rtparty
Raise The Reef!
Keep the fixture 12" off the water and use a couple actinic bulbs to lower the PAR.
AI Sol Superblue or 10x54w ATI
- Thread starter Tim98277
- Start date
Keep the fixture 12" off the water and use a couple actinic bulbs to lower the PAR.
shawn.short
New member
I have 6 AI Sol BLe Leds, and the LFS suggested and most of my friends were against it. Well I did it any way,I did the research and got em, Man the funny thing is when everyone came over to look they were astonished about how great everything is doin i have LPS,SPS both in my tank and it is ridiculous how fast and full, bright everything is growing. I will NEVER go back to T5,or Hals. Alot of money up front but in 9 years ill be laughing at the savings and not to mention the growth.. I think some of the problems people have is dinking with the tank too much, leave it alone, watch the levels, and let nature do its thing!
ghostman
New member
I switched from T5s to the AI sols and am very happy with them as well. I think that there are several reasons why some people fail with them and others are very happy with them. For me there was an adjustment period of slow growth an poor color. The uptake of ALK and CA dropped. If someone was using an automated system to add ALK and CA, there might be a spike in levels that would add to the stress on the corals. After a month or so, my SPS colored up and began explosive growth, so much so that I had to purchase a dosing unit. Zoos and LPS have always been happy with my sols.
Another reason that I think people fail with sols is that they try to skimp on the number of units they need. I have 4 over a 4ft 120g, and I think is is well lit. The spread of LEDs is not great, even with 70 degree optics, people using 2 or 3 units over a 4 ft tank might not have adequate coverage, or the units may be spotlighting the tank. If you look at the PAR graphs of the sols, they appear to have a distinct small area of high PAR, much like a point-source spike. Anything in the center of this spike is getting too much light, and the outliers might be underlit. To compensate for this, more units are necessary.
This is just my experience and observations. I like the AIs but do feel they are not perfect. I would prefer a neutral white, rather than a cool white. All the colors of my corals are well represented, with the possible exception of SPS reds. I might consider adding a fiji purple T5 as a midday boost in color. HTH
Another reason that I think people fail with sols is that they try to skimp on the number of units they need. I have 4 over a 4ft 120g, and I think is is well lit. The spread of LEDs is not great, even with 70 degree optics, people using 2 or 3 units over a 4 ft tank might not have adequate coverage, or the units may be spotlighting the tank. If you look at the PAR graphs of the sols, they appear to have a distinct small area of high PAR, much like a point-source spike. Anything in the center of this spike is getting too much light, and the outliers might be underlit. To compensate for this, more units are necessary.
This is just my experience and observations. I like the AIs but do feel they are not perfect. I would prefer a neutral white, rather than a cool white. All the colors of my corals are well represented, with the possible exception of SPS reds. I might consider adding a fiji purple T5 as a midday boost in color. HTH
What T5 fixture were you using before your swap.. Your tank looks very nice, but IME, your colors would be a lot more intense under T5s..
I've seen a lot of LED tanks in person including over a LED distributor's tank here in New York..... I would really like to see these lights become the primary choice in the hobby due to the low energy requirements and the crazy pop that is produced by the blue LEDs, when the whites are off.. But after what I've witnessed, these lights are not ready for prime time yet and should only be used by those who know what the secret is to having an LED tank with deep colors or don't mind just so-so colors.. I hope no one takes offense to this.
Hey Ryan so one last question. I guess everyone can chime in as well. Lets say i do just that. 2 actinic bulb and keep lights 12" above water. Can i drop it to 11" after a month? Then 10....9....8. Probably wouldnt go lower than 8. 6 definately they most lowest ever.
Reason why i ask is cause im assuming that t5s are not stronger than the sun. So maybe the bleaching (or melting) occurs when the corals are subjected to the lights too quickly?
Since i'll spend a month on each 1 inch drop, ill have time to check corals out and make sure they are doing okay?
I find it hard to believe that my t5's can out par the sun at midday by the equator. Unless softies and lps only occur in deeper waters.
kc350twin
New member
FlyTekk
I just switched back to T5's
6x24"
B+
b+
C+
P+
B+
B+
I have it 8" AWL and I have 400 Par up top near my SPS and 200ish on the sand. I tried to match the AI Sol I just took off. Staring at 10" should be fine. I agree with RT, the 24" light has a lot of side light spill and should be fine on a 40BR
It's a 24x24x18 tank
I just switched back to T5's
6x24"
B+
b+
C+
P+
B+
B+
I have it 8" AWL and I have 400 Par up top near my SPS and 200ish on the sand. I tried to match the AI Sol I just took off. Staring at 10" should be fine. I agree with RT, the 24" light has a lot of side light spill and should be fine on a 40BR
It's a 24x24x18 tank
rtparty
Raise The Reef!
8" is the lowest I ever went. One reason was because of spread though. When I got down to 6" or so, I lost a lot of light on the edges where I had my LPS.
I wouldn't go lower than 8" and that is pushing it IMO. However, do what the corals tell you. If they aren't bleaching and look fine, lower the fixture. If they start bleaching, cut down the photo period or raise the fixture back up.
Don't try to compare our tanks and the lighting we use to the ocean. It is a COMPLETELY different ball game. Corals only receive the maximum PAR for an hour or two. In our tanks, they get blasted for 10 hours!
bvoss
New member
I did the ATI to AI switch and met with disaster. I have added lots of neutral white and warm white LEDs to the tank. Now after a more than 6 months my corals are starting to recover, but they are no where near as colorful as when I started. ATI PMs put out amazing PAR and great color. I wish I had never changed.
manchreef7
New member
It really is amazing the crazy range of results with the AI fixtures. From incredible growth to complete disaster. I myself switched from a 250w hqi with a pheonix 14k to the AI blue. I couldnt be happier. I did love my pheonix 14k and got good growth but the growth and color im getting now with the sol is even better. I did almost go t5 but the fascination with leds took over. I just had to see what the fuss was about. Glad i did. In your particular case i dont think you could go wrong either way, but honestly the ATI is definately the more guaranteed choice. But i guess every tank is different. Here is mine
I keep mine around 8 inches throughout the life of the bulbs. Just be careful of putting any newcomers high up too quickly. You will fry them. Otherwise, you will be fine with 6-8. I've even seen them kept lower with great results. Here's a pic of my tank for reference:
DaveG99
New member
I am setting up a new tank 32"x24"x15" and I was thinking about getting the AI sol blue or an ATI sunpower 6x24. Im getting the ATI. I currently have a rapidled par38 over a small nano and it works OK but the shadows are annoying. I think I would need 2 AI sol blues for my tank and I dont want to spend $1000 on lights. I know the AI sol blue lasts for many years but I guarantee in a year or two when new LED stuff comes out that the people with the AI's will be selling and upgrading to the new stuff. No one will keep their LED's for 10 years!
I have had a 175watt MH and (2) 39 watt t5's over a 40 breeder before and the growth was amazing along with the colors. Im sticking with T5's until the whlole LED stuff gets figured out.
I have had a 175watt MH and (2) 39 watt t5's over a 40 breeder before and the growth was amazing along with the colors. Im sticking with T5's until the whlole LED stuff gets figured out.
So after all is said and done, I ended up getting a 8x54 Suntek and 3 ai's, the tank is currently cycling :bounce3:. I will post a pic when I move the 3 ai's that are over my 70. the suntek will sit up front at a slight angle facing back and the 3 ai's will be behind the suntek over the rock where most the corals will sit.
In the meantime, here is a sad sad photo from my phone of just the suntek above cycling the tank. Tons of caves and tunnels. With another 75 lbs of rock coming this Wednesday.
In the meantime, here is a sad sad photo from my phone of just the suntek above cycling the tank. Tons of caves and tunnels. With another 75 lbs of rock coming this Wednesday.
TucanSam007
New member
I love my 6x39 ATI. Great colors and there's still a shimmer! It's not an led or a halide shimmer but its still there.
Sweet, quick update
Sweet, quick update
As I know it was tossed up in the air, back and forth many times. Well I decided to have gone with both AI's and T5's. 3 AI Modules and an 8x54 Suntek. I'll post another pic when I get my AI's dialed in with settings and also with the Suntek bulb setup. Once again thanks all for the info, I swayed back and forth and was starting to get sea sick lol.
Here it is...
Heres just a couple shots of some life in the tank
Sweet, quick update
As I know it was tossed up in the air, back and forth many times. Well I decided to have gone with both AI's and T5's. 3 AI Modules and an 8x54 Suntek. I'll post another pic when I get my AI's dialed in with settings and also with the Suntek bulb setup. Once again thanks all for the info, I swayed back and forth and was starting to get sea sick lol.
Here it is...
Heres just a couple shots of some life in the tank
Your right, your tank is 36". The 36" ATI is too much light for such a shallow tank. You will have a VERY hard time keeping any softies or LPS in the tank and even some SPS won't be happy.
ATI's are way more powerful than you think. Trust me, I ran a 40g breeder for 8 months with a 4x24w ATI Sunpower.
what did you used to hang this up?
