AI Prime cool new features/tips/tricks!

[oldbones]

Ok, I'm continually more impressed with the user interfaces for the AI Prime light. I think it's only a matter of time before AI releases a Prime 26 & 52, and does away with the Controller.

Here's a few things I've found recently that you may or may not have seen already.

After the latest IOS firmware update, I noticed an Acclimation menu. Now you can build a coral acclimation schedule to slowly ramp your light up to higher settings over a period of time (color channel independent, and all determined by you). I think this is a great addition.

Next, I recently started fiddling with the web interface. I was unsure if you could use both the web interface and the smartphone apps interchangeably, but it seems that you can, I haven't found any limitations on this yet.

On the web interface, I just found something REALLY cool, it allows you to select a color temp (Kelvin value) and desired intensity, and it sets the levels for you. I'm not sure exactly how accurate those settings are, but they must be better than a WAG, if you know what I mean!

Anyway, here's what it looks like on my laptop...

First, a disclaimer. I am not an expert, in fact I'm a newbie. I don't work in the pet/aquarium/light industry. These settings are from the programming for the Prime, which may share some similarities with the Hydra series, or, may not. These settings may nuke your whole house.

When I switch control to manual, there's a little semi bullseye icon next to the sliders. If I click on that, it takes me to a screen where I can select the desired color temp and intensity by using just two sliders (one for temp, one for intensity)! How cool is that?

Now, please pardon the poor quality photos ahead, these are cell phone shots of my laptop screen, so they look funky.

Here is the screen where you can select color temp and intensity:

Now, I'll show you the settings (set by AI) for a range of color temps from 10k to 20k, all were done at 50% intensity. Here you go:

10k

12.5k

15k

17.5k

20k

Good luck!

 

[oldbones]

Ok, now I've found something else, even better!

Using the web interface, I deleted my entire light schedule. Then, click on 8 am, bringing up the sliders. There's that little bullseye icon again! Ok, so I select 20k at 10% at 8 am. Move over to 6 pm, and set up 20k at 10% again. Then, at 1 pm, I set 10k at 30%, and the program drew linear curves for each channel between those selected points! Next, I added custom points at 5:30 am and 11:00 pm so I can have a little blue moonlight before sunrise and after sunset. All lights out from 11-5:30.


Nice!!!

 

[scarson61]

Thanks for posting, just got mine hooked up and running last night on my 40 breeder.

 

[oldbones]

Well, over the last two months I've been making good use of the "acclimation" program with my primes. The two sitting over my SPS tank are now peaking at 60% blues, 35% white with other colors mixed up a bit. I think I'll go just a little higher, and maybe add a third light to the tank as well. Using the acclimation program is key to getting your lights ramped up to a value high enough to really grow that SPS, at least that's my experience so far. If you try starting with the levels that high, you're bound to cook something!

FWIW, two primes still look great over my 56g tank (34l x 20w x 19h), and nothing in the tank seems to be 'starving' for light, including a Crocea Clam (one of my newest additions). However, I'm not seeing much growth on Acros, and most SPS are a little more brown than they should be, that's why I'm continuing to ramp up the intensity. If this were a softy or LPS dominated tank, I likely would never have made it past 50%.

 

[bws]

so you are saying the ai prime is fully adjustable for the kelvin range I see you have it set at 20 k and all the way down.. next question is how hard is the program to use for setting all this up? does it have a factory type setting or would I have to go in and manually adjust everything? and third question, I would need 2 of these units on a four foot long 72 gallon bow front tank correct?

 

[oldbones]

At least two, if not three. That would depend a bit on what your livestock plans were.

It's not hard to program at all, but there are lots of options and not much of a manual, so you are kind of left to figure it out on your own. Those kelvin settings shown above are factory presets, you just move the sliders shown on the first screenshot to select a color temp and an intensity level. Easy stuff!

Many of us here, myself included, would be happy to help you if you needed it.

 

[Rad7]

Wondering why the Violet is set to Zero in all the settings? don't we need that too?

 

[oldbones]

I dunno. In fact, I've since brought it up to join the others.

 

[HaiD888]

Thank for posting, I will try it tomorrow on mine.

 

[Forced 2 Farm]

Thanks for the very informative post! been heavily considering 2 of these for my LPS and softie frag tank.

 

[oldbones]

I'm up to 4 now, one over a 29g biocube and 3 over my 56g.

 

[thedon986]

I'm up to 4 now, one over a 29g biocube and 3 over my 56g.

How is the spread on a Biocube? Any dark corners?

 

[oldbones]

No, it fills the tank just fine. Of course, I wouldn't suggest planting some exotic, high dollar Acropora in the outside corner of the tank, but that kinda goes without saying.

Here's the build thread for my Biocube, there are some FTS towards the end. For reference, that light is running something less than 40%.

Link: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2493084

 

[Allentown]

The acclimation feature is one thing that Neptune really needs to add to their fusion control for the AWM module.

Even though its wireless now, many people including myself have no doubt bought into the idea of doing everything through a single interface (fusion) and would rater not have to go back to using separate apps and separate sites to control various features, even if it is a cloud based direct log in option.

 

[thedon986]

No, it fills the tank just fine. Of course, I wouldn't suggest planting some exotic, high dollar Acropora in the outside corner of the tank, but that kinda goes without saying.

Here's the build thread for my Biocube, there are some FTS towards the end. For reference, that light is running something less than 40%.

Link: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2493084

Thanks, just looked through your thread. It looks really good!