I tried using this but aquacave call to tell me I can't take the RC5 discount on the AI units. They said they used to allow it but AI got mad at them so they had to stop.
Another AI Sol Blue review
- Thread starter heckeng
- Start date
I tried using this but aquacave call to tell me I can't take the RC5 discount on the AI units. They said they used to allow it but AI got mad at them so they had to stop.
stpatrick
New member
Can you share your %s?
stpatrick
New member
I also wanted to share my placement. I have a 112 g SPS tank. 3 months old. My tank is 36x30x24. I am running my lights 11" AWL. My settings are at peak - w55 b65 rb80. I like the bluer tank as well. The video actually makes the tank look a lot bluer then is is. I thing in person its just a bit bluer then the phoenix 14k HQI. Thoughts?
Patrick
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VPAgOVaJN_E
Patrick
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VPAgOVaJN_E
heckeng
New member
2 month update:
about a month into the lights, and 1 month ago from this report, I switched out all of the 40degree optics for 70's to try and get more even spread and more even intensity of light output. This change actually had a similar effect on the corals as far as shock goes as when I first put the LEDs on the tank. It took about 7-10 days for the tank to get re-adjusted to the new optics but now things seem to be going smooth. I am currently at 12" above water level (and have been for most of the lights use) with 3 AI Sols perpendicular to the front glass.
I am making progress with these lights I believe. I had ramped up to 45% on all LEDS but started burning a few colonies of zoas so I changed my ramping methods. I ramped up the white LEDs to get the visible intensity a little more pleasing but lowered the blues and royals back down to 25% and started re-ramping them. The zoas definitely liked that better. I not have the white up to 60% as of tonight, and the B/RB are both at 40%. Coloration is great and intensity is starting to get away from the dim look that people complain about.
One thing I am finding interesting about LEDs and Zoas is that the initial shock of the lighting change hurt the coralsd and they acted like it was way too much light, once they became accustomed to the change, they are now actually stretching out as if they want MORE light which is why I am still ramping up the light. I still have one or two colonies of zoas that are not completely adjusted from the shock but other than them, the rest of the colonies seem to be not only enjoying the lights, but begging for more. Over the next month, I will be lowering my lights slightly from 12" above water level to around 8"-10" AWL as well.
I will try and get some new pics in the next week or so. Some of the colonies have changed due to an outbreak of zoa pox that I believe I have under control now but overall, the colonies I have left are growing again and coloration appears great.
about a month into the lights, and 1 month ago from this report, I switched out all of the 40degree optics for 70's to try and get more even spread and more even intensity of light output. This change actually had a similar effect on the corals as far as shock goes as when I first put the LEDs on the tank. It took about 7-10 days for the tank to get re-adjusted to the new optics but now things seem to be going smooth. I am currently at 12" above water level (and have been for most of the lights use) with 3 AI Sols perpendicular to the front glass.
I am making progress with these lights I believe. I had ramped up to 45% on all LEDS but started burning a few colonies of zoas so I changed my ramping methods. I ramped up the white LEDs to get the visible intensity a little more pleasing but lowered the blues and royals back down to 25% and started re-ramping them. The zoas definitely liked that better. I not have the white up to 60% as of tonight, and the B/RB are both at 40%. Coloration is great and intensity is starting to get away from the dim look that people complain about.
One thing I am finding interesting about LEDs and Zoas is that the initial shock of the lighting change hurt the coralsd and they acted like it was way too much light, once they became accustomed to the change, they are now actually stretching out as if they want MORE light which is why I am still ramping up the light. I still have one or two colonies of zoas that are not completely adjusted from the shock but other than them, the rest of the colonies seem to be not only enjoying the lights, but begging for more. Over the next month, I will be lowering my lights slightly from 12" above water level to around 8"-10" AWL as well.
I will try and get some new pics in the next week or so. Some of the colonies have changed due to an outbreak of zoa pox that I believe I have under control now but overall, the colonies I have left are growing again and coloration appears great.
Previously I have used 2 250w phoenix bulbs on a 75 gallon standard dimensions, would just using two of these units yield around the same results? I pretty much have a few softies, rics and zoas. I really like the look of the 14k. It is time for a bulb change and a 2 month old set of these with controller has come up for sale for $600. I am just worried about full coverage.
Toomnymods
New member
A couple more:
None of the pics I have taken were photoshopped. What you are seeing is about 80% correct to how it appears in person (at least how my computer is showing them). What is not apparent on the pictures is the amount of fluorescense that exists. I believe the camera picks up so much more blue light that our eyes doesn't see that it drowns out the other colors? Every one of the 30 or so types of zoas shows some sort of awesome coloration that the pics don't pick up on.
The lighting still does look dim compared to my MH setup but I am only running around 30% overall brightness. Eventually I hope that will be fixed.
The pics that are actinic looking are using 30% B and 30% RB, they just don't have the white on which is surprising because when the white is on and the blue LEDS are at the same level, the tank is completely different looking as the white drowns out the blues.
And Yes, I know, the tank is a little cluttered with all of the frags etc in it. I am planning on getting rid of many of them sometime soon! So, cut me some slack on the tityness aspect of it!
love ur tanks good job..
SaltwaterAdict
New member
Are you considering taking the plunge? The more I look into LED's the more I want to give them a try. Decrease heat, electric, and they really bring out the corals colors!
What do you guys think would be a good estimate for lighting a 180 with diy leds vs ai sol blues?
Big E
Premium Member
Right now.............no, there isn't a single unit or brand I'm excited about to any degree to make a change. I'm just fact gathering.
I've seen about 6 setups in person & am completely underwelmed right now. One of the biggest reason is because people are skimping on the number of units over the tank & the spread & asthetics suffer.
I've seen about 6 setups in person & am completely underwelmed right now. One of the biggest reason is because people are skimping on the number of units over the tank & the spread & asthetics suffer.
SaltwaterAdict
New member
Interesting good to hear your input. I'm pretty much on the same page as you right now. In time I'll make the switch, but I like my mh/t5's setup and the fact that they're tried and true.
Toomnymods
New member
I used to think the same thing till i seen a ai sol blue tank with zoas and sps the colors where popping like mad.. I had the same excact hqi bulbs u had with vhos and all my sps looked bland cause of the intense white light just making the corals appear foggy or not deep coloration. Well i no longer have that problem i bought 3 ai sol blues last week and couldnt be happier.. The colors have improved drasticially on every single item in my tank.. Everything looks like a "limited exition" coral now.. The not having to buy bulbs ever 6 months and saving 60 bucks or more in electric will definatly be a welcome sight as well..
Big E
Premium Member
If I had a nickel everytime I have read this I'd........................have a lot of nickels:lol:
I saw a pair of AI's right next to a ATI fixture & my feelings were the exact opposite. Everything popped more in the ATI tank...................it was brighter & had more coverage.
I've looked at some of these LED tanks, go home & am stunned by how much brighter my corals & tank look under my T5's and as much as I like my T5's they don't compare to the 400w 12 Reeflux halides I was using.
I do think some of it has to do with people skimping on not putting enough LED units over their tank, but just sayin. Obviously, opinion are going to vary, but when I read about some SPS'ers going back to Halides after using LED's, it gives me pause.
I'm sure eventually we'll all be LED guys or maybe plasma or some other technology, but right now there are just too many kinks to work out & I'm more than happy to sit it out for a while & pay the $180 dollars a year it costs me to run & replace my T5's.
sahin
Ultimate Reefer
I agree with Big E. I am yet to see a long term system (ie one year plus) running on AI's with the quality colours you see on MH and T5 tanks.
Sure your tank might look good for a few weeks after buying the LED units, but I have read so many threads with issues regarding coral colour after a while.
I have nothing against LED's, in fact I modified my ATI T5 unit into a hybrid LED/T5 system, but I would go all out LED. Not yet.
The biggest issue I have with LED's is not knowing their true spectrum spread. Sure we've seen the individual spectrum graphs from Cree etc...but what I'd like to see is the likes of Sanjay and Dana Riddle starting to produce spectrum plots of the various LED units.
I really feel like we will not progress in respect of LED's until we start to see spectrum plots from those not affiliated with the manufacturers.
Once we have overall spectrum plots of units such as AI, Radion, Acan Lighting etc, we are better informed as to spectrum and can compare to the spectrum plots done on so many halide bulbs out there.
It is quite apparant those with the appropriate lens or LED configuration, the PAR of LEDs is right there. Issues of coverage etc is left to the hobbyist to ensure they have the correct unit.
I dont know how to contact Sanjay...I did email Dana once and never got a reply. I hope someone can relay this message that we need to start seeing spectrum plots of the LED systems currently on the market so we can start to at least see whats what in respect of the spectral coverage.
Maybe we will discover something that will really lend some useful info and perhaps the manufacturers will in turn move away from just using the typical cree offering.
For sure, light is light, but the composition of that light is VERY BENEFICIAL for us hobbyists to know...The Radium bulb is probably the best metal halide bulb out there. Imagine if in a few years time a manufacturer was abe to reproduce the most of the spectral coverage of the Radium bulb into an LED unit...now that would be awesome!
Sure your tank might look good for a few weeks after buying the LED units, but I have read so many threads with issues regarding coral colour after a while.
I have nothing against LED's, in fact I modified my ATI T5 unit into a hybrid LED/T5 system, but I would go all out LED. Not yet.
The biggest issue I have with LED's is not knowing their true spectrum spread. Sure we've seen the individual spectrum graphs from Cree etc...but what I'd like to see is the likes of Sanjay and Dana Riddle starting to produce spectrum plots of the various LED units.
I really feel like we will not progress in respect of LED's until we start to see spectrum plots from those not affiliated with the manufacturers.
Once we have overall spectrum plots of units such as AI, Radion, Acan Lighting etc, we are better informed as to spectrum and can compare to the spectrum plots done on so many halide bulbs out there.
It is quite apparant those with the appropriate lens or LED configuration, the PAR of LEDs is right there. Issues of coverage etc is left to the hobbyist to ensure they have the correct unit.
I dont know how to contact Sanjay...I did email Dana once and never got a reply. I hope someone can relay this message that we need to start seeing spectrum plots of the LED systems currently on the market so we can start to at least see whats what in respect of the spectral coverage.
Maybe we will discover something that will really lend some useful info and perhaps the manufacturers will in turn move away from just using the typical cree offering.
For sure, light is light, but the composition of that light is VERY BENEFICIAL for us hobbyists to know...The Radium bulb is probably the best metal halide bulb out there. Imagine if in a few years time a manufacturer was abe to reproduce the most of the spectral coverage of the Radium bulb into an LED unit...now that would be awesome!
NatureNerd
New member
Sahin: We do have spectral plots of the LED's used in most LED lighting systems. They confirm that the manufacturers are telling us the truth. Why would you think they would try to mislead consumers? Remember, they are not trying to sell LED's to aquarium keepers and their reputation would be shot if they did misrepresent their products. Cree data has been confirmed independently many times over, just not by people in this hobby.
The spectral output of MH is less known than any light but they work great and are widely accepted. Every bulb/ballast combo has a slightly different output. MH shift as they age and each manufacturers bulb is different even though they are labeled the same. This concern simply is not valid for LED's of known bin.
Your thoughts on appearance are valid, the look is different, flexible, and can depend on the configuration used. As far as long term use. There are several posts by folks here of beautiful tanks well over a year old. I will post more pictures of my tank next month when it hits the one year mark since switching from MH to LED.
The spectral output of MH is less known than any light but they work great and are widely accepted. Every bulb/ballast combo has a slightly different output. MH shift as they age and each manufacturers bulb is different even though they are labeled the same. This concern simply is not valid for LED's of known bin.
Your thoughts on appearance are valid, the look is different, flexible, and can depend on the configuration used. As far as long term use. There are several posts by folks here of beautiful tanks well over a year old. I will post more pictures of my tank next month when it hits the one year mark since switching from MH to LED.
njreefermadness
Member
I have had my 6X AI Sol Blues for just about a year now. I am running them close to 100% for several hours during the peak afternoon time. I have to say, SPS colors have never been better. I used to run 3X 250 W. Radiums and 2 6ft. Actinic VHOs on my standard 6X2X2 180 gallon. The color temperature of these fixtures is very similar to the results that I was getting w/ the MH/VHO combo I had before.
People tend to "skimp" on the number of lights on their tanks w/ the AIs due to cost. I would not use less than one light per running foot of tank length (assuming 24 inch width or less). I am running mine about 12 inches above the waterline w/ stock optics. I am thinking of converting to all 70 degree optics in the near future due to the hot spot spot lighting effect that the 40 degree optics can introduce.
One thing I find very annoying is that I am getting some extreme cross brace shadowing and that the intensity under the brace is extremely low, so my SPS under there are not as colorful as they could be. I am hoping that 70 degree optics could help "angle" some light into these areas.
One thing people fail to realize w/ LEDs is that even though you won't have to run a chiller (as often) in the summer, your heater definitely has to run more in the winter w/o your MH "heaters" running all the time. I haven't really noticed too radical a savings on the electric bill as a result of switching to the LEDs, but there definitely is a reduction.
One thing that I notice is that my oranges pop most when I am running extreme blue that is at the end of my photo period right before lights out. The orange caps and setosa really glow like crazy. The funny thing is that only some of the greens glow and others don't.
The good thing about AIs is the control you have over intensity and spectrum that you just don't get w/ any other lighting solution (MH/T5/VHO). I tend to skew the spectrum towards the blue end as I approach lights out. You can vary the output to be very white or to extreme blue, where your fish look like they are swimming in Windex. My fish have some crazy effects when the blue is turned up. My Lemon Peel angel looks almost black, my Regal angel has a very pronounced stripes and my Flame angel is almost invisible.
Well enough rambling. The bottom line is that after 1 year of running 6 AI Sol blues on my SPS only 180 things are growing great, and colors are as good or better than my MH/VHO combo that I used to run.
I know people always say "let's see some pictures of the tank". Well, even with my Nikon D60, I can't take good pics of the tank w/o the flash. Maybe I need a wide open $1,000.00 lens to do this, but photography is not my main hobby as you can see by the coin I dropped on these lights. Folks in my club can attest to the fact things are looking pretty good in my tank.
That is my story, and I'm sticking to it.
Herb
People tend to "skimp" on the number of lights on their tanks w/ the AIs due to cost. I would not use less than one light per running foot of tank length (assuming 24 inch width or less). I am running mine about 12 inches above the waterline w/ stock optics. I am thinking of converting to all 70 degree optics in the near future due to the hot spot spot lighting effect that the 40 degree optics can introduce.
One thing I find very annoying is that I am getting some extreme cross brace shadowing and that the intensity under the brace is extremely low, so my SPS under there are not as colorful as they could be. I am hoping that 70 degree optics could help "angle" some light into these areas.
One thing people fail to realize w/ LEDs is that even though you won't have to run a chiller (as often) in the summer, your heater definitely has to run more in the winter w/o your MH "heaters" running all the time. I haven't really noticed too radical a savings on the electric bill as a result of switching to the LEDs, but there definitely is a reduction.
One thing that I notice is that my oranges pop most when I am running extreme blue that is at the end of my photo period right before lights out. The orange caps and setosa really glow like crazy. The funny thing is that only some of the greens glow and others don't.
The good thing about AIs is the control you have over intensity and spectrum that you just don't get w/ any other lighting solution (MH/T5/VHO). I tend to skew the spectrum towards the blue end as I approach lights out. You can vary the output to be very white or to extreme blue, where your fish look like they are swimming in Windex. My fish have some crazy effects when the blue is turned up. My Lemon Peel angel looks almost black, my Regal angel has a very pronounced stripes and my Flame angel is almost invisible.
Well enough rambling. The bottom line is that after 1 year of running 6 AI Sol blues on my SPS only 180 things are growing great, and colors are as good or better than my MH/VHO combo that I used to run.
I know people always say "let's see some pictures of the tank". Well, even with my Nikon D60, I can't take good pics of the tank w/o the flash. Maybe I need a wide open $1,000.00 lens to do this, but photography is not my main hobby as you can see by the coin I dropped on these lights. Folks in my club can attest to the fact things are looking pretty good in my tank.
That is my story, and I'm sticking to it.
Herb
sahin
Ultimate Reefer
NatureNerd, I honestly appreciate the time you've taken to make the above post. I look forward to your tank photos. Not because I say that sarcastically, far from it; I'd like to see LED's work. I use a hybrid T5/LED and would like to go full LED. But I need to be convinced first.
Herb, if I could see your tank in person I would. The reason I say that is because I consider Radium and VHO Actinics the ultimate/elite in SPS coral lighting. AI's doing as well as the Radium+VHO combo is something I just didnt expect. That is quite something.
Can you tell me at what setting of the RB, B and W led's on your AI gives the look of the Radium+VHO?
Also, I have a Nikon D70, and I cant get a good photo out of my T5/LED even after taking custom white balance shots. It seems to be Canon is better in this department. I've seen many canon users post LED lit coral shots that look awesome. Wiht Nikon camera's the blue takes over everything.
In any event, if you can post some photos I'd be happy to see what the results are.
Thanks to both of you.
