Fluval Sea Nano vs. AI Prime 16 on a Fluval 13.5

[RipVanWinkle]

Hello all, I'm looking to upgrade my stock lighting on the Fluval evo 13.5, it's only my second reef and I'm not sure which light to get. I understand the AI prime is probably superior. However, the fluval light (with mount) is about $100 and the prime with a gooseneck is roughly $275. I want to keep mostly LPS, zoas, shrooms, and a BTA. Maybe try some SPS near the top. Would SPS be the difference between the two lights?

Is there any chance the fluval nano would do well on such a small tank or will I just be wasting money? I'd also to like to hear if anyone has a better suggestion. Thanks.

 

[lapin]

Go with the 16. It will allow you more options for corals or another tank down the road

 

[JustinTanks]

I was in the same boat as you figuring out what my options were to upgrade my lighting since I own the same tank. I heard varying opinions on the Fluval Nano which made me concerned and of course everyone has heard the AI Prime is a superior product. I started looking into the Ai Prime 16HD and the Kessil A160, both are more than enough for this tank. I ended up finding someone on here in the marketplace selling their Ai Prime 16HD with mount for $190 shipped. So I’d start looking around for used ones to save yourself some money.
As for SPS, I’ve thought about getting a couple frags but I heard it’s not all about lighting. They prefer more stable parameters and need a lot higher of flow than LPS sooo in such a small tank, parameters can fluctuate. And I’m not about to damage my euphyllia with way too much flow in the tank.