AI Hydra vs. Hydra FiftyTwo

[MarineDepot]

Hi rishu_pepper,

As jeff_a noted, you will likely have shadows and are better off with 3: which is how many we would recommend.

However, it is possible to get away two if you don't mind some shadowing and place your rock and corals strategically by minimizing/eliminating caves and overhangs and placing corals accordingly (similar to how many of the shallow reef aquariums are aquascaped).

 

[eplantejr]

Hi eplantejr,

We are happy to help! Mounting inside the canopy is a little trickier. You will want to make sure that you have at least 2" between the canopy and the light, as well as having fans to actively ventilate the canopy. 8" from the bottom of the light to the tank (assuming you have 2" from the light to the canopy) should work okay but we would expect a bit of shadowing. Personally, I prefer 10"-12" above the aquarium.

What we've seen to work well is for customers to put two cutouts (just a little smaller than the fixtures) at the top of the canopy and simply place the lights over the cutouts. This helps to give more distance between the light and the aquarium for a better coverage. It also solves the ventilation issue.

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

So, I ended up buying a third Hydra. My Tank is a 120g 48X24X25. I am still not seeing the intensity that I was in my old tank with the light hung 10" above the water. I don't have a PAR meter. My question is would I benefit from switching to the 50 degree Optics? Thanks again for the help.

 

[MarineDepot]

Hi eplantejr,

50-degree optics would not be a good idea as it would worsen the coverage, increase shadowing and significantly increase the risk to burning your corals. The narrow-angle lens are typically only used for aquariums 36" or deeper.

LED can be deceptively bright. 3 Hydra's should definitely provide more than enough intensity for your aquarium. What are the intensities you are currently running each channel at?

 

[eplantejr]

Hi eplantejr,

50-degree optics would not be a good idea as it would worsen the coverage, increase shadowing and significantly increase the risk to burning your corals. The narrow-angle lens are typically only used for aquariums 36" or deeper.

LED can be deceptively bright. 3 Hydra's should definitely provide more than enough intensity for your aquarium. What are the intensities you are currently running each channel at?

I have setup the AI Director and are just using the "Easy Setup" at the moment;

If you can point me in the right direction on tweaking my intensity that would be great. Thanks

 

[MarineDepot]

Hi eplantejr,

Thank for the information. At those intensities, we would recommend to simply increase the intensities by 5% per channel every couple of weeks until your reach your desired visual brightnesss. The green spectrum is already fairly high, so we would recommend keeping it at it current intensity and just tune it slightly to get to your desired color blend.

I am not sure how long your current sunset / sunrise duration are, but you can also shorten the sunset/sunrise duration so the lights stay at the maximum intensity longer.

Let us know if you have any other questions.

 

[rigo07]

I just set up a 30 gallon tank and want to be able to grow some stony corals so do u recommend any light ... I want a light that I could use later if I upgrade to like a 72 g can u help.

 

[MarineDepot]

Hi rigo07,

Thanks for your inquiry. What are the dimensions of your 30 gallon aquarium?

 

[rigo07]

It's a biocube 30

 

[MarineDepot]

Hi rigo07,

Thanks for the information. A Hydra 26 would work great for a BioCube. When you upgrade to the 72-gallon, you can simply add a second Hydra 26.

 

[rigo07]

And those will grow hard corals stony corals ?

 

[MarineDepot]

Hi rigo07,

Yes, the Hydra's do have the proper spectrums and intensity to grow stony corals.

 

[rigo07]

Ok thank u

 

[lotusstar]

Hi, I have a 27 Gallon Marineland tank, it's 20x18x18. I was wondering what would be the better light option, a hydra with the 4 pucks or a hydra 26? I plan to keep mostly sps and clams. Thank you

 

[MarineDepot]

Hi lotusstar,

We would recommend the Hydra 26 as it offers higher par values and can easily and fully cover a 24"x24" area. Additionally, have all LED colors in every puck makes the blending better and minimizes the disco effect.

 

[charlottereef]

Hello, IM thinking about getting the hydra 52's also.. my tank is 72x24x30.. i also have two kessil a160w's that i bought just recently for another build that will be going into this tank.. i was planning on buying 3 52's then adding the kessils if i needed two.. what are your thoughts?

 

[MarineDepot]

Hi Charlottereef,

Three Hydra 52's would work great for a 72x24x30. In most scenarios, no other lighting should be needed: however it does depend how how the rockwork is constructed and how packed the tank is.

If your tank has a lot of caves and over-hangs that you want to place corals in. Or if the tank is fully packed to the point where corals are shadowing each other, then supplemental lighting may be helpful.

 

[charlottereef]

Thanks for the info.. right know im torn between the kessil a360's or the 52's.. it will many be an sps tank

 

[MarineDepot]

For an SPS tank, we would recommend the Hydra 52's. It has significantly more power (135W vs. 90W): which can be very helpful once the tank is matured and you are trying to squeeze out every bit of growth and/or color out of the SPS.

 

[beancounter04]

I took advantage of the price drop and purchased a Hydra 26 for a 60 gallon cube. I like the look with the EXT mount on the back of tank.

 

[MarineDepot]

AI Hydra 26

AI Hydra 26

I took advantage of the price drop and purchased a Hydra 26 for a 60 gallon cube. I like the look with the EXT mount on the back of tank.

Excellent! We'd love to see a photo once you've got the light all set up!