AI Hydra vs. Hydra FiftyTwo

Aqua Illumination

Aqua Illumination

jlylec said:
awesome thanks! Just placed my order for 2 and the AWM. Can't wait to check them out!
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That is wonderful news! We'd love to hear how setup and installation goes and overall just how you like everything. Be sure to follow up and share your experiences with us! And to share photos, of course! :wave:
 
MarineDepot said:
That is wonderful news! We'd love to hear how setup and installation goes and overall just how you like everything. Be sure to follow up and share your experiences with us! And to share photos, of course! :wave:
Click to expand...

Everything came well packaged this week and I finally got around to swapping the Sol Blues out with the new Hydra52s last night. Install was pretty easy. I delayed only because I wasn't sure how easy it would be to swap out all my code in the Apex from the Sols to the Hydras. I had so many profiles and outlets set up from 3yrs ago with the Sols. MUCH easier to program the Hydras now with Apex Fusion! That said I have them up and working, but not necessarily dialed in appropriately. I copied somebody else's combos of colors off a Hydra52 settings thread and then set the intensity to only 60% for now to acclimate. I had browned out my corals with the Sols so I figure I need to start real slow and low with these.

I went with 2 hydras, but I'm afraid I may need one more because of my aquascape with two pillars. Basically the lights are right above the two pillars and probably creating too much shadowing on the outside edges. I have them mounted as high as I could with the AI rails. I may see about cinching them even higher somehow to avoid buying a third.

I am using the Sun commands with the Season Table. Not sure if I'm going to keep this as I had to set a 3hr offset and it's still not enough. Plus I can't use the new Fusion wizard that looks really cool. What are the opinions out there for which is better? Season table or Fusion wizard?

A couple pics. First is from the back showing set up. Second is from display side. Pardon the mess of a tank and poor phone cam quality! I need to rearrange everything and get rid of some extra corals I have too much of.
 
Tanks for sharing

Tanks for sharing

jlylec said:
A couple pics.
Click to expand...

Your tank looks amazing! :beer:

attachment.php
 
Hi, I have a 135 gallon corner tank.. Much the same as the standard 56 and 92 just bigger. From the back corner to each side is 36". From the very left corner to the very tight corner is 49", and from the front of the overflow to the front of the tank is 26". The tank is also 30" deep. I am looking at full mixed reef and am wondering if I need two hydra 52s, or possibly two 26s or one 52? Thanks!
 
Corner tanks are a little trickier to light. Due to the size, dimensions and depth, we would recommend two Hydra 52's. You will need to suspend them a bit higher (I would estimate 12"-15") and play around with the positioning/angling to get the best coverage.
 
Hi MarineDepot!

I am setting up a 36x36x22 tank, will be mostly LPS with a handful of SPS, and it will sit in a corner with the overflow in the corner. The cube shape seems a little tricky to light without leaving the outmost corner dark. Is there any single fixture I could get away with? I was debating 2 or 3 of the smaller fixtures like the kessil or hydra 26. Any ideas?

Thank you!
 
Hi dpstrand,

Thanks for your inquiry. Unfortunately, a single fixture will not fully cover 36" x 36" in our experience. If you don't the tank being darker around the parameter and placing your corals accordingly, it may be okay.

As you noted, 2 or 3 of the smaller fixtures would indeed be the better option. Both Kessil A360WE's and Hydra 26's are excellent choices. You can start out with two fixtures and play around with the placement, then decide if you need/want the third.

If you have any other questions, please let us know.
 
Hello, I currently have a 48x30x24 tank on order to upgrade my old 75G.

I have 2 AI vega colors now, looking at the Hydra 52...how many would you recommend I get for the 48x30x24? Would it be worth mixing them with my vega's or just going with all Hydra 52's? I currently use an AI director. Thinking about selling my Vega's and just getting all new 52s but not sure how many I need.
 
Hi Kurfer,

Thanks for your inquiry. Two Hydra Fifty-Two's would work very well for a 48x30x24: great dimensions BTW. You will want to orient the lights perpendicular to the front of the tank and have them about 12" above the tank to get the best coverage.

We would recommending selling your two Vega's and upgrading to two Hydra Fifty-Two's. This way, you will get better coverage on the entire tank, more output and more-even color-blending.

If you have any other questions, please let us know.
 
MarineDepot said:
Hi Kurfer,

Thanks for your inquiry. Two Hydra Fifty-Two's would work very well for a 48x30x24: great dimensions BTW. You will want to orient the lights perpendicular to the front of the tank and have them about 12" above the tank to get the best coverage.

We would recommending selling your two Vega's and upgrading to two Hydra Fifty-Two's. This way, you will get better coverage on the entire tank, more output and more-even color-blending.

If you have any other questions, please let us know.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the response! The two Vega's were just enough for my current 75G but was not sure if the new 30inch front to back depth on the new tank would be good with just two. I assume because the Hydra 52 are much brighter I can get by with just two?

By perpendicular, do you mean like this? (backside of my current tank)

pMbvKhy.jpg
 
Hi Kurfer,

Yes, the Hydra 52 is indeed significantly more powerful than the Vega: 135W versus 95W max. power. Two Hydra 52's should be able to cover 48" x 30" without any issues.

Your current configuration is considered parallel. Perpendicular would have the each light going front to back.

Let us know if you have any other questions.
 
Hey Marine Depot. Do you know if there is any way to have the EXT Rail Kit mount the light parallel to the front of the tank but have the rail mounted to the rear of the stand, not the side? For some reason, having the light mounted parallel to the front is more pleasing to look at for me versus perpendicular.
 
Hi GSep,

Unfortunately, it is not possible to have the Tank Mount rail mounted to the back of the aquarium then have the light parallel.

One option is to use the hanging kit.

The other option is to use AI's 24" rail kit and have the rails perpendicular to the front of the tank: which would then position the light parallel to the front of the tank. When installed this way, one rail kit will be required for each light.
 
Hydra 26 or 52

Hydra 26 or 52

Hi I'm currently trying to figure what lights I want and I hear a lot of people are impressed with the hydras. The tank I'm ordering is a 45g jbj rimless (26.5"x21"x19") I want to know which fixture I need? I don't want any dark ends. And I want a mix reef. So with one is good for me the 52 or 26. Btw I want it on a rail not hanging off the wall.
 
Hydra 26 or 52

Hydra 26 or 52

Hi I'm currently trying to figure what lights I want and I hear a lot of people are impressed with the hydras. The tank I'm ordering is a 45g jbj rimless (26.5"x21"x19") I want to know which fixture I need? I don't want any dark ends. And I want a mix reef. So with one is good for me the 52 or 26. Btw I want it on a rail not hanging off the wall.
 
So what I want to know is can I get away with the 26 or should I just go for the 52? Or will that be an overkill. Btw it will be horizontal. And eventually I do want a few sps and lps. But mainly I will start with softies mainly zoas as they are my favorite.
 
Hi Louis,

Either light can work for your JBJ 45 gallon. If you are looking to minimize shadows, the Hydra 52 will be the better option as it has 4 light pucks versus 2. The 52 will not be an overkill as you can simply lower the intensity. To mount the light parallel, you can either use the EXT tank mount and an EXT rail (the EXT tank mount will need to be mounted on one of the sides of the stand), or you can use the 24" rail kit and mount the rail kit front-to-back.

If you have any questions, please let us know.
 
I just bought a Cadlights 45g Shallow tank. It's 36" wide, 24" front to back, and only 12" deep.

I currently have a AI Sol sitting over a 12.5 g shallow tank. I know that AI has a kit to convert the Sol to a Hydra 52. Would this unit give me enough coverage for the new footprint (24" x 36")?
 
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