second_decimal
Community Member
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2019
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I wanted to write this because when I was looking for a T5/Led Hybrid info was pretty sparse and I wish I had stumbled onto a post like this.
In search of a good T5/Led Hybrid I just wanted to share my experience with my ReefLed 50 and AI 16HD Prime. I have a 20g IM that has a 24" aquatic life T5 HO fixture. The Aquatic Life fixtures can be adjusted to a width from 16" to 24" with a space in the middle of the 2+2 T5 arrangement for accommodating an Led component. Because the 20g is AIO, the width of the the light had to be reduced to its minimum 16". The remaining space in the middle of the T5 fixture was exactly 4.8". That is also the advertised OD of the AI light so I thought it would be a great fit. After some due diligence I found very little useful info on combining the Prime with the Aquatic Life fixture but forged ahead anyways. It quickly became apparent that the fit was very tight requiring force to seat the LED into the middle of the fixture. Now, the AI app is pretty decent but the AI fixture is a not so great design with a seperate L shaped hanging bracket if you want that. The app allows for adjusting channels and setting timers etc. so pretty standard stuff. in less then a month, the AI unit started failing and making fan noises. I do have to give props to AI for responsive email based customer service. The return instructions that I received required a video and a bunch of other hoops to jump through but it was not too bad. they did send me a replacement right away and covered return shipping so kudos to AI for that.
In the meantime, I was able to grab a ReefLed 50 and had something to compare the AI light to. As opposed to the forced fit of the AI, the Reefled is 4.7" square and fit perfectly in the middle space of the T5. plastic cover and metal heatsink work well and the light is superior to the AI imo. The Reefled comes with a more limited 3 channels of control (blue, white and moon) as opposed to the 4-5-6 channels we normally enjoy and that are available in the AI light so it took me a minute to overcome the "reefers complex" that more options are always better. From what I understand the Reefled, by design, operates in spectrum boundaries present in nature to prevent you from making changes that will damage your corals. So whatever changes are made, they will be inside of what you would find in nature. You can still overdose by using too much intensity or having the light too close to the surface however.When paired with the T5 the demands on the LED are quite different than if it was the sole source of light so you will probably have to dial it way back. The shimmer you get in the water is quite good as well with gentle shadows as opposed to the hard shadows you would get from a Kessil where you (supposedly) have to control surface agitation to prevent the dizzying glitter effect. The app is solid on both cases.
some things I like about the Reefled,
1. fit
2. easy to set up and manage light schedules.
3. cost - about the same as AI but try to find a sale or something. Still less than G5 XR15.
4. noise - its pretty much silent
5. install - the install was easy and it took drilling 2 tiny holes in the snap on cover on top of the light. it was a little tricky to open the plastic snaps that bite on the screws but if you are careful and methodical it takes a second to properly remove the top cover. To replace it just snaps back on.
what I did not like so much is that the power cable from the fixture is relatively short with the connector from the power side being much longer. This leaves me having a bulky power connection hanging in open view as the cable travels the same route as the T5 power cords. (hope that makes sense).
some things I liked about the AI
1. customer service (have not tried Red Sea)
2. better cable layout (long side on the fixture and short side on the power supply)
3. cost - Still less than G5 XR15
what I did not like was the noisy fan and poor mounting options.
you can check everything out for yourself of course but if you have a need to go hybrid T5 / Led for your lighting needs and like the idea of being able to use your current LED's (the Aquatic life fixture can accommodate most common LED fixtures in the wider 18" or 24" widths) or upgrade as updated LED's become available, I hope this helps sorting out the many options.
In search of a good T5/Led Hybrid I just wanted to share my experience with my ReefLed 50 and AI 16HD Prime. I have a 20g IM that has a 24" aquatic life T5 HO fixture. The Aquatic Life fixtures can be adjusted to a width from 16" to 24" with a space in the middle of the 2+2 T5 arrangement for accommodating an Led component. Because the 20g is AIO, the width of the the light had to be reduced to its minimum 16". The remaining space in the middle of the T5 fixture was exactly 4.8". That is also the advertised OD of the AI light so I thought it would be a great fit. After some due diligence I found very little useful info on combining the Prime with the Aquatic Life fixture but forged ahead anyways. It quickly became apparent that the fit was very tight requiring force to seat the LED into the middle of the fixture. Now, the AI app is pretty decent but the AI fixture is a not so great design with a seperate L shaped hanging bracket if you want that. The app allows for adjusting channels and setting timers etc. so pretty standard stuff. in less then a month, the AI unit started failing and making fan noises. I do have to give props to AI for responsive email based customer service. The return instructions that I received required a video and a bunch of other hoops to jump through but it was not too bad. they did send me a replacement right away and covered return shipping so kudos to AI for that.
In the meantime, I was able to grab a ReefLed 50 and had something to compare the AI light to. As opposed to the forced fit of the AI, the Reefled is 4.7" square and fit perfectly in the middle space of the T5. plastic cover and metal heatsink work well and the light is superior to the AI imo. The Reefled comes with a more limited 3 channels of control (blue, white and moon) as opposed to the 4-5-6 channels we normally enjoy and that are available in the AI light so it took me a minute to overcome the "reefers complex" that more options are always better. From what I understand the Reefled, by design, operates in spectrum boundaries present in nature to prevent you from making changes that will damage your corals. So whatever changes are made, they will be inside of what you would find in nature. You can still overdose by using too much intensity or having the light too close to the surface however.When paired with the T5 the demands on the LED are quite different than if it was the sole source of light so you will probably have to dial it way back. The shimmer you get in the water is quite good as well with gentle shadows as opposed to the hard shadows you would get from a Kessil where you (supposedly) have to control surface agitation to prevent the dizzying glitter effect. The app is solid on both cases.
some things I like about the Reefled,
1. fit
2. easy to set up and manage light schedules.
3. cost - about the same as AI but try to find a sale or something. Still less than G5 XR15.
4. noise - its pretty much silent
5. install - the install was easy and it took drilling 2 tiny holes in the snap on cover on top of the light. it was a little tricky to open the plastic snaps that bite on the screws but if you are careful and methodical it takes a second to properly remove the top cover. To replace it just snaps back on.
what I did not like so much is that the power cable from the fixture is relatively short with the connector from the power side being much longer. This leaves me having a bulky power connection hanging in open view as the cable travels the same route as the T5 power cords. (hope that makes sense).
some things I liked about the AI
1. customer service (have not tried Red Sea)
2. better cable layout (long side on the fixture and short side on the power supply)
3. cost - Still less than G5 XR15
what I did not like was the noisy fan and poor mounting options.
you can check everything out for yourself of course but if you have a need to go hybrid T5 / Led for your lighting needs and like the idea of being able to use your current LED's (the Aquatic life fixture can accommodate most common LED fixtures in the wider 18" or 24" widths) or upgrade as updated LED's become available, I hope this helps sorting out the many options.
;Woot
