Verdict is in on Aqua Illuminations- Don't buy

Thank you Op for providing your honest, carefully explained, and measured experience with an EXTREMELY expensive product that did not measure up to your expectations. That's what this forum is all about, IMO.
 
If you want to have some fun, call them up and tell them dimensions of the tank and that you want to cover the bottom of the tank with 100 PAR across the entire length and width of the tank so your LPS will be happy, then call back and speak to someone else there and see if the answers agree. To add even more fun to it, tell them you have seen Sanjay Joshi's testing.
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sirreal63, I know what you are getting at. I bet if I called them they would probably recommend 6 or maybe 8 (not sure). I have softies, leathers and monti's in my tank and all seems good. Getting excellent growth on my monti's in the short time I've had them.
 
I would like to thank OP for his opinion about AI SOLs. I couldn't make my mind if I needed 2 or 3 units. Now I know that I need 4 and can't afford it. I will keep my MH. Thanks! LOL
 
Lets not bash the OP here for sharing his opinion. I have had a similar situation as the OP. I won't go into specifics, but after spending a ton of money to light my tank with AI sols, I sold them and went back to MH and a chiller. Couldn't be happier now. Its funny that i never here people try MH and complain about growth and color lol. I'm hoping that technology will push LED's price and consistency down.
 
SethTheWineGuy, I'm sorry to hear of your problems, especially if my thread on the AIs played any part. IIRC, back in 2010, AI was recommending one unit for every 12" of tank (massive overkill on all but the deepest tanks.)

Most early adopters processed to bleach virtually everything in their tanks, in my case several times prior purchasing a PAR meter. What power settings do you use and what height are your AI's mounted above the tank? You should be able to gain far more than 12" coverage with more than needed PAR at 25" depth by simply raising the LEDs. You mentioned 300 PAR on the sand bed - That's a lot of PAR especially when you consider your PAR meter is likely underestimated the blue light by upwards of 20%.

For reference, here's a photo showing the PAR overlay with both the SOL whites and Blues hung 18" AWL (all 40 degree lenses)...

AI_SWSB100.jpg


To date, (aside from the early bleachings) my greatest challenge with the AIs has been developing optimal coloration. I added 12 watts of 403nm and Magenta stunner strips which provided a marked improvement.

IMG_20120328_194836.jpg
 
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One of the reasons I cannot stand narrow optics. If they told you 12" over the water with 40 degree optics... well that says a LOT in itself. They are very capable, however it sounds like the directed installation did not fit the needs. Thread topic was quite ridiculously dramatic to note lol
 
What I don't get is yeah there are people with success with LEDs. Then look at the million other totms that are running t5/mh, look at all the coral farmers all over the world who run mh, look at all the rocking zeovit tanks in euro running t5s. The nicest tanks in the world run t5/mh yet people will still read some dude brand new tank with LEDs an think, yes that's what I want I'm my tank. Of your looking to have a very successful sps reef you need to look at what the people having the most success are using and try to mimic that.
 
I appreciate the thread. Maybe the topic was a bit overdramatic, but overall, OP provided his experience in a orderly manner. He didnt freak out and just slander. Different people have different results. Some people have great results, others have not so great results. W/ the amount of LEDs on the market, you dont have to drop 450 for AIs anymore. Get yourself 170$ 120 watt fixtures from ebay and experiment. If you dont want to do that, you can stay w/ your MH. This hobby is progressing, so dont hate on someone who is sharing his experience.
 
ccradr said:
........ went back to MH and a chiller. Couldn't be happier now. Its funny that i never here people try MH and complain about growth and color lol....................
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Really? Have you missed the 6.5 million "what color bulb" threads? Threads where poster is bummed because they use the same equipment as Joe Bob & don't get the same results? Folks complain about growth & color for MH all the time (note I ain't knocking MH, just that results for all lighting can vary wildy between individuals)

ccradr said:
Lets not bash the OP here for sharing his opinion.
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It's not the opinion it's the statements put forth as fact such as the linked chart........which just happens to match Sanjays results.

An opinion just get laughable when you mention "rectangular fixture" & "cone of light".......um optics are round?

It's also humorous when you mention "vortech" as living up to hype...........yeah, they're still the benchmark for delivering as promised :rolleyes:

Finally when you title a thread "verdict is in" like you're the final word on equipment you're bound to take some flak.

karsseboom said:
What I don't get is yeah there are people with success with LEDs. Then look at the million other totms that are running t5/mh, look at all the coral farmers all over the world who run mh, look at all the rocking zeovit tanks in euro running t5s. The nicest tanks in the world run t5/mh yet people will still read some dude brand new tank with LEDs an think.......
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Guess you haven't been around long enough............same exact "issues" when T5 came along & was compared to VHO - more "can't" than you can shake a stick at. Same with high Kelvin MH bulbs. Lots of "horrible" compared to then reigning king the Iwaki 6500. DE MH...............often touted 250w = 400w.

Point is time change, things improve........the hobby will adapt to what works.

ReefPharmer said:
I appreciate the thread. Maybe the topic was a bit overdramatic, but overall, OP provided his experience in a orderly manner. He didnt freak out and just slander.
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Well I won't go as strong as slander but when you state a company is falsifying data you're coming pretty close. On the other side I do understand the pain - you spend a fair bit of change & have expectations that match...............unfortunately in this hobby that rarely equates.

I just switched to AI's.......................difference is I've been in the hobby long enough to know that it may just not work for me & I accept the risk. It is arguably the most frustrating part of this hobby. You can duplicate a TOTM exactly & it may be an utter failre for you.................it can be very frustrating.
 
To equal the par of two 400w metal halides overt 120g, I had to use 4 of them. I dislike them for their coverage. Two over my tank would have been a huge reduction in light. Great fixture but I agree with the OP.
 
I think its funny how when someone posts a negative review about a light...people start jumping all over them. Just admit it, you got duped into paying to much for a sub par light. I know its hard to admit but its the truth.

I mean come on..people have to buy additional lights to supplement the AI? really, if you have to do this..then you bought the wrong light.
 
I only have two units sideways over my 75gal for about a year they are awesome. I have nothing but great things to say about AI SOL. There are so many things you can do about getting the light that is just right. Mount them sideways, change pucks, increase/decrease the height of the fixture and change the intensity.
 
harlequinacro said:
. I take everything a manufacturer recommends with a grain of salt. Talking to a representative of a company is going to be a biased conversation. I'm not saying all manufacturers are like that, some manufacturers are very knowledgeable and their products perform like they say. I like to stick to proven products & methods before I make purchases of products still in testing phases.
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I like to stick with producets and manufacturers that will not overstate their products capabilities. Go ask Roger from Tunze or Tim from EcoTech for an opinion of what you would need in your tank and you will get an honest answer. While I would expect bias in regards to their product versus competition, I do expect an honest assessment of what I need.
 
I was instructed that 1 over my cube would be fine and found out the hard way. I dislike AI leds and would never consider them for any tank I set up. Nothing went right. I read the threads (*at the time) and did what I thought would equate to a colorful rich healthy tank but I fell very short. My corals looked drab, my growth was poor, and when I finally turned them up many pieces stressed out. I agree with the OP that there is alot of misinformation and misleading suggestions. Personally, I would only use LEDs as a source of supplemental coloring. I am not impressed with them at all. For the amount of money that I spend on my tank I can deal with the extra couple of dollars a month on electricity that my T5s cost me and be extremely happy with growth and color. In a perfect world I would run radiums MH +LED actinics but I dont have the space.

Sometimes I question whether people know what a truely good looking sps tank with good growth looks like...For me, its definitely NOT LEDS. Its the same idea I have about people and restaurants...somepeople know what good food tastes like, others think they know but have no idea. Its trial and error to be able to trust anothers opinion.
 
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I have 4 over my 57g tank and my sps do well, its my zoa's and lps that shrival up from too much light. Ive also had no problems dealing with AI's customer service, they quickly sent me a new controller and a new control board and fan no questions asked, not proof of purchase or the date when they were bought.
 
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