 x 12) and personally I think it's great. Most of my corals (mostly LPS, some sps, and a few soft corals) are growing too fast if anything.

I have the light mounted directly on the tank rim.
Blue max 100%, white max 20%.
Blues on for ~10 hours, whites on for ~4. (plus both have 30 min ramp up, 30 min ramp down)
Moonlight 3 hours at 10%.

I know I don't have the same light as you, but if anything mine is less adequate given it's 4 years old and the IC has wider spectrum. Maybe your corals need more than a week to adjust.

 

[Who me?]

I have the 24-36" Current Orbit Pro on my 20L (30 x 12 x 12) and personally I think it's great. Most of my corals (mostly LPS, some sps, and a few soft corals) are growing too fast if anything.

I have the light mounted directly on the tank rim.
Blue max 100%, white max 20%.
Blues on for ~10 hours, whites on for ~4. (plus both have 30 min ramp up, 30 min ramp down)
Moonlight 3 hours at 10%.

I know I don't have the same light as you, but if anything mine is less adequate given it's 4 years old and the IC has wider spectrum. Maybe your corals need more than a week to adjust.

The current Marine pro had more par output than the new IC. Also had 60 degree optics for more focused spread.(the IC has 90 degree optics).

Even so, the Current Marine IC Dual is more than enough. Save your money and buy more Coral and keep your wife happy at the same time!

 

[Pmj]

lol, that's exactly what my wife thinks. the only problem I had with black boxes were the light spill on to the entire living room.

I don't think black boxes have much light spill compared to other lights (if not less). I guess a Current fixture at 4" wouldn't have much light spill but it probably needs to be that close as it's not very powerful. I've seen people make a floating canopy (sometimes even just out of black fabrics) to help light spill and appearance overall. Primes probably need to be higher than the Current and u might be back to the light spill problem.

 

[Gungo]

My only major concern is that I might end up regretting not purchasing AI when I have the chance.

Just follow your wallet!! If you don't want light spill, you will need three Prime HD+ to look like this:



It's my friend's tank 48 x 12 x 20 I believe is a standard 55 (Also center braced). they are 6" above water line and light the tank just fine even for low light sps, no spill at all.

Conclusion: Don't go with two primes, go with three or four. If you can't, stay with current usa (which are great lights for your needs)!

 

[Susan Edwards]

I have the current ic marine pro, 72 inchs and love the programing and the loop system. My wallet was my deciding factor. Right now they are on brackets 7 inches above and I'll be dropping them down to either the 5 or the 3 inch levels.

I've got them set at
blue 100
white 40
green and red 50-55

Question: is it better for corals to have more white or less? Is it mainly just what you like the looks of? That they'll get what they need from the other colors?

 

[Who me?]

I have the current ic marine pro, 72 inchs and love the programing and the loop system. My wallet was my deciding factor. Right now they are on brackets 7 inches above and I'll be dropping them down to either the 5 or the 3 inch levels.

I've got them set at
blue 100
white 40
green and red 50-55

Question: is it better for corals to have more white or less? Is it mainly just what you like the looks of? That they'll get what they need from the other colors?

Personally I think the more spectrum of color the better. It's debatable but the whites are equally as important as the blue. Since LEDs are fixed in their spectrum it's better to run as many different colors as possible.

Your settings sounds good. Green and Red a tad high. I'd run them closer to 30-35. But if your not seeing cyano outbreaks then keep them at what looks good to you.