So what are AI Hydras really capable of??

[Reef News]

So what are Aqua Illumination's Hydras really capable of??​

Well, here's some eye candy that should get your attention!

This is @hart24601's AMAZING reef! ...and it's lit with 5 AI Hydra 26's.

I cannot get enough of these COLORS!!

Want to see more of this reef? Check out the Reef Spotlight article in REEF EDITION, or check out Bret's build thread.

And definitely be sure to check out the AI Hydras!

 

[hart24601]

Yay! Thanks!!

 

[Slm222]

What max intensities do you run and total duration at that amount?

 

[hart24601]

Simple program.

1hr ramp up and 1hr down. 8hr at 80% RB, db, v, uv and 40% w, g, r.

Based that on 300-400 PAR on acros. Never saw a reason to mess any more with intensities or color variations during the day.

 

[revhtree]

Beautiful reef!

 

[tomxreef]

After going back and forth on lighting for 3 weeks I finally decided on Kessils.... Until I saw this.

 

[revhtree]

After going back and forth on lighting for 3 weeks I finally decided on Kessils.... Until I saw this.

I'm not sure about Kessil but I know that you can't go wrong with AquaIllumination or Ecotech!

 

[spacetime]

I think this guy has LEDs figured out. Buy twice as many than what is recommended.

 

[Mariah]

Absolutely beautiful! Thank you for sharing.

 

[Searey]

Kessil light is garbage. I had the A360We and it struggled to keep up with LPS and only dreamed of having SPS with that light. Does well with softies only.

 

[Dextereef]

Beautiful reef! My first thought when I read the title was " they are capable of nuking a tank with light". I have them over anemones, sps, lps, photosynthetic gorgs who could live on the sun, and all are growing. Good duds.

 

[reeferdon]

I'd like more information about the filtration

 

[hart24601]

Just click on the link to the reef spotlight in the 1st post, should have all the filtration there. Feel free to ask me anything additional after that!

 

[hart24601]

I think this guy has LEDs figured out. Buy twice as many than what is recommended.

Pretty sure I have more than twice the recommendation.

 

[blackgrouper79]

I think this guy has LEDs figured out. Buy twice as many than what is recommended.

YUP!!!!
an unlimited budget=the right amount of LEDs

 

[blackgrouper79]

Pretty sure I have more than twice the recommendation.

sounds like your reef is properly lit.
I'm going to see if I can fit another 10 to 15 T5s over my 90

 

[hart24601]

Fwiw I originally considered Giesemann mh/t5 48" fixture but with ballasts and bulbs it was more expensive without even factoring in bulb replacement than this LED setup. I won the acro grow out contest with reefbreeder value fixtures and hydra 26s and won the 5th unit from that. Then again a custom 120g tank with 3/4" starfire glass is silly expensive compaired to a off the shelf tank, so I'm not the best with my budget...

 

[hart24601]

sounds like your reef is properly lit.
I'm going to see if I can fit another 10 to 15 T5s over my 90

Wow. Shouldn't you be on reefcentral with these type of posts?


Anywho, my goal was to provide near totally even coverage (with around 50PAR max variation) at any given spot at the same depth and provide enough coverage to give some PAR under overhangs while still having a clean look in the room and with a rimless tank. So on the bottom glass it's around 200 PAR front to back, side to side, 12" up is 300 PAR with no real hot or low spots and so on. I have found acros do quite well in 300-400 PAR which I was going on the primary growing level. Corals that I have found do better (color) with 500 or so go on the top level where that PAR is constant across the 4x2 plane.

You probably don't care and that's cool. Enjoy your tank and this hobby. Not everyone has to like my tank!

 

[blackgrouper79]

Wow. Shouldn't you be on reefcentral with these type of posts?


Anywho, my goal was to provide near totally even coverage (with around 50PAR max variation) at any given spot at the same depth and provide enough coverage to give some PAR under overhangs while still having a clean look in the room and with a rimless tank. So on the bottom glass it's around 200 PAR front to back, side to side, 12" up is 300 PAR with no real hot or low spots and so on. I have found acros do quite well in 300-400 PAR which I was going on the primary growing level. Corals that I have found do better (color) with 500 or so go on the top level where that PAR is constant across the 4x2 plane.

You probably don't care and that's cool. Enjoy your tank and this hobby. Not everyone has to like my tank!

seriously? One I was just kidding and two I totally agree that you need a lot more LEDs than typically recommended or you end up with dark spots and super bright spots. I want to upgrade to LEDs but I'm on the fence I keep reading conflicting info as far as T5 vs LED. I do want to put as many T5s over my tank and see how it goes. My last reef was lit with PCs and I over killed it as most would say but I couldn't keep the acros underwater--they were constantly growing out of the water forcing me to constantly frag things. Not a bad problem to have IMO but I'm trying to figure out how to get back to that kind of growth. So do I go with 2xs the LEDs or just cover the top of the tank with T5s I don't have a hood so I just lay the fixture I have now right on the top of the tank?.?.

 

[hart24601]

Sorry, my bad. I am used to people getting really aggressive and nasty about lighting - for no reason I have ever figured out! I shouldn't have assumed you were doing that.

IME the growth is really about feeding coral appropriate sized foods. More the better if you can keep up water quality that is.

I had a biocube 14 that was all SPS - it was cool, but I had to frag those coral every single week, and it was so dense I couldn't reach to the bottom of the tank. It was like a little bonsai garden because I would take some of the frags and reattach them to the original colony to drive growth in neat ways or to make super thick stalks. Sadly I never took photos before tearing it down, but it was LED too. I had to be really conscious of the shading in that little tank, but since I had to frag all the time I just trimmed the colones so shading wasn't bad doing that.

I do think recomendations really depend on the type of tank too. Mixed reefs have a lot more leeway with coverage and LPS or softie only tanks shadowing isn't nearly as bad since the corals move around and get light on different parts (at least much more than SPS). I think most manufactures are getting better with recommendations though saying full SPS only tanks need more coverage and not just more power.

That is a tough choice on what to do. Hope to see what you eventually decide though!

I personally hate buying bulbs. It's silly I know, but to me it's like buying tires which I also dislike and put off. I never really list that as a factor for most people, because I think it's just me that gets terribly annoyed by it and puts it off way too long!