1 AI LED over my 45G cube
- Thread starter rostato
- Start date
Slick Fork
New member
Hi, Beautiful tank. I was curious as to whether you still had the single AI fixture above it and how you felt about the spread.
I have a 33 gallon, 18" deep, 36" wide and 12" front to back and am contemplating a single AI module turned sideways the same way you have yours and would appreciate any thoughts you may have on that. Cheers
I have a 33 gallon, 18" deep, 36" wide and 12" front to back and am contemplating a single AI module turned sideways the same way you have yours and would appreciate any thoughts you may have on that. Cheers
rostato
Active member
Hi, there is no way you would get away with it on a 36" wide tank. Unless you wanted to do all softies, and hung the light like 30 inches off the water.
My 24" tank is about as wide as you can get as far as spread, and if you look, most of my corals are concentrated in the center of the tank...Thats not to say I couldnt grow any on the sides.
Mine is still running strong, and I will have to post some updated pics. I am getting great growth and color with no heat issues at all. Right now, I only hit 65% intensity on the whites for like a minute. I get awesome color all day except around 12-2 my whites slowly increase to 65%, and then die back off to about 35%
My 24" tank is about as wide as you can get as far as spread, and if you look, most of my corals are concentrated in the center of the tank...Thats not to say I couldnt grow any on the sides.
Mine is still running strong, and I will have to post some updated pics. I am getting great growth and color with no heat issues at all. Right now, I only hit 65% intensity on the whites for like a minute. I get awesome color all day except around 12-2 my whites slowly increase to 65%, and then die back off to about 35%
Slick Fork
New member
What do you think you could grow on the sides? I was sort of thinking I wouldn't mind not having much if any PAR on the outside 6" of the tank if the center 24" were usable. My concern is having darkness in those areas.
rostato
Active member
Well I can grow anything really. If you look my red monticap is growing on the right side of the tank on the glass. But, you can tell it's not getting the same amount of PAR as the one in the center because it has a more dull looking color...
If your not worried about the last 6 inches then you could get away with it. I don't think you'll have shadows.
Here are updated pics from last week. As you can see some stuff has moved, and some stuff has had to be fragged becasue the colonies got too big.
Please keep in mind I am not a good photographer at all!
rostato
Active member
Well, some new additions, and updated pictures. Still getting great growth here, and it will only get better when I start automatically dosing 3 part with my profilux in a few weeks. I have been having problems keeping the alk steady with just kalk.
Sorry they are fuzzy, these are from my old iPhone.
Sorry they are fuzzy, these are from my old iPhone.
rostato
Active member
Definatly. These units put out so much PAR that I was able to mount mine 18 Inches above the water, and get great light spread. The funny thing is that AI doesn't advertise how versitile these lights actually are.
If I had mine direcly over the water like the AI mounts use, I would need two modules...doubling the cost, and then have the intensity at less than 50%. So I am very glad that I experimented with this set up.
If I had mine direcly over the water like the AI mounts use, I would need two modules...doubling the cost, and then have the intensity at less than 50%. So I am very glad that I experimented with this set up.
sfexplicit
New member
Thanks for the pics. This makes me want an AI module for my 20x20x20 cube.
rostato
Active member
You definatly should get one! They are awesome.
I suggest NOT using AI's mounting systems though. It's ugly as $*^t, and put's the modules way to close to the water.
Awesome tank. Wish I'd have found your thread sooner as I like the mount system you came up with.
I just mounted one over my solana. Didn't find your thread before hand but came up with a similar novel way of mounting it. It is working great so far, but has been less than a week since I got it setup and running.
You can see mine here:
Solana AI Mounting Pics
I just mounted one over my solana. Didn't find your thread before hand but came up with a similar novel way of mounting it. It is working great so far, but has been less than a week since I got it setup and running.
You can see mine here:
Solana AI Mounting Pics
rostato
Active member
Awesome job. I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking outside the box! I have to say, you made the nicest mount I have seen as far as DIY goes for mounting AI LED's
I would raise it up higher to get better spread though. I'm thinking about raising mine even higher.
Thanks. I'll take a look at increasing the height.
I wish I'd have come up with a way for my mount to also adjust the length of the arm reaching out over the tank. That way I could adjust the distance to position the light front to back at whim. Still haven't come up with a way though that doesn't compromise the mount. One good thing about my mount that I forgot to even mention in my post is that to do maintenance, you simply swivel it from side to side and it easily rotates out of the way of the tank top.
Now, can you talk me into dropping the extra money for the profilux III over an apex? A controller is my next venture and I've been looking at both (think I've ruled out the RKE) but am leaning towards the apex due to cost.
rostato
Active member
Profilux 3 is a must with the AI LED's! You get constant variability in light, and cloud, raniny day, and lighting simulation. Plus, now you can integrate your vortech with it, and have way more control over it. I'm hoping to be able to create crazy flow during a thunderstorm.
Here is my current lighting schedule. The first is whites, second is blues, and the third is the simulation of moon, raniny days, and clouds.
Here is my current lighting schedule. The first is whites, second is blues, and the third is the simulation of moon, raniny days, and clouds.
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