Do Not Buy Aqua Illumination

[smsadmin]

Bought 4 Vega's from these clowns a few years ago along with the controllers and director's they release to suck more out of you. Nothing but problems with 2 of the lights since installation. Lights down for many weeks waiting on parts. Customer support doesn't care or warn you that your parts won't arrive for weeks. They now wanted me to ship two lights back for them to repair (again) but at least warned this time that it would be 2-3 weeks before they could even look at them. They almost convinced me to replace them with discounted Hydra 26's. Discounted price would have been 250 each instead of 350. The new ones cannot use the director so I would have to use different controllers for each set of lights on one tank. I then asked to replace all 4 so that I didn't have an unbalanced lit tank and to be able to use one controller. They then tried sending me to a vendor to pay full price on the other two. They could care less about their customers. Avoid at all costs. They don't do very well with SPS either so I am excited about their replacements. Any recommendations?

[gcarroll]

Bought 4 Vega's from these clowns a few years ago along with the controllers and director's they release to suck more out of you. Nothing but problems with 2 of the lights since installation. Lights down for many weeks waiting on parts. Customer support doesn't care or warn you that your parts won't arrive for weeks. They now wanted me to ship two lights back for them to repair (again) but at least warned this time that it would be 2-3 weeks before they could even look at them. They almost convinced me to replace them with discounted Hydra 26's. Discounted price would have been 250 each instead of 350. The new ones cannot use the director so I would have to use different controllers for each set of lights on one tank. I then asked to replace all 4 so that I didn't have an unbalanced lit tank and to be able to use one controller. They then tried sending me to a vendor to pay full price on the other two. They could care less about their customers. Avoid at all costs. They don't do very well with SPS either so I am excited about their replacements. Any recommendations?They have't made the Vega in quite a bit. Many other companies offer abosolutely no support for old products, so I'm shocked they offered to help you at all. Especially tech products. It would be nice if you could just upgrade them all to Hydra 52s.

[GimpyFin]

I do like AIs lights and I have a pair of 26 HDs that (Now) work quite well, but I've experienced issues dealing with AI, so I can relate to your frustration. The parts/repair thing can leave a bad taste in your mouth too.

I bought a couple brand new 26 (Non-HDs) because they were discounted with the HDs being out. One of the two wouldn't even power on and I was told I could send it in or wait for parts on backorder. I just returned them as I didn't want to deal with it. Ended up buying a couple of 26 HDs. After hooking both up, the color hue was slightly off between the two fixtures making a noticible difference side-by-side. Also, one of the fans had a problem and was really loud. AI wanted to send me a new fan, but didn't have a good answer for me on the mismatched colors. I said screw it again and got two replacement units from Amazon. I don't feel like these parts/repair problems are something a person should have to deal with on something brand new. Either send me a complete new unit, or I'll just return it. Luckily, the 2 new units seemed good with no noisy fan or color difference.

I was pretty close to just getting something completely different in spite of this, but I have had good success with the lights, so I decided stick with them.

[dkeller_nc]

It's true that Aqua Illumination used to offer upgrade kits from their previous lights (Sol, Vega, Hydra) to the Hydra52s. It doesn't appear that's the case any longer, so the offer of a discount is probably the best you can hope for.

But keep in mind that this is par for the course with reef tank lights, especially LEDs, and reefing equipment in general. Outdated equipment, or even used current equipment, is worth very little compared to the purchase price. In my case I have 2 AI color Vegas with mounting hardware that I spent about $1400 about 2-1/2 years ago. They turned out to be unsuitable for growing coral, so they're basically doorstops. I haven't thrown them in the trash because at some point I may find someone that simply wants to light a fish-only tank.

But that's not a knock on AI - none of the first and second gen LED fixtures are really suitable for anything other than undemanding soft corals, regardless of the manufacturer because they contained either no or insufficient violet and hyper violet output.

There are many in the SPS forum that still find up-to-date LED fixtures unsuitable for "colored stick" tanks for various reasons, and largely use T5HO fixtures, MH, or combination T5HO/LED fixtures.

With respect to your question, if you'd like to just go with inexpensive and bulletproof, you might want to simply purchase a 6 or 8 bulb ATI T5HO fixture. The dimmable model contains its own controller, so there will be no IOS/Android operating system and controller app update issues to deal with. That last problem, by the way, is something I'll bet $$$ that you'll see on the forums about 3 or 4 years from now, where a mfg. has gone to an app for controlling a fixture with built-in WiFi, but no longer offers updates to be compatible with mobile OS updates.

[smsadmin]

Just wish they would at least attempt to take care of their customers. All they needed to do was give me the same discount for the other two. They were aware of all of my previous issues with their lights but they still had to give me the run around. They obviously don't need the business.

[mradonis]

This is good to know as I am in the market for new lights and was considering AI's.

[lewisrhoades]

I bought a prime last year and in a freak accident it melted down weeks after I set it up. I emailed AI and withing an hour had a reply asking for pics of the unit. After exchanging emails for a few hours they sent me a new unit over night with a return slip to put the old one in. Far exceeded my expectations, it's unfortunate that you have dealt with what you have because I love AI now.

[almiller9]

I would have to strongly disagree with this. I purchased a couple used Hydra 52s about a year ago. They were probably a year or so old already. One of the pucks went out and the other unit started buzzing. They sent me new parts free of charge. No questions asked. I had no receipt or anything. I received the parts 2 days after phone call. In my experience the customer service could not have been any better.

[Wazzel]

My experience my AI products and customer service have been positive.

[Potatohead]

I'm not sure why you would expect a discount on the other two lights if there was nothing wrong with the original ones in the first place. You're talking about some pretty old lights are they even under warranty anymore? I doubt it.

[billdogg]

My experience my AI products and customer service have been positive.

I have 2 x AI Sol Blues that have been over my 120 since I set it up about 3 years ago. Not able to grow coral? I would beg to differ. Everything you see was a frag in Sept 2013, this is from about a month ago:

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll227/billdogg_photos/Aquarium%20Shots/FTS%203-6-2016.jpg (http://s289.photobucket.com/user/billdogg_photos/media/Aquarium%20Shots/FTS%203-6-2016.jpg.html)

I'm not sure why you would expect a discount on the other two lights if there was nothing wrong with the original ones in the first place. You're talking about some pretty old lights are they even under warranty anymore? I doubt it.

+1

[reefkeeper2]

I've never had anything but excellent customer service from AI. I have loved their lighting since I started with SOLs years ago and now have a combination of 8 Hydra 52s and 5 Vegas. My tank and coral look great and I wouldn't hesitate a minute to buy from them. Here is what my tank looks like today.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EeZ8CcREx2c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Wazzel]

Bought 4 Vega's from these clowns a few years ago along with the controllers and director's they release to suck more out of you. Nothing but problems with 2 of the lights since installation. Lights down for many weeks waiting on parts. Customer support doesn't care or warn you that your parts won't arrive for weeks. They now wanted me to ship two lights back for them to repair (again) but at least warned this time that it would be 2-3 weeks before they could even look at them. They almost convinced me to replace them with discounted Hydra 26's. Discounted price would have been 250 each instead of 350. The new ones cannot use the director so I would have to use different controllers for each set of lights on one tank. I then asked to replace all 4 so that I didn't have an unbalanced lit tank and to be able to use one controller. They then tried sending me to a vendor to pay full price on the other two. They could care less about their customers. Avoid at all costs. They don't do very well with SPS either so I am excited about their replacements. Any recommendations?
Vegas are a couple of models back. Probably 4 years or so old. Why do you expect them to still be under warente? The few times I had issues with my lights the problems were resolved in less the 24 hours. Fortunately it was just software issues. As far as performance with SPS......

Two year progress
May-14
https://photos.smugmug.com/Other-2/Reef-19-May-14/i-szQsVGb/0/L/left-L.jpg
May-15
https://photos.smugmug.com/Other-2/30-April-2015/i-btQ2T6v/0/L/DSC_0591-L.jpg
May-16
https://photos.smugmug.com/Other-2/Reef-1May16/i-JV4c2BH/0/L/image-L.jpg

[HuskerBioProf]

I have seen some great coral growth with the AIs. I really like the look of the Hydra HDs when I saw them at our LFS. That and some threads on RC made me decide to get 2 Hydra 26 HDs for my 40 Breeder. I do not have any livestock yet, but I love the look of the lights.

Regarding customer service: I was having some problems and was very frustrated with the AI app for iPhone and connectivity to WIFI. I put in a ticket, and the customer service was great to help me get everything figured out. I would say all of my limited experiences so far are very positive.

[jerseypete]

I have a set of hydras that are almost 3yo. Never an issue. I just bought a new 26hd. Different tank. No issues. I find it odd that you are complaining about Vegas which are probably 3-4 years old. They even offered a discount on 2 lights. And your not happy with that? Unreal.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

[Zacktosterone]

The original poster is obviously frustrated. Why not give some better Advice instead of arguing with them.

Ive had crappy experience with them too... It's up to you but why not sell the lights and wash your hands of the company. Personally, I went with the company that gave me the absolute best customer service. I've owned a lot of different lights and ive had the best customer service with dave at Hamilton technologies, owning his products in the past. You can do whatever you want. But i would personally go with the company that has the best support

[Wazzel]

The original poster is obviously frustrated. Why not give some better Advice instead of arguing with them.

Ive had crappy experience with them too... It's up to you but why not sell the lights and wash your hands of the company. I went with the company that gave me the absolute best customer service. I've owned a lot of different lights and ive had the best customer service with dave at Hamilton technologies. You can do whatever you want. But ib personally go with the company that has the best support

I have had good experience with AI customer support. They were always pleasant and responsive. Expecting warranty work on a several year old product is not the right way of approaching customer service. My hydras are over 2 years old and if they started to give me issues I would not expect AI to cover them with a warranty. I believe the OP has unrealistic expectations.

[plecoco]

Thanks for the warning!

[gcarroll]

I believe the OP has unrealistic expectations.Agreed 100%

[toky916]

Don't contact AI contact ecotech there the owners of Ai for sometime now .

[MondoBongo]

My experience my AI products and customer service have been positive.

for what it's worth, my experiences with them have been very positive as well.

they've sent me some replacement parts on a few occasions, they always arrived quickly, and their reps have always been responsive and patient.

[Wazzel]

Don't contact AI contact ecotech there the owners of Ai for sometime now .

AI and ETM still function as separate companies. Calling ETM will get you no where if you have an AI issue.

[wishntoboutside]

I have heard nothing but problem with there ballast/ transformers going out. I even have s friend who they asked to buy longer cords and a temp reader to verify things now they are blowing him off. Not good support if you ask me.

[gus6464]

But LEDs are supposed to last almost forever. I'll stick with ATI as years from now if a ballast goes out all it takes is $20 and I will have a brand new light pretty much.

BTW ai and etm are notorious for including cheap garbage power supplies with their lights. Whereas the vectras come with meanwell hlg so that makes no sense.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[Wazzel]

You guys have actual facts to back that up or is this internet hearsay?

[gus6464]

You guys have actual facts to back that up or is this internet hearsay?

I've owned a Radion and know the power supply that comes with the units. It is a cheap China unit. On the other hand Vectras come with meanwell HLG which are water-proof and are built to last.

I know you love your LEDs and all but it doesn't change the fact that some of the parts used are on the cheaper end of the pile.

[Wazzel]

I've owned a Radion and know the power supply that comes with the units. It is a cheap China unit. On the other hand Vectras come with meanwell HLG which are water-proof and are built to last.

I know you love your LEDs and all but it doesn't change the fact that some of the parts used are on the cheaper end of the pile.

So, that does not mean it is not fit for purpose. Most everything you own has Chinese components in them. Do you own nothing but junk?

I have not had a bit of trouble with my hydra or vortex power supplies. They seem up to the task so far. I am sure some go out here and there since nothing has a 0% failure rate.

[SkullV]

So, that does not mean it is not fit for purpose. Most everything you own has Chinese components in them. Do you own nothing but junk?

I have not had a bit of trouble with my hydra or vortex power supplies. They seem up to the task so far. I am sure some go out here and there since nothing has a 0% failure rate.

His ATI HEP Group ballast is probably made in China too. Theres a thread on the other forum about it. Nothing wrong with Chinese made parts, its all about the quality control and specifications of the company ordering the run of product.

More importantly, you can have the nicest equipment in the world and still have a horribly ugly reef tank. Conversely I've seen some incredible tanks run on nothing but Alibaba knockoffs. There is way more to this hobby than who builds your light, pump, etc.

[gus6464]

His ATI HEP Group ballast is probably made in China too. Theres a thread on the other forum about it. Nothing wrong with Chinese made parts, its all about the quality control and specifications of the company ordering the run of product.

More importantly, you can have the nicest equipment in the world and still have a horribly ugly reef tank. Conversely I've seen some incredible tanks run on nothing but Alibaba knockoffs. There is way more to this hobby than who builds your light, pump, etc.

Except my ATI Powermodule has Philips Advanced Centiums so there's that.

[Wazzel]

Except my ATI Powermodule has Philips Advanced Centiums so there's that.

I believe those are made in Mexico.

[SkullV]

Except my ATI Powermodule has Philips Advanced Centiums so there's that.

I would also be shocked if there were no chinese components in that fixture, whether it be a resistor or an entire board. Either way, like I said before, proof is in the tank not the equipment. I have a Chinese return pump, italian skimmer pump (inside a chinese skimmer body), chinese circulation pumps, a DIY (made in the USA?) light, American controller (that I'm sure has chinese parts in it) and several other components from all over the word.

Do you have a build thread? The proof is obviously how your tank looks under the light. Tons of incredible tanks out there under those crappy Chinese powered lights...