Hydra 26 HD vs Hydra 26 original

[DrumsIguanasAndNowReefs]

I am mostly concerned about growth and coral health but am interested in hearing people's experiences with both lights. I will be placing three over a 120 gallon mixed reef along with two t5 bulbs. It's a 4' by 2' by 2' tank. Thanks in advance!

 

[GoVols]

I don't think you can push the originals without the AI Director and they killed the Director.

If you go with the HD's, here's some profiles that you can download.

http://www.aquaillumination.com/signature/

:)

 

[DrumsIguanasAndNowReefs]

I don't think you can push the originals without the AI Director and they killed the Director.

If you go with the HD's, here's some profiles that you can download.

http://www.aquaillumination.com/signature/

:)

Thank you sir, when you say push do you mean go above 100%? I have some primes currently so I am familiar with the app and features of the hd fixtures.

 

[GoVols]

Thank you sir, when you say push do you mean go above 100%? I have some primes currently so I am familiar with the app and features of the hd fixtures.

I mean, I don't think you can "run" the old AI's without the AI Director.

:)

 

[jsker]

I have the HD's and they are a great light. I only run the HD's with no supplement at 62k. I ran them higher and that was too much for the corals and I started burning up the tips of my corals.

The nice thing about the light is they are wifi and one can up load settings and make adjustments. There also some nice setting like lunar mode so that one can see the tank at night time. Setup can be a little frustrating but tech support is great.

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

Hey I have the Gen 1 Hyda 26's. If you plan on doing any photography of your tank, GET THE HDs!! Some of the Gen 1's (including mine) can produce nasty banding issues in your images. Also the controller that they come with is kind of a PITA to use -- it's a little buggy and the touch controls are awkward. All that said, they're still fantastic lights especially if you can get a good deal on used ones.