AI Vega Color/Blue Owners Thread! - Page 32

theReefKing · 10/18/2012, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zmoose

I have a 240 gallon (60" Long x 36" Wide x 24" Tall) FOWLR setup. I'd like to replace my current lighting setup with AI Vega's so I can start adding corals to make it a reef tank. How many Vega's would I need to do this? Thanks

We almost did a build with this size tank, we were going to do 8.

That would have you covering a 18"x15" space with each light, would have no trouble having full coverage with the lights 4.5" AWL and could grow anything you want, anywhere you want.

bezlar · 10/18/2012, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theReefKing

Move lunar back to 12:01am, this will have your lights at the full 5,3,1 until midnight, at which point the 5,3,1 will be cut down based on the phases of the moon.

With your morning time set to 7am your daytime lights will start to ramp on at 5am. So on days with no moon your tank will be dark till 7am and then flash to fullintensity. move your morning time back to 9am, to allow for the 2 hour "sunrise" to happen after the lunar cycle times.

Thanks ill give it a try. I do have my morning set at 9am, I missed typed.

bezlar · 10/18/2012, 08:51 PM

I have three over a 60x26x28, and it covers just fine, but with ten more inches wider than mine you may need six.

Pique86 · 10/19/2012, 03:17 PM

Does anyone know if i can plug the controller to one of the ports of my apex aquacontroller DC8?

Soggytoes · 10/19/2012, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pique86

Does anyone know if i can plug the controller to one of the ports of my apex aquacontroller DC8?

Why would you need to? The controller can do everything the apex can do and more.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

DloG · 10/19/2012, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pique86

Does anyone know if i can plug the controller to one of the ports of my apex aquacontroller DC8?

I would think not because the voltage on the aqua controller is higher than the standard USB 5v. It would probably end up frying your controller.

ukguy · 10/20/2012, 11:20 AM

I got my units last night, and have been doing some trig to see what the optimal height would be to get the 24inch of spread in my 120g.. its the normal 4x2x2 size.

So the unit is 12 inches in length, but for maths, I've measured the center of the left most LED puck is 10inches from the center of the far right LED puck.

Using the 80deg optic as the top angle of the triangle
Leg B would be the distance from led to the bottom of the tank,
Leg C would the Radius or spread on the sandbed from center of that led

aiming to get a 24 inch spread would be the 10inches that separates the pucks, + 2 x C

so if my maths is right, at 32 inches from the bottom C=5.64 inches so spread for that led would 5.64+5.64+10 = 21.28 inches
so to get a true 24 inch spread I'd need to raise the LED 39.7 inches from the sandbed... thats a lot more than the 6-8 inches AWL IA was suggesting (32 vs 39inches)

even if you argue I should use 12inches instead of 10... that would still put the led 34 inches above the sandbed.

is my math missing something (distortion of light through water or something).

based on the above, I feel I'll need to move my units closer together to get the overlap at the center of the tank. probably about 10inches apart at 32inches from the sandbed.

benjc · 10/20/2012, 11:37 PM

Without pulling out a calculator, I think your math is off. Making things simpler; assuming a spread of 90 degrees would result in a 45 angle from vertical...for every inch in depth, the light would move out an inch. Granted the optics are not 90 but 80; but I think the bigger issue would be the refraction. As the light passes from the air to water the spread angle would decrease. The amount of retraction would vary with the salinity; fortunately, your tank is a common dimension and you could avoid the headaches of these calculations by finding photos of people's similar setups and how their lights/tank look.

shinninja · 10/21/2012, 02:39 PM

Alright guys/gals i give up. Im about to sound retarded. I just unboxed everything. How in the world do i hook up the wireless controller to the vega? I have a "wireless" option on there but it is not selectable.

Oops. just figured it out. thanks.

ukguy · 10/21/2012, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by benjc

fortunately, your tank is a common dimension and you could avoid the headaches of these calculations by finding photos of people's similar setups and how their lights/tank look.

See, thats too easy, I like the science of predicting the coverage in advance.

So my optic assumption was off, you're right it would make that first angle 40, not 10 as I calculated, I'd mess up what 80 optic meant.

Any way I copped out and decided to fit the leds as per AI's recommendation (6-8" awl).

ukguy · 10/21/2012, 08:55 PM

so following ReefKing's mount recommendations...

I went to lowes bought a track and 2 light fittings.

What? no 10-32 Stainless bolts... off to HomeDepot
10-32 bolts bought ( went with the 1.5inch as the 1inch didn't go in that far to the mount with the bracket attached)
I bought aluminum 3 feet of 1" wide.
and 6-24 bolts and nuts for attaching the stems of the light fittings (need small bolts to go through the original mount holes.

I took a couple of pics of the build too..

heres the tracking mount in place

Heres the fitting with the 6-24's in it and the aluminum mount pre drilled

another view..

because the fitting bolts stuck out I added extra washers to avoid them digging into the fan blades...

no way they'll touch now..

all done

fitted

and

and here's the final result

Holy disco effect, I've got my lights at 60% coral acclimatization mod of all at 80% when complete. I think I might need to dial back some colors, the disco effect is very noticeable. I even dialed down the surface agitation too, its still a lot..

shinninja · 10/21/2012, 09:00 PM

Anyone tried using the vega and the sol (wired) at the same time?

shinninja · 10/21/2012, 10:05 PM

Holy crap this controller sucks!!! I was playing with the sensitivity and set it to 10. Now this thing will not do anything! It won't respond to my inputs. Hahahaha. What a toy! any suggestions? Thanks.

kajung2k · 10/21/2012, 11:01 PM

Try a different power source. If you have an iPhone use the AC adaptor, or try plugin it into a USB port. I it works fine then make sure you report it to AI

Quote:

Originally Posted by shinninja

Holy crap this controller sucks!!! I was playing with the sensitivity and set it to 10. Now this thing will not do anything! It won't respond to my inputs. Hahahaha. What a toy! any suggestions? Thanks.

MedRed · 10/22/2012, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theReefKing

Move lunar back to 12:01am, this will have your lights at the full 5,3,1 until midnight, at which point the 5,3,1 will be cut down based on the phases of the moon.

With your morning time set to 7am your daytime lights will start to ramp on at 5am. So on days with no moon your tank will be dark till 7am and then flash to fullintensity. move your morning time back to 9am, to allow for the 2 hour "sunrise" to happen after the lunar cycle times.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bezlar

I have my lunar starting after my ramp down. My lights set 7am to 7pm ramp 2 hours. Lunar set 9pm to 7am. Intensity at 5,3,1 for blues. The last five night from 9 pm till midnight all lights off? So what am I doing wrong?

Thanks

There was a new moon on the 15th, so your lights would be off a couple of days before and after the new moon. When I had sol blues, I ran my day cycle from 6 am to 7 pm. I then had my blues at 10% until 10 pm. I then started my lunar cycle from 10 pm until 6 am with the blues at 4%.

I don't know if it's still the same, but AI said the minimum % to enjoy the full range of lunar cycle was 4%. Anything less and the new moon cycle would have more days of darkness than otherwise.

bezlar · 10/22/2012, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MedRed

There was a new moon on the 15th, so your lights would be off a couple of days before and after the new moon. When I had sol blues, I ran my day cycle from 6 am to 7 pm. I then had my blues at 10% until 10 pm. I then started my lunar cycle from 10 pm until 6 am with the blues at 4%.

I don't know if it's still the same, but AI said the minimum % to enjoy the full range of lunar cycle was 4%. Anything less and the new moon cycle would have more days of darkness than otherwise.

Thanks. I've been toying with it about every other day it's getting better.

sgammon1 · 10/22/2012, 02:57 PM

How does everyone like the AI Vega so far?

Should I get an AI Vega & Controller for $580 or a used Radion for $500?

ukguy · 10/22/2012, 03:28 PM

I think I'd go radion if they were the same price...if you think you can beat the guy down from $600 + shipping you go right a head

mypepper · 10/23/2012, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bezlar

Thanks. I've been toying with it about every other day it's getting better.

Even though I've set my lunar period from 9 pm till 7 am, and set my nite intensities, my lunar lights are always on, even when there's no moon in the sky.

Is there's something I'm missing with setting the lunar cycle?

Thanks,
Randy

sgammon1 · 10/23/2012, 07:05 PM

Question.... Is there a need for the colors red and green for the AI Vega Color or is it just personal preference between the two AI Color and AI Blue

qfrisco · 10/23/2012, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sgammon1

Question.... Is there a need for the colors red and green for the AI Vega Color or is it just personal preference between the two AI Color and AI Blue

I think the answer is that we don't yet know if the red and green have a purpose in coral growth and coloration. At least for me, I went with the Color over the Blue to futureproof my decision. I wanted the Vega with as complete a spectrum as possible, and the Vega Color was that.

qfrisco · 10/23/2012, 08:49 PM

Speaking of red and green LEDs, for those with Vega Colors, what intensity is everyone setting their reds and greens at? I currently have mine maxing out at 35% for both, 70% for white, and 90% for the blues. Wondering if I should have more red and greens.

gr82fly · 10/23/2012, 09:01 PM

Trying to digest this thread but what is the consensus concerning the blue vs color Vegas. Anyone have any opinions?

Thinking of replacing 250watt 14k Phoenix MHs

Nob35 · 10/23/2012, 09:26 PM

Hi everyone
Sorry for jumping in on the thread but have a question about how hot the Vegas get.
I have a Red Sea max s650 that I would like to convert to LEDs the Vegas will fit in the front T5 area of the canopy but the space is limited so was wondering how hot they get and how much air movement is needed?
If needed I could drill holes in the heat sinks for the T5's above the fans on the Vegas to get cool air to them. The tank is 61"x21"x24 and the bottom of the lights would be about 5" AWL and my plan are for three Vegas with the option of fitting a fourth if needed.
Any input would be great. Thanks

Acey1011 · 10/23/2012, 09:45 PM

New to the LED world, upgrading my 4x24w tek light to 1 AI Sol Blue over my 60 gallon cube. Couple questions, Is 1 light enough? How high should it go above the tank? What intensities should I run the light at? Just new to this lighting and want to get a feel for it before I set it up and screw it up

10/21/2012, 08:55 PM	#786
ukguy Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Columbus, Ohio, previously Surrey England. Posts: 431	so following ReefKing's mount recommendations... I went to lowes bought a track and 2 light fittings. What? no 10-32 Stainless bolts... off to HomeDepot 10-32 bolts bought ( went with the 1.5inch as the 1inch didn't go in that far to the mount with the bracket attached) I bought aluminum 3 feet of 1" wide. and 6-24 bolts and nuts for attaching the stems of the light fittings (need small bolts to go through the original mount holes. I took a couple of pics of the build too.. heres the tracking mount in place Heres the fitting with the 6-24's in it and the aluminum mount pre drilled another view.. because the fitting bolts stuck out I added extra washers to avoid them digging into the fan blades... no way they'll touch now.. all done fitted and and here's the final result Holy disco effect, I've got my lights at 60% coral acclimatization mod of all at 80% when complete. I think I might need to dial back some colors, the disco effect is very noticeable. I even dialed down the surface agitation too, its still a lot.. Last edited by ukguy; 10/21/2012 at 09:03 PM.

10/22/2012, 02:57 PM	#792
sgammon1 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Roseville, CA Posts: 740	How does everyone like the AI Vega so far? Should I get an AI Vega & Controller for $580 or a used Radion for $500? __________________ - Steve Current Tank Info: Old Tank Setups: 125G Lee Mar Display w/40B sump \| (3) AI Vega Colors \| APEX Controller \| SRO 2000int Skimmer \| (2) Jaebo WP40 \| Tunze 3155 ATO \|/\/\/\/\/\\| 2nd Tank Info: Biocube 29 \| MJ1200 Return \| MP10 \| Koralia 1

10/23/2012, 07:05 PM	#795
sgammon1 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Roseville, CA Posts: 740	Question.... Is there a need for the colors red and green for the AI Vega Color or is it just personal preference between the two AI Color and AI Blue __________________ - Steve Current Tank Info: Old Tank Setups: 125G Lee Mar Display w/40B sump \| (3) AI Vega Colors \| APEX Controller \| SRO 2000int Skimmer \| (2) Jaebo WP40 \| Tunze 3155 ATO \|/\/\/\/\/\\| 2nd Tank Info: Biocube 29 \| MJ1200 Return \| MP10 \| Koralia 1

10/23/2012, 08:49 PM	#797
qfrisco Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Dallas, TX Area Posts: 1,389	Red and Green LEDs Speaking of red and green LEDs, for those with Vega Colors, what intensity is everyone setting their reds and greens at? I currently have mine maxing out at 35% for both, 70% for white, and 90% for the blues. Wondering if I should have more red and greens.

10/23/2012, 09:01 PM	#798
gr82fly Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Mooresville, NC Posts: 41	Trying to digest this thread but what is the consensus concerning the blue vs color Vegas. Anyone have any opinions? Thinking of replacing 250watt 14k Phoenix MHs __________________ Chris

10/18/2012, 08:51 PM	#778
bezlar Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Blue Springs Posts: 432	I have three over a 60x26x28, and it covers just fine, but with ten more inches wider than mine you may need six.

10/19/2012, 03:17 PM	#779
Pique86 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 5	Does anyone know if i can plug the controller to one of the ports of my apex aquacontroller DC8?

10/20/2012, 11:20 AM	#782
ukguy Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Columbus, Ohio, previously Surrey England. Posts: 431	I got my units last night, and have been doing some trig to see what the optimal height would be to get the 24inch of spread in my 120g.. its the normal 4x2x2 size. So the unit is 12 inches in length, but for maths, I've measured the center of the left most LED puck is 10inches from the center of the far right LED puck. Using the 80deg optic as the top angle of the triangle Leg B would be the distance from led to the bottom of the tank, Leg C would the Radius or spread on the sandbed from center of that led aiming to get a 24 inch spread would be the 10inches that separates the pucks, + 2 x C so if my maths is right, at 32 inches from the bottom C=5.64 inches so spread for that led would 5.64+5.64+10 = 21.28 inches so to get a true 24 inch spread I'd need to raise the LED 39.7 inches from the sandbed... thats a lot more than the 6-8 inches AWL IA was suggesting (32 vs 39inches) even if you argue I should use 12inches instead of 10... that would still put the led 34 inches above the sandbed. is my math missing something (distortion of light through water or something). based on the above, I feel I'll need to move my units closer together to get the overlap at the center of the tank. probably about 10inches apart at 32inches from the sandbed.

10/20/2012, 11:37 PM	#783
benjc Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Thousand Oaks, CA Posts: 636	Without pulling out a calculator, I think your math is off. Making things simpler; assuming a spread of 90 degrees would result in a 45 angle from vertical...for every inch in depth, the light would move out an inch. Granted the optics are not 90 but 80; but I think the bigger issue would be the refraction. As the light passes from the air to water the spread angle would decrease. The amount of retraction would vary with the salinity; fortunately, your tank is a common dimension and you could avoid the headaches of these calculations by finding photos of people's similar setups and how their lights/tank look.

10/21/2012, 02:39 PM	#784
shinninja Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 284	Alright guys/gals i give up. Im about to sound retarded. I just unboxed everything. How in the world do i hook up the wireless controller to the vega? I have a "wireless" option on there but it is not selectable. Oops. just figured it out. thanks.

10/21/2012, 09:00 PM	#787
shinninja Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 284	Anyone tried using the vega and the sol (wired) at the same time?

10/21/2012, 10:05 PM	#788
shinninja Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 284	Holy crap this controller sucks!!! I was playing with the sensitivity and set it to 10. Now this thing will not do anything! It won't respond to my inputs. Hahahaha. What a toy! any suggestions? Thanks.

10/22/2012, 03:28 PM	#793
ukguy Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Columbus, Ohio, previously Surrey England. Posts: 431	I think I'd go radion if they were the same price...if you think you can beat the guy down from $600 + shipping you go right a head

10/23/2012, 09:26 PM	#799
Nob35 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 47	Hi everyone Sorry for jumping in on the thread but have a question about how hot the Vegas get. I have a Red Sea max s650 that I would like to convert to LEDs the Vegas will fit in the front T5 area of the canopy but the space is limited so was wondering how hot they get and how much air movement is needed? If needed I could drill holes in the heat sinks for the T5's above the fans on the Vegas to get cool air to them. The tank is 61"x21"x24 and the bottom of the lights would be about 5" AWL and my plan are for three Vegas with the option of fitting a fourth if needed. Any input would be great. Thanks

10/23/2012, 09:45 PM	#800
Acey1011 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Cheektowaga, NY Posts: 39	New to the LED world, upgrading my 4x24w tek light to 1 AI Sol Blue over my 60 gallon cube. Couple questions, Is 1 light enough? How high should it go above the tank? What intensities should I run the light at? Just new to this lighting and want to get a feel for it before I set it up and screw it up