Aqua Illumination LED Light Modules on my 29g nano

[qbical]

did u by chance already sell your sunpod?
i would assume you did

[xenon]

Originally posted by RetroAndreas
Greats setup.

Ignore the people that say you could have done this or could have done that.

Simply an awesome setup!

Couple of questions.

What intensity do you have the lighting dialed in at?

Does moisture build up anywhere on the fixture.

Did you consider hanging the unit? It looks like you have to remove the fixture to access the tank.

Take care

Right now I have it set at 60% white and 80% blue but I am slowly going to increase as time passes to acclimate my corals to the new light.

No moisture build up what so ever.

I simply slide the fixture back and I have enough room to stick my arm in the tank no problem.

[xenon]

Originally posted by qbical
did u by chance already sell your sunpod?
i would assume you did

Yeah a long time ago.

[SWSaltwater]

Originally posted by xenon
The AI outperforms the solaris.

http://www.aquaillumination.com/par.html

Too bad they compare to the old Solaris I believe the H or G, the I-5 kills it as far as I can tell, it would look a lot different had they run that chart next to I-5.

[evilc66]

The PAR numbers they post are a little skewed because they test at only a few inches away from the fixture. Not a particularly useful test. It's still high PAR though.

The only complaint I have is that he should have built it himself, but Xenon knows my position on that .

[itsdarrow]

I have the i-5 unit (fits perfectly on my 39 gallon cadlights) and i love it . I have mainly SPS and a clam and it is incredible. Offers the cloud moonlight everything and you can do it all through the light no need for a comp connection. Also i like the way the leds are spaced on the solaris. no spotlighting very nice halide like light and no heat in the tank!

[Dav8or]

I'm looking at both systems for a new 96" tank. How loud are the fans? Can the AI's be mounted in a hood? The AI's seem to concentrate their lights while Solaris has a more equal spacing across the length of the tank, issue?

[magnoliarichj]

Originally posted by xenon
The AI outperforms the solaris.

http://www.aquaillumination.com/par.html

Just read all about it last night and they are cheaper... im on board... woot woot

[magnoliarichj]

tru on the i5 i did notice that. but you can get 2 of thes for the price of 1 of theres.

[troynel]

I would like to know if LEDs are worth the money? Tried searching for this info but the sites search is down.

[GaryR1984]

It's really not that expensive. It pays in the long run.

If your lighting a 300 gallon tank, in ten years how many bulbs do you have to buy?

[troynel]

My other question then is 1 - why aren't more people using them, and 2- would the two foot version work on my 3x3x2 cube if most of my corals are keep in the middle?

[jtma508]

Originally posted by magnoliarichj
tru on the i5 i did notice that. but you can get 2 of thes for the price of 1 of theres.

How do you figure you can get 2 AI's for the price of 1 I5??

[troynel]

i think he means 2 individual units.

[itsdarrow]

so i just saw a tank with the AI units on them and it still 'spotlights' in person, That is the only thing i think the PFO solaris units have over the AI. I love the expandability and the integration with your Computer/reefkeeper i just wish they grouped the LEDs differently then i would be all over them.

[GSMguy]

Originally posted by GaryR1984
It's really not that expensive. It pays in the long run.

If your lighting a 300 gallon tank, in ten years how many bulbs do you have to buy?

No way in heck these units will last ten years without some LEDs failing. With a two year warranty you only have 2 years guaranteed service and halide bulbs last 2-3 years...

[magnoliarichj]

haliade bulbs do not last 2-3 yrs..... your crazy... the output on led lights diminishes about 10 % in 10 yrs MH diminish 50% in 6 months. do some research or do some of your own testing. and yes maybe some leds will fail just like bulbs will break but it dosent render the unit 100 % broken like with a MH setup. its not the initial cost in the total cost of ownership... thats why people drive honda civics.

[kc350twin]

I am very interested in both LED companies. Is there a Owners post for either?

GSM- you sir are in every forum.Ha Ha. I agree and disagree. LED's will fail. I am interested in the replacement cost
I will disagree with the MH lasting 3 yrs. I personally think it's pushing it but I'm no Lighting expert. Not even close.

Troynel- I think people wont use these for a while due to price and skepticism. They are still new and very pricey.

OP- Your lights look awesome. How have the coral responded so far?

[Philwd]

Originally posted by magnoliarichj
haliade bulbs do not last 2-3 yrs..... your crazy... the output on led lights diminishes about 10 % in 10 yrs MH diminish 50% in 6 months. do some research or do some of your own testing. and yes maybe some leds will fail just like bulbs will break but it dosent render the unit 100 % broken like with a MH setup. its not the initial cost in the total cost of ownership... thats why people drive honda civics.

Sorry actually no. LEDs are rated for lifetime either at 30% light output reduction or 50%; depending on the manufacturer. Whether it's 7 or 10 years depends totally on your lighting cycle.

And enough tests have been done on Phx 14K bulbs that show they last well into 18 mos. Radiums well maybe not.

For folks starting out LEDs make more ecomnomic sense. To upgrade well you have to like toys like the OP. Which is great I like my toys too. I've run COO models also and to get payback within 5 yrs you have to make lots of assumptions of elec costs and needing chillers etc to come close. Thinking you will run these outside of the 2 yr warranty past 5 years with no costs well just doesn't seem realistic. If nothing else in 2 years the new sexy LEDs running 30% brighter will be out and you will be offered upgrade modules.

Too bad they compare to the old Solaris I believe the H or G, the I-5 kills it as far as I can tell, it would look a lot different had they run that chart next to I-5.

The LEDs the I5 uses and the LEDs the AI uses are rated very close; 90-100 lumens/watt at maximum efficiency. There is probably enough manufacturing margin in the bins that you likely couldn't tell the difference. The I5 does have more LEDs/ft now so that would give it the edge on light output. But not the I4. That chart has been up for almost 2 yrs so that's why the I series isn't listed. Agree should be updated.

Xenon if you could keep posting growth and coloration pics over the next couple months as a sort of photo journal that would be great. It's really tough to find those sorts of LED progressions. Good luck.

[cclough_AI]

Greetings all -

I wanted to briefly comment on this discussion.

First off, many thanks to Xenon - the pictures and video are great!

Regarding the data on the AquaIllumination website. This data on the site is becoming a bit out dated, and will be updated further with additional scans of varying distances from the sensor.

More recent scans are available at the following link:
http://aquaillum.com/data/latest_par_data-18in.pdf

Please note the comments under the chart.

To avoid any issues with RC policy, please contact ReefGeek for any additional questions.

Warmest regards,
-Chris

[Paulairduck]

nice lights, I just wish they light spread was a lot wider, 2 units over a aquapod shoud not be necessary.

[magnoliarichj]

i think if he put them up higher it would shine better.

[MAXreefer]

I got the 6feet AI fixture for my 180G about 6 months ago.
So far no issues at all. They run and run.
I know they are costly at the moment and prices will go down and probably the energy savings are relative to the purchase price.

My energy bill went down a lot
I could have saved the money buying a chiller as mine doesn't turn on anymore at all
Corals are doing great and grow nicely
Excellent PAR readings compared to high end MH lights
For optical reasons I don't like the "rail system" a lot but it is nice you can move the individual modules around. Therefore we mounted the whole fixture in the canopy.

We are working on a PC software to simulate various settings like the Profilux controller. Still in progress but we are getting there.
A little video from the tank @ 5 months:

Here are a few pics:

[xenon]

Originally posted by Paulairduck
nice lights, I just wish they light spread was a lot wider, 2 units over a aquapod shoud not be necessary.

How far apart was each module?

I would not run them less than 6" apart and 3" apart would be even better.

When I upgrade to a 4ft tank I am going to use 7 modules and have them all stuck together with no gaps.

[eme]

How far apart was each module?

I would not run them less than 6" apart and 3" apart would be even better.

When I upgrade to a 4ft tank I am going to use 7 modules and have them all stuck together with no gaps. [/B]

????? ..and why ?