AI Vegas

[yrevanth]

Hi all,

I was just wondering if it is just me or if anyone else is also having issues with coral coloration and grwoth under the AI Vegas.

I have 2 o these on my 35 gallon cube aquarium. I see some slight growth in my birds nest, but none of my other milleporas or acroporas have even started encrusting. This being about 1.5 months in.

IF these is a problem, would you guys suggest going to a MH fixture?

Thanks,
Rev

 

[lsu_fishfan]

Rev, have you tested the par in your tank?
What are your parameters?

 

[yrevanth]

Have not tester PAR.

Parameters are very stable at:
SPG is 1.026
Ca--420 ppm
Alk--8 dkh
Mg--1380 ppm
Temp--78
Ph--8.1
No3- <5 ppm
Po4- -- can't detect it with my kit
Flow is good.. Have a wp25 in a 35 cube
Skimmer is doing great

Still my spa have not even started encrusting. Lps and zoas are doing good, though.

Rev

 

[grouper therapy]

Par shouldn't be an issue on a 35 cube with those lights. I guess depending on the height.
I'm gonna incorporate a metal halide in with my leds.

 

[fishlips]

Don't know whats in the vegas, but if they have whats in the hydras, you shouldn't have a problem with light. Keep in mind, If your sps has not been exposed to led lighting, it may take sometime to adapt to it. Some reefers have changed lighting, when they didn't give there lights time for the corals to adjust.For me, leds was not plug and play. Took alot of time. Hope this helps, Keep in mind, This is just my experience.

 

[yrevanth]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the responses, But I don't know if the Hydras and the Vegas have the same base layout or not, the reason I say this, is I read a detailed post in the RC forums regarding Vega's and I haven't heard even 1 success story with these lights.

The Hydras are amazing is what I heard, though. I would love to find a retro kit to upgrade them, if I could, but AI stopped making those in 2014, from what I hear.

I really don't know what to do, i am in half a mind to just ditch this and go for a 150W MH with 2 T5 actinics.

Thanks,
Rev

 

[yrevanth]

The lights are only 10" above water surface and the depth of the tank is 20".

Current config is 25% Whites, 75% Blues, Red and Green at 15%.
Since i have 2 of these lights, the overlap is HUGE between them, so the 25% white actually may feel more like 30-35%.

Thanks,
Rev

 

[dball711]

Hi Rev, it sounds like your tank might be recently set up? If so that might be part of whats going on. I've heard some report very good SPS results with those lights. What settings are you using, intensity & schedule?

 

[lsu_fishfan]

yrevanth;1071773 wrote: The lights are only 10" above water surface and the depth of the tank is 20".

Current config is 25% Whites, 75% Blues, Red and Green at 15%.
Since i have 2 of these lights, the overlap is HUGE between them, so the 25% white actually may feel more like 30-35%.

Thanks,
Rev

Rev, I'd recommend turning down the blues some, and turn the whites up a few percents a week, until you find a good spot

 

[axio]

We have probably 3-4 accounts running the AI Vega LEDs right now. From what I have heard from my techs they do very well. I believe all the accounts with them have been running them for well over a year if not closer 2+ years so any issues would have long been reported by my technicians by this point. Also always heard great feed back from the customers that bought them from us when we were stocking them.

I also know of a major well known coral farm that pretty much runs Vegas on all their systems as it was the newest and one of the best options for them at the time. While I feel the Hydras are going to be better and significantly different from the Vegas you should be able to get an amazing setup going with the Vega LEDs.

Jakub

 

[russ-iv]

ai vegas and coral farm in the same sentence?
im going to call b.s.

they are a budget farm running those garbage lights. you cannot surpass 280-300 par at 1" below the surface.

ima call a spade a spade. whoever runs these at a "reputable" farm i will never deal with.

i know i am coming off harsh, angry, chip on my shoulder etc. but i hate when overpriced lights with the par of a flashlight are touted over name only.

was i provocativee enough? probably. but at the end of the day you got 300 par on the surface.

/steps off soap box

to the op: it is good enough for a cube, but you wont get fantastic growth until you hit 400+ at the coral. 6-800 if you want weekly results.

0 po4 isnt too great either. id bump it to .02 - .04 if you can. if you can achieve 5-10 no3 and .02-.04 po4 then crank alk to 11 and watch it grow. albeit. with those lights, not very quickly

 

[lsu_fishfan]

Russ-IV;1071849 wrote: ai vegas and coral farm in the same sentence?
im going to call b.s.

they are a budget farm running those garbage lights. you cannot surpass 280-300 par at 1" below the surface.

ima call a spade a spade. whoever runs these at a "reputable" farm i will never deal with.

i know i am coming off harsh, angry, chip on my shoulder etc. but i hate when overpriced lights with the par of a flashlight are touted over name only.

was i provocativee enough? probably. but at the end of the day you got 300 par on the surface.

/steps off soap box

I disagree, while I've never used this specific light, I have used other aqua illumination products, and have seen how powerful they "can" be, depending on how high off the water and what percent you are running them at.

Have you ever used these lights personally?

 

[russ-iv]

LSU_fishFan;1071850 wrote: I disagree, while I've never used this specific light, I have used other aqua illumination products, and have seen how powerful they "can" be, depending on how high off the water and what percent you are running them at.

Have you ever used these lights personally?

bro. can you hit 1200 par with an actual par meter with leds? or are you on the "add 20% to make yourself feel better bandwagon"?

those are trash lights and so many reefers i look up to have brought them up when they went back to MH. i dont get why they are so expensive either. they remind me of a nicer version of an ocean revive.

also... you can disagree all you want. you will NEVER surpass 300 par 1' below the surface with that flashlight passing as an led unit.

sure. its fine for kenya trees. i wanna see some rainbow sps corals growing off this thing that dont look like mud.

not trying to be a jerk, but tough love is in order lol

 

[lsu_fishfan]

Russ-IV;1071853 wrote: bro. can you hit 1200 par with an actual par meter with leds? or are you on the "add 20% to make yourself feel better bandwagon"?

those are trash lights and so many reefers i look up to have brought them up when they went back to MH. i dont get why they are so expensive either. they remind me of a nicer version of an ocean revive.

also... you can disagree all you want. you will NEVER surpass 300 par 1' below the surface with that flashlight passing as an led unit.

sure. its fine for kenya trees. i wanna see some rainbow sps corals growing off this thing that dont look like mud.

I believe I can get pretty close to 1000 par if not more with LEDs. With my radions, I am getting ~400 par 8-10 inches below the water with the total LEDs at 45% and then having the individual colors lowered aswell

 

[russ-iv]

LSU_fishFan;1071855 wrote: I believe I can get pretty close to 1000 par if not more with LEDs. With my radions, I am getting ~400 par 8-10 inches below the water with the total LEDs at 45% and then having the individual colors lowered aswell

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i wont even argue with you. you are just not on my level. even with gen 3s....(notice the sensor below the water?)

i get 550 par 18" below the surface with 100% blue/ 50% white.

for yucks (which i didnt even think necessary) i saw 1950 above the surface. if i cranked everything 100% the sun would dim. i kid. but you get what i am saying.

those ai vegas... are matches compared to what a regular 1-250 halide has. they are trash and ill call them out as such. not because i hate ai. but because i just hate inferior products passed off as coral farm material.

prove me wrong. show me what that radion gives you.

 

[lsu_fishfan]

Russ-IV;1071857 wrote:

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i wont even argue with you. you are just not on my level. even with gen 3s....(notice the sensor below the water?)

i get 550 par 18" below the surface with 100% blue/ 50% white.

for yucks (which i didnt even think necessary) i saw 1950 above the surface. if i cranked everything 100% the sun would dim. i kid. but you get what i am saying.

those ai vegas... are matches compared to what a regular 1-250 halide has. they are trash and ill call them out as such. not because i hate ai. but because i just hate inferior products passed off as coral farm material.

prove me wrong. show me what that radion gives you.

Ok, I'll need to borrow a par meter

 

[russ-iv]

LSU_fishFan;1071868 wrote: Ok, I'll need to borrow a par meter

pure reef rents one for i think $5-$10 a day and is right down from you

 

[Trizzino]

http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/dragonage/images/2/2a/Anchorman-well-that-escalated-quickly.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120921164818" alt="" />

What about Hydras?

 

[yrevanth]

Whoa.. Didn't know the Vegas were so bad.. I may try to get a PAR meter and see if I have even 4-500 par at the coral level.

Thanks for all your inputs, Luke and Russ.

Rev

 

[dball711]

Trizzino;1071881 wrote: http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/dragonage/images/2/2a/Anchorman-well-that-escalated-quickly.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120921164818" alt="" />

What about Hydras?[/QUOTE]

I believe from what read, the hydra and Vega are underpowered. The Hydra 26 & 52 are more powerful but I have no experience with Vegas to compare. I am using 2 hydra 26's on a 30 breeder Softie tank, color and growth are pretty good (but it's softies not SPS).