gonna go with 3 over my 6' 125g. i considered doing 4 just to ensure maximum coverage, but just not in the budget. saying i'm excited would be an under statement. i'll be posting after i get them for suggestions on settings.
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getting AI Vegas next week
- Thread starter REEFLECTIONS
- Start date
well, three is all i can afford so i hope it will be ok. i have a 4 bulb t5 now with a reef brite supplement so i hope it's comparable.
i like that AI likes to make their stuff upgradeable when they release new technology. i'm pretty nervous. this is a huge reef purchase for me, and nothing scares me more than the fear of buyers remorse. but i really trust the people that have told me good things about them. so, i'm off to a new lighting adventure.
i like that AI likes to make their stuff upgradeable when they release new technology. i'm pretty nervous. this is a huge reef purchase for me, and nothing scares me more than the fear of buyers remorse. but i really trust the people that have told me good things about them. so, i'm off to a new lighting adventure.
not sure on the height, i'll have to play with them when i get them. i'm planning on as high as i can get away with
That is definitely the thing to optimize these types of lights. To close you don't get the right spread of light to far away impacts their strength. I have heard the best is between 8-15 inches but i could be wrong. I have used miter rails for my hanging system, works perfectly, but i know others have used all sorts of things.
i want to put mine atleast 12" from the top.
Hockeynut
NJRC Member
Here's a pic with mine 9" off the water on my 90. They are on acclimation mode 40 percent of 70 percent where I liked them turned up they look great. First pic is of tank with Mh 10k bulbs 2 actinic and 2 purple. Second is vega at the setting described above.
Tank is less then 3 months old
Tank is less then 3 months old
If my little feeble mind remembers, AI’s have 80 degree optics. Now stay with me here….an LED directly over the tank is producing a cone of light, and if it were bisected in half vertically, two right triangles of light are witnessed, with the upper angle of 40 degrees (half of 80) and the lower angles at 50 degrees. Now the tangent of an angle is the ratio of opposite to adjacent. Oh crap, I’m in seventh grade again! Checking the tangent of 40 degrees, I find that it is 0.83909963118.
Now how wide is your tank? What you need to do is divide that number in half and use it in this simple formula:
Height = ½ tank width / 0.83909963118
As an example, if I had an 18 inch wide tank,
Height = 9 / 0.83909963118
Height = 10.7 inches
So at 10.7 inches above the tank, all light would be directed into the tank.
NOW, all this is out the window if you have a canopy….especially if the inside is painted white. The fall-off light would just be reflected back into the tank.
In addition, if you weren’t an anal-retentive geek like me, you’d disregard this post all together and mount the lights wherever they looked good….12 inches sounds good!
Now how wide is your tank? What you need to do is divide that number in half and use it in this simple formula:
Height = ½ tank width / 0.83909963118
As an example, if I had an 18 inch wide tank,
Height = 9 / 0.83909963118
Height = 10.7 inches
So at 10.7 inches above the tank, all light would be directed into the tank.
NOW, all this is out the window if you have a canopy….especially if the inside is painted white. The fall-off light would just be reflected back into the tank.
In addition, if you weren’t an anal-retentive geek like me, you’d disregard this post all together and mount the lights wherever they looked good….12 inches sounds good!
note to self. my tank is 18" wide. i'm gonna start at 10.5 and see how that looks.
If my little feeble mind remembers, AI’s have 80 degree optics. Now stay with me here….an LED directly over the tank is producing a cone of light, and if it were bisected in half vertically, two right triangles of light are witnessed, with the upper angle of 40 degrees (half of 80) and the lower angles at 50 degrees. Now the tangent of an angle is the ratio of opposite to adjacent. Oh crap, I’m in seventh grade again! Checking the tangent of 40 degrees, I find that it is 0.83909963118.
Now how wide is your tank? What you need to do is divide that number in half and use it in this simple formula:
Height = ½ tank width / 0.83909963118
As an example, if I had an 18 inch wide tank,
Height = 9 / 0.83909963118
Height = 10.7 inches
So at 10.7 inches above the tank, all light would be directed into the tank.
NOW, all this is out the window if you have a canopy….especially if the inside is painted white. The fall-off light would just be reflected back into the tank.
In addition, if you weren’t an anal-retentive geek like me, you’d disregard this post all together and mount the lights wherever they looked good….12 inches sounds good!
I'm glad someone paid attention in math class, cause it certainly wasn't me. That's some good info Paul.
got the lights, built an aluminum frame to attach them to. have them aprox. 10" off the surface of the water, suspended from the ceiling. i'm currently acclimating the tank, plan to bump them up 5% a week or so till i get to the desired brightness. i like them so far. still playing with tweaking the colors. i find i have to keep the greens and reds much lower than the rest so i don't have spot lighting of those colors.
Hockeynut
NJRC Member
Sounds like a good start,
Here's how I have mine
White 70
Blues 90
Red 25
Green 25
Two hour ramp time
Weather once a day no lightning
On 12 hours
This setting is a lot like fish brains and it seems to be pretty good
They have been on acclimation for a month now and will still be acclemating for another month
Hope this helps a little I love mine the color is great
Here's how I have mine
White 70
Blues 90
Red 25
Green 25
Two hour ramp time
Weather once a day no lightning
On 12 hours
This setting is a lot like fish brains and it seems to be pretty good
They have been on acclimation for a month now and will still be acclemating for another month
Hope this helps a little I love mine the color is great