Aqua illumination or acan leds?

tmacks · 06/28/2011, 08:45 PM

Which is better? Acan a102ac or the aqua illumination sol blue?
I've seen a lot of people have the ai's but nothing about the acans.

salsipuedes · 06/28/2011, 09:00 PM

Im not impressed with the acan lights. My lfs has them on a display tank. I prefer the 2x250watt mh and t5 combo with 2 additional t5 units they had prior over the acans. Its a 60x36x28 size tank so it's pretty deep and still the acan light can keep clams on the sand but it looked better and healthier when they had the mh setup. Personally I am looking into the key LED fixtures. seems their latest generation is going to be a serious competitor in the led department.

tmacks · 06/28/2011, 10:10 PM

I've never seen the key fixtures before. I'll have to look into those.

I was looking at the par readings from the two manufactures and this is what I found.

Acan a102ac-48b par measurements as per acanlighting.com I'm not sure if the measurements are under the waters surface or not.

6". 1070
12". 670
18". 463
24". 326
30". 235
36". 180
42". 142
48". 116

Aqua illumination par measurements as per CalmSeasQuest' readings

6" - 1650
12" - 1370 (water surface)
16" - 915 (4" water depth)
19" - 690 (7" water depth)
24" - 560 (12" water depth)

So from the par measurements on the two the ai's smoke the acans.

I've seen the acans at the Lfs selling for $2700 for a 48" fixture and I've heard from friends that have been in the hobby forever that the acans are the greatest on the market. That's the only reason in questioning the ai's.

Banjo · 06/29/2011, 02:08 AM

I love my AIs.

snorvich · 06/29/2011, 05:13 AM

Are acan dimmable? I have AI and Pacific Sun. Both are terrific.

tmacks · 06/29/2011, 06:28 AM

The acans have a built in timer and I believe they can be set to do any percentage of light you want.

Do you guys have good sps growth with the AI's?

James404 · 06/29/2011, 08:41 AM

I personally own an AI SOL and very happy with it so far. The controllability is great. Having said that, the owner of Acan Lights is a member of our reef club here. Our meetings are usually held at his warehouse. His tanks there are all lighted with the acans and corals are doing very well with great growth and coloration.

Overall I think both units are great fixtures, with sleek designs. The AI may have higher par measurments and more choices with optics and control-ability though.

snorvich · 06/29/2011, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmacks

Do you guys have good sps growth with the AI's?

With AI and Pacific Sun, my SPS grow well.

salsipuedes · 06/29/2011, 10:00 AM

Arent the acan lights and eco lamps the same thing?

For the price I would go AI over Acan. I'm thinking the key LED lights are somewhere inbetween the AI and Acan on par measurements. Not sure, still looking for the measurements, going by what I've seen in pics but camera settings and photos can be deceiving...

06/28/2011, 08:45 PM	#1
tmacks Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Florida Keys Posts: 22	Aqua illumination or acan leds? Which is better? Acan a102ac or the aqua illumination sol blue? I've seen a lot of people have the ai's but nothing about the acans.

06/29/2011, 05:13 AM	#5
snorvich Team RC member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Outlander Posts: 40,953 Blog Entries: 46	Are acan dimmable? I have AI and Pacific Sun. Both are terrific. __________________ Warmest regards, ~Steve~

06/29/2011, 08:41 AM	#7
James404 I <3 Acros Join Date: May 2010 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 2,523	I personally own an AI SOL and very happy with it so far. The controllability is great. Having said that, the owner of Acan Lights is a member of our reef club here. Our meetings are usually held at his warehouse. His tanks there are all lighted with the acans and corals are doing very well with great growth and coloration. Overall I think both units are great fixtures, with sleek designs. The AI may have higher par measurments and more choices with optics and control-ability though. __________________ 80g Deep Blue Rimless - http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2651295 225g Reef Savvy SPS Dominant - Retired http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1945361

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06/28/2011, 09:00 PM	#2
salsipuedes Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 209	Im not impressed with the acan lights. My lfs has them on a display tank. I prefer the 2x250watt mh and t5 combo with 2 additional t5 units they had prior over the acans. Its a 60x36x28 size tank so it's pretty deep and still the acan light can keep clams on the sand but it looked better and healthier when they had the mh setup. Personally I am looking into the key LED fixtures. seems their latest generation is going to be a serious competitor in the led department.

06/28/2011, 10:10 PM	#3
tmacks Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Florida Keys Posts: 22	I've never seen the key fixtures before. I'll have to look into those. I was looking at the par readings from the two manufactures and this is what I found. Acan a102ac-48b par measurements as per acanlighting.com I'm not sure if the measurements are under the waters surface or not. 6". 1070 12". 670 18". 463 24". 326 30". 235 36". 180 42". 142 48". 116 Aqua illumination par measurements as per CalmSeasQuest' readings 6" - 1650 12" - 1370 (water surface) 16" - 915 (4" water depth) 19" - 690 (7" water depth) 24" - 560 (12" water depth) So from the par measurements on the two the ai's smoke the acans. I've seen the acans at the Lfs selling for $2700 for a 48" fixture and I've heard from friends that have been in the hobby forever that the acans are the greatest on the market. That's the only reason in questioning the ai's.

06/29/2011, 02:08 AM	#4
Banjo Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 94	I love my AIs.

06/29/2011, 06:28 AM	#6
tmacks Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Florida Keys Posts: 22	The acans have a built in timer and I believe they can be set to do any percentage of light you want. Do you guys have good sps growth with the AI's?

06/29/2011, 10:00 AM	#9
salsipuedes Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 209	Arent the acan lights and eco lamps the same thing? For the price I would go AI over Acan. I'm thinking the key LED lights are somewhere inbetween the AI and Acan on par measurements. Not sure, still looking for the measurements, going by what I've seen in pics but camera settings and photos can be deceiving...