Can you use multiple AI Primes to grow SPS coral? | BRStv Investigate
- Thread starter Ryanbrs
- Start date
- Tagged users None
HairyGary
Why do all your fish look like trout?
Sorry, I was thinking intensity but that was on my Radion. For the 2 HD Primes, I ran the full AB+ and had good growth on my SPS. Not the best pic.
I think the addition of the 4 T5 would be overkill honestly. You could do just 2 bulbs and see how it goes. Sort of a comparison but I am currently running my 93 cube with one radion at 60% and 4 ATi bulbs (2 B+ and 2 C+).
Sorry, I was thinking intensity but that was on my Radion. For the 2 HD Primes, I ran the full AB+ and had good growth on my SPS. Not the best pic.
I think the addition of the 4 T5 would be overkill honestly. You could do just 2 bulbs and see how it goes. Sort of a comparison but I am currently running my 93 cube with one radion at 60% and 4 ATi bulbs (2 B+ and 2 C+).
You ran AB+ with no mods on your tank pictured? Is that a lagoon?
Gotcha, so with my T5 I'll have to lower the intensity on my AI Primes
HairyGary
Why do all your fish look like trout?
Yep. Ran it pretty much to form as BRS video shows except I did not run the whites as high as they have it. You could try to lower the blues etc from the 110% range and see how it goes. When placing your SPS, I would be sure to know the high lighters and the low lighters, i.e. the deep water acro (Carolinias for instance) like it a little dimmer.
That is not a lagoon but IM fusion 20 gallon. Same water depth as the lagoon but not as deep front to back. I ran that for about 1.5 years before switching to the G4 pro to acclimate the corals before I switched over to the cube.
HairyGary
Why do all your fish look like trout?
Here are my settings on my 120 deep specs being the following 48''x24''x24''. I have been running them now for over year and i have had zero out breaks in Algae, and have lost no coral or fish, so you know what they say if it's not broke don't fix it sort of speak. All my SPS & LPS corals are growing great. I have my lighting sitting about 8'' off my water and have got nothing but great results. I may run my lighting a little differently than most reefers. I start ramping up at 4pm and start ramping down at 10pm light off at midnight.. 2 hr ramp up and a 2 hr ramp down...
Two Hydra 26 settings after ramp up time, here are my setting that I run from 3pm until 10pm with a 2hr ramp down time.. After Midnight, I keep my Royal Blue @ 3%..
Uv: 75%
Violet: 80%
Deep Blue: 100%
Blue: 100%
Green: 15%
Red: 10%
Whites: 70%
All Glass 120 Deep 48''x24''x24''
Two Hydra 26 settings after ramp up time, here are my setting that I run from 3pm until 10pm with a 2hr ramp down time.. After Midnight, I keep my Royal Blue @ 3%..
Uv: 75%
Violet: 80%
Deep Blue: 100%
Blue: 100%
Green: 15%
Red: 10%
Whites: 70%
All Glass 120 Deep 48''x24''x24''
Last edited:
psychobilly07
Community Member
Hydras are much stronger than Primes
symon_say
Active Member
How many primes do you recommend for 90x30x24 tank for softies and LPS, I was thinking 10 to have to rows 18" apart.
Lighting a 30" wide tank is not and easy task but I like the ai prime route.
Lighting a 30" wide tank is not and easy task but I like the ai prime route.
psychobilly07
Community Member
That would be a big downgrade
Capitol Reef Corals
Well-Known Member
10 would be good for any types of corals in that tank I think. 12 would be better if you were doing SPS but since you aren't I wouldn't bother with 12.
Honestly, following the spacing recommendations I give in THIS AI PRIME VIDEO based on Ryan's testing in the AI Prime Investigates video; for an SPS dominant tank with wall to wall sticks like a WWC tank you'd want to place one light every 12" for ideal coverage (meaning you'd be at two rows 8-Primes for a total of 16x). With 10x -Primes at about 18" apart, you could likely support a mixed reef tank with two rows of 5x-LEDs.
If it helps, we are lighting the WWC/BRS Red Sea 750XXL (which is just about a 6ft tank at 170gal) with 10x-Radion XR15s for SPS dominant. Might be a bit overkill, but for the even coverage/spread/distribution of the light to recreate what we saw at WWC, this was the best option we had for our setup.
Hmm...
Prime (single puck) 55w
Hydra 24 (two pucks) 95w, 47 per puck
Hydra 52 (four pucks) 135w, 33w per puck
I don't know how much practical difference there would be between two primes and a 24, but four primes vs a 52 seems to favour the prime as being much stronger.
psychobilly07
Community Member
Well yea your doubling up to even cost but comparing the two units side by side. IMO primes are awful
OK, I see what you mean, but they really aren't meant for the same purpose. Over a nano, a prime is ideal. Looking at the cost and the output, four primes stand up well against one 52 and give you way more placement flexibility.
I just watch your video on the AI prime I’m thinking of upgrading from my T5, would 2 AI primes be a good start for a 90 gallon?
Capitol Reef Corals
Well-Known Member
What are your tank dimensions? That's the real question to figure out how many AI Primes you need. I usually use 1 per foot to get around 300 PAR and grow SPS in my Red Sea Reefer 350, which I think is like ~48x~18x~20.
I think 2 is definitely a good start to supplement your T5s, but you would for sure need more if you solely wanted to use the Primes.
PS. My profile pic shows 3, but I upgraded to 4 to get the 1 per foot to get higher PAR and better spread.
Similar threads
