AI Hydra Settings Thread

[Orcus Varuna]

Yea I have 6 hydra 52 over a 5' tank so I have the same issue.

So I made a bit of a change I removed the two prime HD's and added two t5's to my Hydra 52HD. I couldn't take the overwhelming blue anymore. Nothing wrong with the lights or settings at all, growth, coral color etc is fantastic using the AB+ profile, it's as good as it gets for a profile for these lights. I have just been yearning for that true 12000k look I used to have running 2 radium halides and one iwaski bulb. So enter AB+ supplemented with Tropic 6500k T5HO!

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[Reeftub]

Looks good! I have 4 t-5 that kick on for 4 hrs a day also. But I run 2-b+ and 2-purple+. But I may change the purples out to something else.

 

[buddah001]

OV. I have downloaded the 24 program and think it looks awesome. I have a 135g that is 4'x2'x27"tall and the tank has been up and running a little over a month now. Have some diatom or HA bloom right now that I am not concerned about. I know it is a new tank. But I am currently runnig 2x Hydra 52 HDs on the outside and a Hydra 26 in the very middle. I had the 26 from a nano tank I had that was replaced with this 135g. The lights are 10" of the water surface. I prefer to have my lights on from 1pm to 10pm so that I can enjoy it when I am home from work. How do I go about changing your program to make this happen?

 

[Orcus Varuna]

I know in the past 10-20 pages or so of the thread people have converted my AI Prime file by changing the extension (The prime file is for the old model and is a conversion of my 24" profile). If you can't find it let me know and I'll dig up the instructions!


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[buddah001]

OV I ended making my own very similar to your 24". I used the min and max values. It just works on my time frame. Do you think the intensity of the 24" program is ok for my 135g? As mentioned earlier I have 2x Hydra 52's HD and 1x Hydra 26 in the middle to help with the shadows. The lights are mounted on the AI light bar. Lights are 10" off the water and I am planning on running a mixed reef with SPS and LPS. I do not have a par meter to check the lights. But the tank is 27" tall.
Thanks for your help

 

[Orcus Varuna]

OV I ended making my own very similar to your 24". I used the min and max values. It just works on my time frame. Do you think the intensity of the 24" program is ok for my 135g? As mentioned earlier I have 2x Hydra 52's HD and 1x Hydra 26 in the middle to help with the shadows. The lights are mounted on the AI light bar. Lights are 10" off the water and I am planning on running a mixed reef with SPS and LPS. I do not have a par meter to check the lights. But the tank is 27" tall.

Thanks for your help

On a tank that size and only three lights the 24" profile is going to be needed for a mixed reef. Also no need to redo the schedule to move it. In the AI app go to the schedule put two fingers on the graph and move the whole schedule at once to the desired time. The same can be done in director with a click and scroll apparently.


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[buddah001]

Do you think more than the three lights I have are needed?

 

[Cammunoz]

Orcus profile is awesome have been using it on my corals and i have noticed nice growth with in a couple months

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[Orcus Varuna]

Orcus profile is awesome have been using it on my corals and i have noticed nice growth with in a couple months

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Thank you I'm glad it is working out well for you!!!! Also, How is the stock tank working for you. I will be moving again next year and do not want to do the whole tank and critters in the same day like I did last time. Stock tank looks like a wonderful solution that will allow me to take my time without breaking the bank!


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[Cammunoz]

AI Hydra Settings Thread

Thank you I'm glad it is working out well for you!!!! Also, How is the stock tank working for you. I will be moving again next year and do not want to do the whole tank and critters in the same day like I did last time. Stock tank looks like a wonderful solution that will allow me to take my time without breaking the bank!


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The stock tank is working out great! my corals are growing better then they did in my display. More color and growth for sure. I may plumb the stock tank into my new 150 lagoon and use it as a giant refugium. I threw around the idea of a 300g stock tank as a display for a while. I may connect all three.
my anemone has came out with some crazy colors since the move into the stock tank

 

[Cammunoz]

AI Hydra Settings Thread

Here is the growth in 2 months

before

after

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[Orcus Varuna]

Looks good! I have 4 t-5 that kick on for 4 hrs a day also. But I run 2-b+ and 2-purple+. But I may change the purples out to something else.

I'll let you know how the mix of the Hydra running AB+ and the 6500k bulbs turns out. If it works well it will be my go to lighting layout for the foreseeable future. I just love the look tank have when lit in the 8-12k range but have been unable to achieve it with LED without frying all of my corals lol


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[buddah001]

On a tank that size and only three lights the 24" profile is going to be needed for a mixed reef. Also no need to redo the schedule to move it. In the AI app go to the schedule put two fingers on the graph and move the whole schedule at once to the desired time. The same can be done in director with a click and scroll apparently.


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OV do you think the lighting I have on my 135g is enough or would you recommend more?

 

[Orcus Varuna]

OV do you think the lighting I have on my 135g is enough or would you recommend more?

If the goal is an acropora dominant tank no. If you want lots of lps, softies and montipora with a few acros mixed in directly under the tank then no. You could always supplement with a few t5ho strips like @reeftub did and I have just done.


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[buddah001]

If the goal is an acropora dominant tank no. If you want lots of lps, softies and montipora with a few acros mixed in directly under the tank then no. You could always supplement with a few t5ho strips like @reeftub did and I have just done.


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OV so you are saying these lights are not good enough for even a mixed coral tank? I would like to have a mix of LPS AND SPS with a few nems. Not into the softies to much. Considering I have 2x 52's and a 26 what would you add to get the correct light?
I really do not mind the blue look I actually kind of enjoy it but not sure if it is going to slow the growth rate down.
What's your opinion?

 

[Orcus Varuna]

AI Hydra Settings Thread

OV so you are saying these lights are not good enough for even a mixed coral tank? I would like to have a mix of LPS AND SPS with a few nems. Not into the softies to much. Considering I have 2x 52's and a 26 what would you add to get the correct light?

I really do not mind the blue look I actually kind of enjoy it but not sure if it is going to slow the growth rate down.

What's your opinion?

No the lights are fantastic and are plenty good at growing coral. The issue with all LED lights lie with the face that the light originates from a single point. This causes shading and odd growth patterns when you start getting into branching sps coral. It's not that you don't have enough lighting on a tank your size from a power standpoint it's all about lighting the corals from all angles. The only way you can achieve this type of full lighting with LEDs is to add more point sources of light, thus more fixtures. The other option is to add a diffuse lighting option like T5HO to supplement the led lights. Once again this only becomes an issuer if you are planning on stocking your tank with branching sps coral.

On your other point about blue slowing growth that is not the case and not why I chose a low color temperature T5HO lamp to supplement with. I made that choice based entirely on the look of the tank. I much prefer a natural appearance to my tank and have been unable to successfully achieve that look with any LED lights. Trust me I have tried and fried a few hundred dollars worth of coral in the process lol.


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[stevem650]

I have a IM 25 Lagoon which is 24x20x12. I have a AI Hydra 26HD on the tank which is 12" AWL. I used to keep rock anemones so I had my light on a very low setting and the tank has been running for over a year. I am switching the tank to strictly SPS. Can anyone recommend the settings for my tank that would give the best possible settings for SPS? Thanks

 

[Orcus Varuna]

I have a IM 25 Lagoon which is 24x20x12. I have a AI Hydra 26HD on the tank which is 12" AWL. I used to keep rock anemones so I had my light on a very low setting and the tank has been running for over a year. I am switching the tank to strictly SPS. Can anyone recommend the settings for my tank that would give the best possible settings for SPS? Thanks

Yes read through the last few pages of the thread and download my SPS AB+ 12" schedule. FYI, 1 Hydra 26 HD will not be enough for branching SPS long term due to shading. You should be good for the first year or so though


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[stevem650]

Yes read through the last few pages of the thread and download my SPS AB+ 12" schedule. FYI, 1 Hydra 26 HD will not be enough for branching SPS long term due to shading. You should be good for the first year or so though


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I downloaded the SPS AB+ 12 and it looks great. My concern is my tank is only
12" deep. Should I be concerned this setting might be to intense? Thanks

 

[Orcus Varuna]

Just put it on acclimation mode 30% for 1 month or so. I have a prime hd running the 24" profile on my 15" deep anemone cube.

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