I think they are so popular because they are a fully customisable light with decent par ratings and a fair price but most of all they are modular meaning that if like me you start out with a nano and purchase just the one light for softies and lps then upgrade the tank size to something like a reefer 250 and purchase a second light for softies and lps,then when ready to grow a few sticks of SPS buy one or two more as your skills and knowledge grows over the course of a year or more.I also think they are ideal for a mixed reef which I'm sure is probably what most reefers want, I think they are perfect for this purpose but if then wanting to progress into sps dominant reef then I'd probably sell the primes and go for hydras and at which time the sale 3 or 4 primes would be a good chunk of cash towards the upgrade.
Raised my Prime 16 on my Nuvo 20 significantly after seeing this video! Was at about 6 inches above water. Moved to roughly 9 inches. Thanks BRS, tank looks brighter overall.
@@SteveVanHorn You can download some presets on AI website. I use the David Saxby schedule, He has a ramp on it up and down for intensity so it replicates ocean sun lighting. Theres also tons of other peoples lighting schedules on there. Depends what you have in your tank
GAME CHANGER! this is how u make a video,👏👏👏 bravo bravo WOW im Sold, i was hesitating about getting the prime not anymore, Plz do more vids like this highlighting the best selling products👍 EPiC Vid 👏👏👏encore!
Have to disagree on the app. I find it cumbersome and not user friendly. It appears to be a carryover for their other products. No real information on their site as to use for the PRIME version of their lights.
I just bought these lights for my 65 gal tank, nice to see you guys do a full video on the exact lights I just bought. Especially considering this is my very first saltwater tank so it gave me some great info for a starting point.
A year later these lights still working out for you? Im thinking of these for my 65 gallon just wondering what the additional 9 inches of depth do for par
@@dylvitte3226 I actually just recently sold them and got 5 reefbrite led light strips. The shimmer honestly was better on the primes but they just weren't enough for how deep my tank was. Don't get me wrong they are great lights. I just wanted to start adding more coral and was kinda limited with the amount of par at 24" deep these were putting out. All in all they were on my tank for about a year and six months with absolutely no issues, awesome lights for the money.
I love this light, I love the versatility and the ease of use and the thousand upon thousand of programs for you out there. I started with a kessil but it was such a hassle to set up with the controller and set up so I found the AI so much simpler.
You guys are seriously awesome. I just bought a 16hd for my evo 13.5 gal and waiting for it to come in the mail. This video is exactly what I was looking for to have some questions answered.
I have a 21x21x21 cube mostly LPS. Everyone keeps telling me to use Saxby's or AB+ or Pirates but none of those make full use of the LEDs that this video is suggesting you have to in order to meet PAR goals. They're telling me I'm going to cook my corals having my intensity so high and shorten the life of the LEDs (that part is probably correct). How long of a photoperiod should I keep my settings maxed out liked suggested at @20:43
Thanks for the video I have a new RSR250 with 2 primes and plan to upgrade to add a third prime when the tank matures for SPS. This was the perfect information I was looking for. Thanks BRS you rock
I also have a RSR250 with 2 16HD’s what settings and light height are you running? Spacing would also be helpful. I’ve been playing around with it for months and can’t seem to get my anacropora happy. Tidal gardens claims it should be thriving at 100-150 par
Never would have guessed that 2 of these 10" over my 40 breeder @ 100% AB+ spectrum would be putting out 400-500 PAR. Wondering how much glass lids cut the PAR though? I'm going to have to rethink what intensity I really need to set these at now. Thanks for taking the time to collect and provide us with this valuable information. Without a PAR meter, its just a guessing game for us.
Best budget lighting option I’ve found for a 440g which is 2 240g tanks slapped together making it 8x4x2, is 4 ai primes across the center, and 2 fluval marine 3.0. 1 in the front and 1 back of the ai primes.
Thank you for three foot Par numbers! Please do circle back to hybrid fixtures. I just got one for my 40B and would love some real numbers in the t-5 plus some ideas of what LED will add. Kessil too. Right now I guesstimate from your 2 and 4 foot tanks..
Great video as always chief. Very instructional and on point. I just purchased a 16hd to replace my reg prime hd. Can’t es it to see the difference and keep the older ones fit back up if necessary.
I would suggest placing each Prime about 8" from center of the fixture to their respective end of the tank. For mounting height, 10" off the water surface would be my pick for this aquarium based on the data that Randy collected for this video.
IIt would be great if you tested retangular tanks that are so common like 12 x 24. I had decide on photon since I only have 4 1/2 inches of clearance the par was much more even since its a big strip light and I can throw out the par at the front and back of tank. I figured if I tuned it way down and sps on top that would work but watching this again and you saying that 12 x 12 cube can be mounted 6 inches I am thinking that with two instead of one that you are using and both mounted towards the end that the spread may make it usable. I really want this versus the photon do you think it will work as well? I can only go with 2 reefbrights so dont think it will work plus to much xtra to buy! . Color pop and growth are most important to me and of course durability and longevity of lights!
Did they fix this light? I returned mine a couple of months ago. It was much louder than my other older PRIME HD's when on 100%, and was not compatible with them in a cluster since it used Bluetooth LE instead of WIFI.
Thank you so much for making this video. Great to see why these lights can do when placed correctly. I went with AI Primes for the ease of the app and price point.
I have the 2 16HD’s on a 40 breeder just as you guys show. How deep in the tank was the PAR readings? Was that on the bottom? If it was bottom readings one would be able to assume the PAR readings would be higher up the rock scape?
I have a Oceanic HQI 29g Biocube. The dimensions are 20" long x 16" deep x 14" high. My light is currently about 12" off the water. I'm wondering where I would fall. Obviously it would be somewhere between the 18" and the 24" cube. I've love some ideas on fine tuning. I don't know if it scales in a linear fashion or not.
Given the 20" length, I would suggest starting with the settings for the 18" cube. You'll likely get a little more light spill since your tank isn't a perfect cube, but that'll give you the best results in terms of par and spread.
I'd suggest using the settings discussed for the 24" x 24" 60 gallon cube tank. That said, if you want to grow an SPS dominant system, you're probably best off going with two primes to cover the 24" length, then use the 12" cube settings (basically divide your tank in half)
That is just for the mounting height portion of the test. If you watch further, you'll see different depths 😉 For example, look at the 20:20 minute mark
For the mounting height test, the par readings were taken 6" below the water surface. For the spectrum setting tests, the par readings were taken at 6", 12", and 18" below the water surface (where applicable). That is listed on the left hand side of the screen when Randy gets to that part of the video.
Does anyone know how I can hang 3 in a row on an extrusion beam? Is there a guide somewhere? Do I still need the hanging kit? I want to put 3 primes in a bar and then hang it on the ceiling. Thanks in advance
I have this light mounted 9 inches above a 90 litre tank which is 14 inches deep and the brs settings have bleached my sps montipora digitata had to turn channels down put sps on sand bed and they starting to come back current settings uv violet blue royal blue 70% red and green at 5% and whites at 25% any recommendations tank is 50cm x38cm x 38 thanks guys
Do you guys have a suggested setting for the 18 inch cube mixed tank?? I saw the setting for non sps but if I wanted to mix it up and have sps on the top suggested settings??
So today I put 4 16 hd's on my 75 gallon tank. 4 instead of 3 because of a center brace. I am following you recommendation for the 8 light setup since its the same for both rows of 4. My question is rampup and down throughout the day. For a mixed coral tank do i ramp up and down 1 hour and keep it flat at the 100% on outer 40% on inner all day. Thanks
What we usually recommend is 1 hour or ramp up, steady intensity for 8-9 hours, then 1 hour of ramp down. The steady intensity part of the schedule is just the max intensity for that particular light. If you decide to keep two of the lights at a different intensity, you'll just have to program them separately.
Ok I currently have the fluval Evo 13.5 gallon tank....with included stock light everything looks great I want to add the AI prime 16 HD to my tank but I heard I need to gradually increase the amount of light. So it doesn't hurt/kill my coral how should I do that???? Need some help...also upgrading the light means new lid what should I do glass, acrylic, or screen???? Was thinking screen
Great video! I have a bio cube 32 so I took your recommendation on running my tank at 70%. My question is... was the par values for the 18x18 size tank the values at 6 inches under the water? Like mentioned in the beginning of the video. I’m curious to know as I want to add some euphyllia to the higher parts of my scape.
Any reason not to just use your recommended spectrum at 100% with any tank size if you have a mostly LPS dominant tank with just a few SPS. My tank is 12X18 (13.5 gal) Would your max settings burn corals in a smaller tank?
You can certainly provide too much light to a coral, so you'll want to be careful about running your light at 100% without checking par first. We didn't test a tank with your specific dimensions, but looking at the data and making an educated guess, you'll probably find that somewhere in the 70-85% range will work best for your tank.
@@BRStv I have the same tank dimensions as this person (probably same tank) and I have been running my prime on less than 25%. My coral have slowly been dying and my sps have lost all of their color and polyp extension the past few months. How would you recommend increasing the light on my prime to closer 25%? I don't want to shock my coral but for example if my UV is currently at 16%, how much should I increase it each day along with the other spectrums in order to acclimate my coral to the higher par intensity? Would 2% per day for 2 weeks be a good starting point? Thanks in advance.
Make sure that you enter it in the promo code section. If you enter it in the gift card code section, it will not work. If you're still having issues, just reach out to our customer service team and we'll make sure you get to use it.
All of the par data here is using our BRS recommended spectrum. You could probably squeeze a little more par out of these lights, but the benefit to running more red/green spectrum is probably not too substantial.
@@BRStv sorry I wasn't very specific with the first comment! I mean do you have the grid of par numbers on the 18x18 when you attempted to hit sps goals?
Is it better to follow this lighting schedule or the lighting schedule from 5 min guide I see this one is more recent and a lot different from the one you guys showed on 5 min guide? Thinking about switching to this one and sticking with it will it bother my corals if I switch?
While both will certainly work, I would suggest the spectrum discussed in this investigates video as we went in depth and tested the spectrum with a spectrometer. If you change spectrum, just try to maintain the same intensity (PAR) so that you don't shock the corals with a major change.
I would suggest basing your settings off of our 24" cube settings from this video. Your PAR levels will likely be a touch higher with your tank being more narrow, but it'll get you very very close.
Luciano peaks at UV - 90% V - 90% RB - 105% B - 105% G - 40% R - 40% W -100%, that’s the middle of the day, the morning and evening it’s the same but no white red or green, goes from 11am - 7pm with ramp up from 10:10-11am and ramp down from 7:00-7:50pm
I’ve got two prime 16s on a 30 gallon cube due to my coral growth growing over top of everything I’m trying to get more light spread, if my schedule peaks at 80% power during the day does that mean that each light is running 40% power or each light is running 80% power if they are connected together?
Hard to say as we didn't test on that specific tank. In looking at the dimensions of the Nuvo 20, splitting the difference from the 25 gallon and 60 gallon tanks in this video should get you close 🙂 Of course, confirming with a par meter is the best way to go.
I currently own the generation before the 16HD. The version that does not have the moonlight. I think it’s the AI Prime HD+? In regards to spectrum for 12x12 SPS... Should I just maximize the UV, V, RY, & B? Then mimic the green, red and white settings? (119, 116, 122, 111, 9, 9, 59)
There was a recent firmware update which limits how high you can overdrive some of the channels. Here's what I would expect to find from the changes. 1) Negligible to nearly zero change to spectrum output compared to our BRS recommended settings. (All of the same spectrum ranges are still there. Perhaps the numbers in the app have changed, but fundamentally nothing has changed in terms of available spectrum.) 2) Slight difference in PAR output . I can see some slight degradation to overall PAR output, but I wouldn't expect it to be linear to the max % you can drive each channel. (As an example, if I once was able to drive the blue channel to 150%, but now I can only drive it to 135% ... I would not expect that my overall PAR output would be a full 15% less, especially if you try to extrapolate that across 4 other channels for a 75% total loss in PAR output.) If that were the case the light would be nearly unusable and I just don't see that happening.
Would you be able to use these on something larger than 120? I’ve been using them on my other tanks but I’m upgrading and would like to just add more lights
Since that tank is about 30" long, a single Prime is going to struggle to illuminate the entire length of the tank. If your budget permits, two Primes would be a better lighting solution for a tank of that size.
Would 1 AI Prime 16HD be good on a 30gal Bowfront aquarium with a support brace across the top of the tank? I'm worried the brace may block the lighting spread.
With a center brace, you're likely going to be best off with two lights. The brace is going to cast a shadow in your tank with a single light placed directly above it, unfortunately.
Your best bet would either be the AI Prime hanging kits or a DIY mount. They do have an 18" flex arm, but once you stretch it out to center it over the tank, you won't be able to quite get it 13" off the water surface in most cases. That is, unless you have a narrow tank from front to back. www.bulkreefsupply.com/ai-prime-hanging-kit-black.html
This is our BRS recommended program/settings for the Prime. I'm not sure if WWC uses these settings or not. Usually, they have a more blue spectrum for their afternoon lighting vs the early morning hours.
I’m completing a build of a 76 gallon shallow reef. Dim of tank are 48 x 24 x 16. I plan on using 2 primes centered in each 24 x 24 inch section. Question is it being only 16 inches high, what height would you recommend them being at above water line?
13" off the water surface is our recommendation for a 24" x 24" area with the AI Prime. The intensity is what you'll want to consider more with the shorter tank. That said, with a smaller light like the AI Prime, it's going to be hard to over light the tank significantly. I would suggest looking at the data for 6", 12", and 18" below the water surface. The difference between 16" and 18" is going to be small.
@@BRStv primarily zoa and 2 toadstools. I set the lights to the 60g cube setting in the video and it’s currently going through the acclimation phase. Sound about right?
Sorry about that, for all of our light tests we typically stick to one single fixture over our 24"x24" area because adding in more lights also adds in other consideration factors that affect the PAR and spread output such as, how and where do you "optimally" space multiple fixtures in a 24"inch square area? How does that spacing affect light intersection points and reflections? Is front to back orientation the ideal placement or is it side-by-side or even diagonally? .... Basically because we strive to make our light testing procedure universal for any light design that we test, I believe that accounting for these types of factors and how they would change with each different light design would only cause more confusion than clarity.
@@BRStv I see. Understand, thank you so much for the explanation!I'm looking to upgrade my light and haven't been able to decide should I go with 1 big unit or 2 smaller units. Also the dilemma of where to mount if get 2 units! However, 2 units does sound attractive due to its shadowless result. My tank goal is mix reef
Awesome - this is so great on useful - I think the best BRS Investigates on lighting so far - the recommendations for tank type are GOLD I am confused though on the LPS tank light spacing. On the outer edges by moving the lights out PAR went from 91 - 94 on the outer edges - like it only gained 3 PAR. But the PAR in the centre dropped from 160 to 124. It seems this is just making the light more uniform by spilling light out of the tank - it would be more sensible to recommend moving out to say 10" where you would have negligible light spill and leaving the reefer with the option of reducing the center output if the reefer wanted. I know this is the format and it usually works but this time, to me, it makes no sense why anyone would do that... ...then you did it for 8 pucks on 4ft SPS tank ;) The 40 breeder setup really demonstrates this perfectly - as they are 10" from the end and that would suggest that is the optimum.
Even though this video is kinda old hoping some one can still answer it. Would 2 ai primes be alright on a 75 gallon tank. Currently have Two t5s. And ai primes I was hoping to get thoughts and options
Two on a standard 4 foot long 75 would work just fine so long as you were not keeping SPS. You'll have to run them at 100%, so just keep in mind that the fan will run more often.
@@BRStv Do you have any recommendations on how I can do a similar DIY setup with the AI Prime 16HD Reef lights? The only mount for the over hang arms seems to be on the top back. How can I do something similar to this DIY Light Mounting setup?
after watching im wondering if two primes would be enough on a 40 breeder for a mixed reef with a few sps up high,par levels seem a little low at 6 inches with the lights at 100% of your spectrum.
@@BRStv thanks for the reply ☆...gotta be worth a go with low light SPS,I'm guessing the sps dominant 3 prime setup would be a little to intense for LPS/softies placed in the bottom 6 inches? Unless I dialled down the intensity a little or provided shading from above such as plating montipora
If you wanted to add T5s to your Primes, your best bet would be to go with a hybrid fixture like the one from AquaticLife. www.bulkreefsupply.com/48-t5ho-g3-hybrid-4-lamp-light-fixture-aquatic-life.html
Given the 30" depth of the tank, you may want to go with something a bit more powerful than the prime. The XR15 would be a great choice for that tank. Three for an LPS/softie/mixed reef with a few SPS towards the top. Otherwise, four XR15's would work better if you're going heavier on the SPS side of things.
I have a 40g breeder 2 AI prime HD 2 hour ramp and 4 hour peak with way lower settings for reference my whites are at 3% compared to your recommended 65%. If i go anything about 5% in whites I notice my corals to not open properly at the bottom of my tank. If I do those recommended settings I think ill burn all my LPS, a preset would definitely be beneficial
I have a 12" flex arm over a 12" x 12" nano tank. Can i still go for the recommended 8" settings for LPS or make some adjustments for 12" mount height?
Mounting the light a few inches higher, you'll have to increase the intensity a bit to get the same results. Just increase each channel in equal ratios. Other than that, you'll just have a little more light spill out of the tank.
If you're keeping LPS and softies, I would suggest 3. For a mixed reef, I would suggest 5. If you're going SPS dominant, you may be best off with a larger 90w fixture as the width of this tank would make using two rows of Primes a little awkward.
Hello I’m still using the old ab + spectrum with my AI prime 16hd, over a 20 gallon Waterbox do you think that would be sufficient to grow sps at the top of the tank?
As long as you place them towards the center and top, you should be ok. In the long run, when the SPS get bigger and branchy, you may have some shadowing issues and will probably want to grab a second fixture.
We have not, but the condensation and thickness of material will play a big role. I think we can all agree that lids of any type (glass or acrylic) will cut down on the light's intensity.
We're shooting for as wide of a "blue" spectrum as possible as it has shown to be the most beneficial in terms of coral growth and health. If you've seen Ryan's "Mastering Spectrum" video, we're following that approach.
We've got all sorts of different lighting on the tanks around the BRS office. Hard to compare directly as there are a ton of other factors like types of corals and the skill of the individual that is taking care of their own tank 🙂
Well I’m looking at this light for a Reefer 170 that is 24 x 20 x 20 is one light still good for this? Will be mainly softies and lps maybe light sps down the road. Thanks for this vids!
Why is this AI Prime is so popular? Is it the low price point? Is it the versatility on tanks from nano to 120gal plus?
you should do this with the kessil a80 and a160
I think they are so popular because they are a fully customisable light with decent par ratings and a fair price but most of all they are modular meaning that if like me you start out with a nano and purchase just the one light for softies and lps then upgrade the tank size to something like a reefer 250 and purchase a second light for softies and lps,then when ready to grow a few sticks of SPS buy one or two more as your skills and knowledge grows over the course of a year or more.I also think they are ideal for a mixed reef which I'm sure is probably what most reefers want, I think they are perfect for this purpose but if then wanting to progress into sps dominant reef then I'd probably sell the primes and go for hydras and at which time the sale 3 or 4 primes would be a good chunk of cash towards the upgrade.
What about the intensity?
Wish you released some presets for people to download. Would've been awesome
This is GOLD - Literally ALL THE INFORMATION - Legends
Raised my Prime 16 on my Nuvo 20 significantly after seeing this video! Was at about 6 inches above water. Moved to roughly 9 inches. Thanks BRS, tank looks brighter overall.
What intensity and duration are you using over your Nuvo 20? I just got a 16HD for mine an I’m still debating power and schedule.
@@SteveVanHorn You can download some presets on AI website. I use the David Saxby schedule, He has a ramp on it up and down for intensity so it replicates ocean sun lighting. Theres also tons of other peoples lighting schedules on there. Depends what you have in your tank
GAME CHANGER! this is how u make a video,👏👏👏 bravo bravo WOW im Sold, i was hesitating about getting the prime not anymore, Plz do more vids like this highlighting the best selling products👍 EPiC Vid 👏👏👏encore!
The small form factor is a HUGE plus. Comes cheap with lots of power. And the app is so easy to use! The spectrum blending is also very clean.
Agree
I mean cheap not really lol 200$
Have to disagree on the app. I find it cumbersome and not user friendly. It appears to be a carryover for their other products. No real information on their site as to use for the PRIME version of their lights.
BryanByTheSea not sure what you mean. Has been super easy for me, plenty of info out there
I just bought these lights for my 65 gal tank, nice to see you guys do a full video on the exact lights I just bought. Especially considering this is my very first saltwater tank so it gave me some great info for a starting point.
A year later these lights still working out for you? Im thinking of these for my 65 gallon just wondering what the additional 9 inches of depth do for par
@@dylvitte3226 I actually just recently sold them and got 5 reefbrite led light strips. The shimmer honestly was better on the primes but they just weren't enough for how deep my tank was. Don't get me wrong they are great lights. I just wanted to start adding more coral and was kinda limited with the amount of par at 24" deep these were putting out. All in all they were on my tank for about a year and six months with absolutely no issues, awesome lights for the money.
I love these people and Love their contributions to the hobby. This is priceless information and they are amazing over at BRS
Incredibly useful and informative video. Thank you.
I cant wait until you finally do the Reef Breeders photon v2 light. Its probably gonna be the most anticipated light review you have done to date!
I'm wrapping up the script as we speak! :)
@@BRStv yes! The reefing community is anxiously waiting for that video!
Bulk Reef Supply I am super excited to hear this!!!!! Awesome!!! Can’t wait😃
I love this light, I love the versatility and the ease of use and the thousand upon thousand of programs for you out there. I started with a kessil but it was such a hassle to set up with the controller and set up so I found the AI so much simpler.
They finally did my light! Just purchased a second for my next build. Great video!
You guys are seriously awesome. I just bought a 16hd for my evo 13.5 gal and waiting for it to come in the mail. This video is exactly what I was looking for to have some questions answered.
What settings did you decide to go with and how is it working?
@@ryanganley6115 I went with the SPS settings for the small tank. It's working great all corals are looking healthy and bright
I have a 21x21x21 cube mostly LPS. Everyone keeps telling me to use Saxby's or AB+ or Pirates but none of those make full use of the LEDs that this video is suggesting you have to in order to meet PAR goals. They're telling me I'm going to cook my corals having my intensity so high and shorten the life of the LEDs (that part is probably correct). How long of a photoperiod should I keep my settings maxed out liked suggested at @20:43
Yes! Finally! Thanks Randy, awesome review!
Can you give an explanation of the moonlight channel. I don't see any noticeable change with it or without.
The moonlight channel is mainly for visual affect and doesn't affect par enough to be taken into consideration for our test.
Thanks for the video I have a new RSR250 with 2 primes and plan to upgrade to add a third prime when the tank matures for SPS. This was the perfect information I was looking for. Thanks BRS you rock
I also have a RSR250 with 2 16HD’s what settings and light height are you running? Spacing would also be helpful. I’ve been playing around with it for months and can’t seem to get my anacropora happy. Tidal gardens claims it should be thriving at 100-150 par
Never would have guessed that 2 of these 10" over my 40 breeder @ 100% AB+ spectrum would be putting out 400-500 PAR. Wondering how much glass lids cut the PAR though? I'm going to have to rethink what intensity I really need to set these at now. Thanks for taking the time to collect and provide us with this valuable information. Without a PAR meter, its just a guessing game for us.
Would really like to see a hybrid system using T5HO/AI Primes!!!!
You guys are awesome! Thank you for all of the helpful info!
had mine for two years both of the light lenses melted not happy ,switched to kessils
Best budget lighting option I’ve found for a 440g which is 2 240g tanks slapped together making it 8x4x2, is 4 ai primes across the center, and 2 fluval marine 3.0. 1 in the front and 1 back of the ai primes.
how’d that turn out?…
Thank you for three foot Par numbers! Please do circle back to hybrid fixtures. I just got one for my 40B and would love some real numbers in the t-5 plus some ideas of what LED will add. Kessil too. Right now I guesstimate from your 2 and 4 foot tanks..
Great video as always chief. Very instructional and on point. I just purchased a 16hd to replace my reg prime hd. Can’t es it to see the difference and keep the older ones fit back up if necessary.
BRS! Tell me, at what height from the water and at what distance from each other to put 2 lamps 16 HD, on an aquarium 30x16x14?
I would suggest placing each Prime about 8" from center of the fixture to their respective end of the tank. For mounting height, 10" off the water surface would be my pick for this aquarium based on the data that Randy collected for this video.
Thanks! What percentage of AB+ should I use in a soft coral tank?
???
I use these settings to my own mixed 18 inch tank. Awesome guys! Thank you!!!
IIt would be great if you tested retangular tanks that are so common like 12 x 24. I had decide on photon since I only have 4 1/2 inches of clearance the par was much more even since its a big strip light and I can throw out the par at the front and back of tank. I figured if I tuned it way down and sps on top that would work but watching this again and you saying that 12 x 12 cube can be mounted 6 inches I am thinking that with two instead of one that you are using and both mounted towards the end that the spread may make it usable. I really want this versus the photon do you think it will work as well? I can only go with 2 reefbrights so dont think it will work plus to much xtra to buy!
. Color pop and growth are most important to me and of course durability and longevity of lights!
Did they fix this light? I returned mine a couple of months ago. It was much louder than my other older PRIME HD's when on 100%, and was not compatible with them in a cluster since it used Bluetooth LE instead of WIFI.
Thank you so much for making this video. Great to see why these lights can do when placed correctly. I went with AI Primes for the ease of the app and price point.
For the initial readings for the 18inch cube at 9:18 is that on all max settings? Im confused what settings u used for that
That's correct
What’s the recommended time settings?
I have the 2 16HD’s on a 40 breeder just as you guys show. How deep in the tank was the PAR readings? Was that on the bottom? If it was bottom readings one would be able to assume the PAR readings would be higher up the rock scape?
Will watch this tomorrow morning. When i have energy to convert ??? To real measurements. 😛
Would love more info on the customized mounting rack, that looks sweet! Looking for a sleek and adjustable light rack for 6 lights.
This is just a mounting rack that is designed for cameras, but with a little of DIY work, has been adapted to mount a reefing light to it.
how long should the lights be on for ?
So I can’t grow sps corals in a 25 cube that’s 18” deep?
Where were the par measures taken on the 60g cube? The bottom, middle or what, I'm worried the depth of the tank is killing my par?
6in deep in tank....
Par was taken at 6", 12", and 18" below the water surface. Check out 20:43 for example.
I have a Oceanic HQI 29g Biocube. The dimensions are 20" long x 16" deep x 14" high. My light is currently about 12" off the water. I'm wondering where I would fall. Obviously it would be somewhere between the 18" and the 24" cube. I've love some ideas on fine tuning. I don't know if it scales in a linear fashion or not.
Given the 20" length, I would suggest starting with the settings for the 18" cube. You'll likely get a little more light spill since your tank isn't a perfect cube, but that'll give you the best results in terms of par and spread.
@@BRStv And by that, do you mean the 70% settings of 116, 116, 88, 87, 7, 7, 46?
Awesome video, thanks!
would love to se some testing on the shallow reef style tanks
I have a 20gl. 24x12... 16inch deep. I only have one AI prime. What should be the optimum set. I’m torn on just keeping that one or getting another.
I'd suggest using the settings discussed for the 24" x 24" 60 gallon cube tank. That said, if you want to grow an SPS dominant system, you're probably best off going with two primes to cover the 24" length, then use the 12" cube settings (basically divide your tank in half)
How did you guys mount the AI Primes to the channel?
I'm confused, why is the PAR measurement on the 24x24 only taken at 6" below the water surface? What about the other 18 inches below it?
That is just for the mounting height portion of the test. If you watch further, you'll see different depths 😉 For example, look at the 20:20 minute mark
The par readings are at the bottom of the tank?! Or how high exactly in the tank?!
For the mounting height test, the par readings were taken 6" below the water surface. For the spectrum setting tests, the par readings were taken at 6", 12", and 18" below the water surface (where applicable). That is listed on the left hand side of the screen when Randy gets to that part of the video.
Does anyone know how I can hang 3 in a row on an extrusion beam? Is there a guide somewhere? Do I still need the hanging kit? I want to put 3 primes in a bar and then hang it on the ceiling. Thanks in advance
You'll probably still need the hanging kit. There is a little bracket in that kit that makes DIY mounts like this MUCH easier.
Waiting on the Hydra 32 for 75gal set up.
Just 1?
I have this light mounted 9 inches above a 90 litre tank which is 14 inches deep and the brs settings have bleached my sps montipora digitata had to turn channels down put sps on sand bed and they starting to come back current settings uv violet blue royal blue 70% red and green at 5% and whites at 25% any recommendations tank is 50cm x38cm x 38 thanks guys
Do you guys have a suggested setting for the 18 inch cube mixed tank?? I saw the setting for non sps but if I wanted to mix it up and have sps on the top suggested settings??
If you set the BRS recommended settings to about 90%, you'd probably be really close to ideal mixed reef numbers.
So today I put 4 16 hd's on my 75 gallon tank. 4 instead of 3 because of a center brace. I am following you recommendation for the 8 light setup since its the same for both rows of 4. My question is rampup and down throughout the day. For a mixed coral tank do i ramp up and down 1 hour and keep it flat at the 100% on outer 40% on inner all day. Thanks
What we usually recommend is 1 hour or ramp up, steady intensity for 8-9 hours, then 1 hour of ramp down. The steady intensity part of the schedule is just the max intensity for that particular light. If you decide to keep two of the lights at a different intensity, you'll just have to program them separately.
Ok I currently have the fluval Evo 13.5 gallon tank....with included stock light everything looks great I want to add the AI prime 16 HD to my tank but I heard I need to gradually increase the amount of light. So it doesn't hurt/kill my coral how should I do that???? Need some help...also upgrading the light means new lid what should I do glass, acrylic, or screen???? Was thinking screen
If I'm using a shroud with diffuser to minimize the discoball effect, should I measure height to the diffuser panel or the LEDs themselves?
We haven't tested with any sort of diffuser. All of our measurements are from the surface of the water to the LED's on the light fixture itself.
@@BRStv Thanks! I think I'll measure height to the LEDs, then add a little intensity to compensate for the diffuser.
Great video! I have a bio cube 32 so I took your recommendation on running my tank at 70%. My question is... was the par values for the 18x18 size tank the values at 6 inches under the water? Like mentioned in the beginning of the video. I’m curious to know as I want to add some euphyllia to the higher parts of my scape.
If you go to the 19:01 minute mark, you'll see par data for 6", 12", and 18" below the water line for the 18" cube tank set to 70% intensity.
Ahh thank you!! I appreciate you getting back. Love your videos all of them are sure helpful.
Any reason not to just use your recommended spectrum at 100% with any tank size if you have a mostly LPS dominant tank with just a few SPS. My tank is 12X18 (13.5 gal)
Would your max settings burn corals in a smaller tank?
You can certainly provide too much light to a coral, so you'll want to be careful about running your light at 100% without checking par first. We didn't test a tank with your specific dimensions, but looking at the data and making an educated guess, you'll probably find that somewhere in the 70-85% range will work best for your tank.
@@BRStv I have the same tank dimensions as this person (probably same tank) and I have been running my prime on less than 25%. My coral have slowly been dying and my sps have lost all of their color and polyp extension the past few months. How would you recommend increasing the light on my prime to closer 25%? I don't want to shock my coral but for example if my UV is currently at 16%, how much should I increase it each day along with the other spectrums in order to acclimate my coral to the higher par intensity? Would 2% per day for 2 weeks be a good starting point? Thanks in advance.
Set up for a 5’x2’x2’ - 150gal mixed reef?
Make sure that you enter it in the promo code section. If you enter it in the gift card code section, it will not work.
If you're still having issues, just reach out to our customer service team and we'll make sure you get to use it.
Have you guys published the numbers for the 18x18 with the numbers maxed out?
All of the par data here is using our BRS recommended spectrum. You could probably squeeze a little more par out of these lights, but the benefit to running more red/green spectrum is probably not too substantial.
@@BRStv sorry I wasn't very specific with the first comment! I mean do you have the grid of par numbers on the 18x18 when you attempted to hit sps goals?
Will 1 *AI PRIME 16 HD* work on the *JBJ 45* which is 27” long
How would my light settings be if I have a Red Sea Reefer 200XL? It’s 22x23
Is it better to follow this lighting schedule or the lighting schedule from 5 min guide I see this one is more recent and a lot different from the one you guys showed on 5 min guide? Thinking about switching to this one and sticking with it will it bother my corals if I switch?
While both will certainly work, I would suggest the spectrum discussed in this investigates video as we went in depth and tested the spectrum with a spectrometer. If you change spectrum, just try to maintain the same intensity (PAR) so that you don't shock the corals with a major change.
For a reef tank area of 24x18x18 inch 32g what percentage settings would be best ? Thanks.
I would suggest basing your settings off of our 24" cube settings from this video. Your PAR levels will likely be a touch higher with your tank being more narrow, but it'll get you very very close.
@@BRStv thank you. Which point in the video is the 24" settings ? I can see the 18 inch cube then its the 36 inch ?
I have 2 16hd’s on my 40 breeder mixed reef
@LCAquatics What settings are working for you? I just got my lights today?
I would like to know your settings
Luciano peaks at UV - 90% V - 90% RB - 105% B - 105% G - 40% R - 40% W -100%, that’s the middle of the day, the morning and evening it’s the same but no white red or green, goes from 11am - 7pm with ramp up from 10:10-11am and ramp down from 7:00-7:50pm
I’ve got two prime 16s on a 30 gallon cube due to my coral growth growing over top of everything I’m trying to get more light spread, if my schedule peaks at 80% power during the day does that mean that each light is running 40% power or each light is running 80% power if they are connected together?
What is the best high for 120l nano tank
What if I only have one light for my 40 gallon breeder?
What’s the best setting for a nuvo 20 with lps and softies?
Hard to say as we didn't test on that specific tank. In looking at the dimensions of the Nuvo 20, splitting the difference from the 25 gallon and 60 gallon tanks in this video should get you close 🙂 Of course, confirming with a par meter is the best way to go.
I currently own the generation before the 16HD. The version that does not have the moonlight. I think it’s the AI Prime HD+? In regards to spectrum for 12x12 SPS... Should I just maximize the UV, V, RY, & B? Then mimic the green, red and white settings? (119, 116, 122, 111, 9, 9, 59)
You got it :)
@@BRStv thank you for the quick reply!
Who makes the 60 gallon cube please?
The one we use for BRStv Investigates was made by Marineland. Just a standard off-the-shelf tank.
@@BRStv Thanks so much!!
Could you use one of these for a 29 gallon standard tank?
Given that a 29 gallon is usually 30" long, I would suggest two of the Primes. One Prime really maxes out at about a 24" area.
Nice informative video but how did u get such high numbers my uv and violet go up to 133 and royal blue and blue 105 only?
There was a recent firmware update which limits how high you can overdrive some of the channels. Here's what I would expect to find from the changes.
1) Negligible to nearly zero change to spectrum output compared to our BRS recommended settings. (All of the same spectrum ranges are still there. Perhaps the numbers in the app have changed, but fundamentally nothing has changed in terms of available spectrum.)
2) Slight difference in PAR output . I can see some slight degradation to overall PAR output, but I wouldn't expect it to be linear to the max % you can drive each channel. (As an example, if I once was able to drive the blue channel to 150%, but now I can only drive it to 135% ... I would not expect that my overall PAR output would be a full 15% less, especially if you try to extrapolate that across 4 other channels for a 75% total loss in PAR output.) If that were the case the light would be nearly unusable and I just don't see that happening.
Would you be able to use these on something larger than 120? I’ve been using them on my other tanks but I’m upgrading and would like to just add more lights
Absolutely! You'll just need more lights to cover a bigger footprint.
Definitely thats what makes these so awesome
What was the light intensity set at while performing par tests? 100%?
For the mounting height tests, yes. For the other PAR tests, the settings are noted in the video for each setup.
I'm looking to upgrade from my fluval marine 3.0. I have a 36 bowfront im hoping one AI will be better for my lps
Since that tank is about 30" long, a single Prime is going to struggle to illuminate the entire length of the tank. If your budget permits, two Primes would be a better lighting solution for a tank of that size.
@@BRStv I was thinking about using it with the aquatic life t5s
Would 1 AI Prime 16HD be good on a 30gal Bowfront aquarium with a support brace across the top of the tank? I'm worried the brace may block the lighting spread.
With a center brace, you're likely going to be best off with two lights. The brace is going to cast a shadow in your tank with a single light placed directly above it, unfortunately.
So to be sure I understand the numbers, on a 40 gal for LPS you are saying set at the 70% scale?
Check out the 19:55 minute mark for our recommended LPS setting for two AI Primes over a 40 breeder.
You measured the light 8-10” height for the 12x12 and 18x18 but those pars that measured, how deep was it in the tank ?
For all of the mounting height tests, we were looking at par 6" below the water surface.
What mount can i use to get 2 pucks 13" off the water?
Your best bet would either be the AI Prime hanging kits or a DIY mount. They do have an 18" flex arm, but once you stretch it out to center it over the tank, you won't be able to quite get it 13" off the water surface in most cases. That is, unless you have a narrow tank from front to back.
www.bulkreefsupply.com/ai-prime-hanging-kit-black.html
Is this the program world wide corals use ? Thanks
This is our BRS recommended program/settings for the Prime. I'm not sure if WWC uses these settings or not. Usually, they have a more blue spectrum for their afternoon lighting vs the early morning hours.
I’m completing a build of a 76 gallon shallow reef. Dim of tank are 48 x 24 x 16. I plan on using 2 primes centered in each 24 x 24 inch section. Question is it being only 16 inches high, what height would you recommend them being at above water line?
13" off the water surface is our recommendation for a 24" x 24" area with the AI Prime. The intensity is what you'll want to consider more with the shorter tank. That said, with a smaller light like the AI Prime, it's going to be hard to over light the tank significantly. I would suggest looking at the data for 6", 12", and 18" below the water surface. The difference between 16" and 18" is going to be small.
For a 15 inch cube lps tank, should I run the configuration for the 18 inch tank or should I run it @ lower power???
What should I use for settings roughly on a 65g 3ft rectangle? I have 2 primes
What type of corals are you keeping? In all likelihood, running the primes at the BRS recommended spectrum settings at 100% will be just right.
@@BRStv primarily zoa and 2 toadstools. I set the lights to the 60g cube setting in the video and it’s currently going through the acclimation phase.
Sound about right?
Very good video, now my problem is i have the prime HD and the older version on the same tank :D the spectrums look way off..
Thank you so much for this video.
Somehow you guys never done a recommendation of 2 or more small units on a 24x24 for SPS dominated tank. Can you please do one?
Sorry about that, for all of our light tests we typically stick to one single fixture over our 24"x24" area because adding in more lights also adds in other consideration factors that affect the PAR and spread output such as, how and where do you "optimally" space multiple fixtures in a 24"inch square area? How does that spacing affect light intersection points and reflections? Is front to back orientation the ideal placement or is it side-by-side or even diagonally? .... Basically because we strive to make our light testing procedure universal for any light design that we test, I believe that accounting for these types of factors and how they would change with each different light design would only cause more confusion than clarity.
@@BRStv I see. Understand, thank you so much for the explanation!I'm looking to upgrade my light and haven't been able to decide should I go with 1 big unit or 2 smaller units. Also the dilemma of where to mount if get 2 units! However, 2 units does sound attractive due to its shadowless result. My tank goal is mix reef
So will par be stronger in a shorter tank
If your tank is 12" tall vs 30" tall, the par on the sand bed is certainly going to be higher in the shallower tank.
Awesome - this is so great on useful - I think the best BRS Investigates on lighting so far - the recommendations for tank type are GOLD
I am confused though on the LPS tank light spacing. On the outer edges by moving the lights out PAR went from 91 - 94 on the outer edges - like it only gained 3 PAR. But the PAR in the centre dropped from 160 to 124. It seems this is just making the light more uniform by spilling light out of the tank - it would be more sensible to recommend moving out to say 10" where you would have negligible light spill and leaving the reefer with the option of reducing the center output if the reefer wanted. I know this is the format and it usually works but this time, to me, it makes no sense why anyone would do that...
...then you did it for 8 pucks on 4ft SPS tank ;)
The 40 breeder setup really demonstrates this perfectly - as they are 10" from the end and that would suggest that is the optimum.
Even though this video is kinda old hoping some one can still answer it. Would 2 ai primes be alright on a 75 gallon tank. Currently have Two t5s. And ai primes I was hoping to get thoughts and options
Two on a standard 4 foot long 75 would work just fine so long as you were not keeping SPS. You'll have to run them at 100%, so just keep in mind that the fan will run more often.
How did you guys mount these lights up?
This is a DIY rig using some light mounts used for photography. I believe we got them at B&H photo years ago.
@@BRStv Do you have any recommendations on how I can do a similar DIY setup with the AI Prime 16HD Reef lights? The only mount for the over hang arms seems to be on the top back. How can I do something similar to this DIY Light Mounting setup?
after watching im wondering if two primes would be enough on a 40 breeder for a mixed reef with a few sps up high,par levels seem a little low at 6 inches with the lights at 100% of your spectrum.
For some lower light SPS corals (thinking corals like monti caps), you may be able to get this to work.
@@BRStv thanks for the reply ☆...gotta be worth a go with low light SPS,I'm guessing the sps dominant 3 prime setup would be a little to intense for LPS/softies placed in the bottom 6 inches? Unless I dialled down the intensity a little or provided shading from above such as plating montipora
Any plan on reviewing the new Philips coral care v2 now that a few have started to trickle out into the wild?
It's on our potential ideas board :)
I bought 3 ai primes for my 120. How would they work with the T5?
If you wanted to add T5s to your Primes, your best bet would be to go with a hybrid fixture like the one from AquaticLife.
www.bulkreefsupply.com/48-t5ho-g3-hybrid-4-lamp-light-fixture-aquatic-life.html
@@BRStv thanks I was looking at that. I’d love to see what it would look like on the tank. I think the tank would look great with both!
I have a 150Gls tank 48 "long x24" wide and 30 "deep. How many lights would I need for my reff tank?
Given the 30" depth of the tank, you may want to go with something a bit more powerful than the prime. The XR15 would be a great choice for that tank. Three for an LPS/softie/mixed reef with a few SPS towards the top. Otherwise, four XR15's would work better if you're going heavier on the SPS side of things.
@@BRStv Thanks for your support
I have a 40g breeder 2 AI prime HD 2 hour ramp and 4 hour peak with way lower settings for reference my whites are at 3% compared to your recommended 65%. If i go anything about 5% in whites I notice my corals to not open properly at the bottom of my tank. If I do those recommended settings I think ill burn all my LPS, a preset would definitely be beneficial
Definitely something to be said about the old saying "if it's not broken, don't fix it!" 🙂
I have a 12" flex arm over a 12" x 12" nano tank. Can i still go for the recommended 8" settings for LPS or make some adjustments for 12" mount height?
Mounting the light a few inches higher, you'll have to increase the intensity a bit to get the same results. Just increase each channel in equal ratios. Other than that, you'll just have a little more light spill out of the tank.
Could these be kept on my 525xl reefer and how many would I need?
If you're keeping LPS and softies, I would suggest 3. For a mixed reef, I would suggest 5. If you're going SPS dominant, you may be best off with a larger 90w fixture as the width of this tank would make using two rows of Primes a little awkward.
Which are the recommended settings for a 20x20x20 LPS tank?
I would suggest to take a look at the settings from the 18" and 24" cubes and split the difference.
@@BRStv thanks! And what about the moonlight channel? Should I use it when other channels are off?
Hello I’m still using the old ab + spectrum with my AI prime 16hd, over a 20 gallon Waterbox do you think that would be sufficient to grow sps at the top of the tank?
As long as you place them towards the center and top, you should be ok. In the long run, when the SPS get bigger and branchy, you may have some shadowing issues and will probably want to grab a second fixture.
If I just upgrade to the xr15 g5 do you think that will be better long term?
Have you tested how an acrylic lid would affect lighting?
We have not, but the condensation and thickness of material will play a big role. I think we can all agree that lids of any type (glass or acrylic) will cut down on the light's intensity.
Can the settings be used on the older ai prime
Check out this video for some great settings on the previous gen AI lights!
ruclips.net/video/V-EcaJ86HrU/видео.html
I wonder how does the BRS recommended spectrum compare to the AB+ spectrum which is more blue with less cool white?
We're shooting for as wide of a "blue" spectrum as possible as it has shown to be the most beneficial in terms of coral growth and health. If you've seen Ryan's "Mastering Spectrum" video, we're following that approach.
Have these setting been used in a actual tank filled with corals and seen if corals react better to this lighting
We've got all sorts of different lighting on the tanks around the BRS office. Hard to compare directly as there are a ton of other factors like types of corals and the skill of the individual that is taking care of their own tank 🙂
Well I’m looking at this light for a Reefer 170 that is 24 x 20 x 20 is one light still good for this? Will be mainly softies and lps maybe light sps down the road. Thanks for this vids!
Definitely a solid light for LPS and Softies. Lower light SPS towards the very top of the rockwork shouldn't be a major issue.
@@BRStv Awesome thanks!