AI Settings w/ set-up details

[VegasMike]

I think it might be useful with all of the threads out there to start one with only the settings/system info.

Here is what I think would be good. Feel free to add other pertinent parameters.

1) Type of unit - Sol White/Sol Blue
2) Tank dimensions
3) Number of units
4) Optics in unit (standard or ???)
5) Height of units above water
6) Detailed settings
7) Experience


Many of the threads I have seen do not have all of the data needed to get a feel for expectations/settings etc. I have seen some with bleaching problems at lower settings than expected and some that have no problems at 100%. I think laying out each experience will allow some insight and guidance to other users.

[VegasMike]

Here is what I have PLANNED. My tanks have delivered and are sitting in my garage awaiting muscle to put them up on the stands.

1) New Sol Blue w/ updated firmware
2) 72"x24"x30"
3) Five units, center one turned parallel to front due to center overflow.
4) All 70 degree optics
5) Not sure yet
6) Not set yet
7) We'll see


My thought is to set them up around 12" from the water surface. With all 70 degree optics, I should not get the hot spots that the 40 degree optics appear to create. Given the 70 degree optics, hight above water and depth of tank, I should be able to run these at a higher intensity.

[hmello@bermexin]

I'll start out then. 29 gallon Biocube that previously had 150 watt Sunpod HQI running a 20k Radium bulb.
Just recieved my 12SOL super blue with the standard 70 degree optics on the outside ends and 40 degree on the center lights.
Have standard tank mount and have purchased some 1" square aluminum tube to place crosswise on the thop of the standard rails to rais the light by about 2" and set the light parallel to the front of the display instead of at a 90 degrees to the front of the display.

My initial setting are;
8:00 am all lights on at 35% white, 40% blue and 45% royal blue with a ramp time of 120 minutes.
9:00 pm Whites off, both blues to 3% with a ramp down time of 60 minutes.
Lunar cycle on.
Thunderstorm on with 24% chance per day and 1 per day.

Will post pictures of light as it sits standard and how it looks for coverage (which leaves some real darkness on both sides of the tank) and the mod build, and how it looks modded for coverage.

Plan to increase intensity about 2% per week.

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

Here is my setup to be


1) Sol Blue
2) 60G cube - 24x24x24
3) 1
4) Standard Optics
5) 12-18 inches?
6) No clue
7) None with the LED

My questions are should I swap out the 40 degree optics with 70's for a more even spread? If so where can I get them?

I am upgrading the whole tank from a Biocube 29 with 4x36W PC's. I have Zoas and LPS and some ricordea. I will get into some SPS down the road.

Any pointers would be great.

[hmello@bermexin]

You can get the 70 degree optics from aquailluminations.com direct. Just start a service ticket.

[newsalt]

Just got my AI fixtures yesterday. Not yet positioned over the tank, but I've set them up like this and running a test on it:

1) Type of unit - Sol Blue
2) Tank dimensions: 180g (72"x24"x24"
3) Number of units: 3
4) Optics in unit (standard or ???): standard
5) Height of units above water: Approx. 12.5"
6) Detailed settings: 8:00 am all lights on at 25% white, 35% blue and 35% royal blue with a ramp time of 180 minutes.
9:00 pm Whites off, both blues to 3% with a ramp down time of 120 minutes.
Lunar cycle on.
7) Experience: None

[krazysvede]

1) Type of unit - Sol Blue
2) Tank dimensions -90gal 48w*24h*18d
3) Number of units - 2 units
4) Optics in unit (standard or ???) 70* optics
5) Height of units above water - On AI bracket ~5" from water
6) Detailed settings - Day white 18%, Day Blue 39%, Night White 1%, Night Blue 3%. Ramp up and down 60 min
7) Experience - I started using the fixture at 10% white and 25% blue, over the last 6 weeks I have slowly increased intensity to current settings. Colors in my tank have never been better, I had several acros high in the tank that have always been fairly brown that are now lightening to very nice shades of purple and blue. I have 3 BTAs in the tank also. The largest (~10" rbta) has moved up in the tank to within 6 inches of the waters surface the other two (~6" gbta & 3" rbta/gbta hybrid)have remained in the bottom 1/3 of the tank. The acans I have in the tank did have to be moved into the shadows under overhangs as they were getting to much light at current settings on the sandbed.

I have been extremely happy with the fixtures so far, I am thinking about adding another unit to cover the center of the tank as I dont have enough light spill to keep all my sps happy without running the risk of bleaching the higher placed corals on my islands on the left and right.

[newsalt]

Originally Posted by Rob_Reef_Keeper

Here is my setup to be

My questions are should I swap out the 40 degree optics with 70's for a more even spread?

Do the 70* optics give a wider spread? Do all the pucks need to be changed to 70*? What's the cost per puck?

[VegasMike]

The middle four are 40* and they charge $25 per unit (four pucks). The outside four re already 70* pucks. They eliminate the hot spot right below the unit and do have a wider spread.

[newsalt]

Originally Posted by VegasMike

The middle four are 40* and they charge $25 per unit (four pucks). The outside four re already 70* pucks. They eliminate the hot spot right below the unit and do have a wider spread.

$25 for a set of 4 pucks? So to change the middle four on my three fixture would cost $75?

[tmgrash]

Sol white all 40deg optics

start 7am 0%w 1%b
ramp to 100/100% by 12pm at 1% increments
at 2:30 whites ramp down to 40% by 5pm.
at 5pm whites and blue ramp down to 0/1% by 9pm

6 modules on a 240 6'x2'x31"deep

[SoLiD]

Originally Posted by newsalt

$25 for a set of 4 pucks? So to change the middle four on my three fixture would cost $75?

Yes. $25 buys you 4 - 70degree Lenses Shipped. It cost $25 per module so 3modules X $25 = $75. I do remember reading somewhere that a person bought something like 6 sets of lenses for around $120 shipped instead of the normal $150. C2 Development is really good about shipping the lenses very fast when you order them, too. I ordered 2 sets at 2 different times and they came with in 4 days both times. HTH

-David

[newsalt]

Originally Posted by newsalt

Just got my AI fixtures yesterday. Not yet positioned over the tank, but I've set them up like this and running a test on it:

1) Type of unit - Sol Blue
2) Tank dimensions: 180g (72"x24"x24"
3) Number of units: 3
4) Optics in unit (standard or ???): standard
5) Height of units above water: Approx. 12.5"
6) Detailed settings: 8:00 am all lights on at 25% white, 35% blue and 35% royal blue with a ramp time of 180 minutes.
9:00 pm Whites off, both blues to 3% with a ramp down time of 120 minutes.
Lunar cycle on.
7) Experience: None

Based on the information I listed above, the lights are set to start up at 8am and ramp up to W25, B35, and RB35 by 11am. So why at 7pm is the controller showing W20, B28, and RB28? I thought I would have W25, B35, and RB35 until 9pm when the lights started ramping down. I have Lunar Cycle on. Does that have any effect?

[newsalt]

Originally Posted by newsalt

Just got my AI fixtures yesterday. Not yet positioned over the tank, but I've set them up like this and running a test on it:

1) Type of unit - Sol Blue
2) Tank dimensions: 180g (72"x24"x24"
3) Number of units: 3
4) Optics in unit (standard or ???): standard
5) Height of units above water: Approx. 12.5"
6) Detailed settings: 8:00 am all lights on at 25% white, 35% blue and 35% royal blue with a ramp time of 180 minutes.
9:00 pm Whites off, both blues to 3% with a ramp down time of 120 minutes.
Lunar cycle on.
7) Experience: None

FTS with above setting:

[saleen2881]

Originally Posted by newsalt

FTS with above setting:

WOW! That is Beautiful!!

[hmello@bermexin]

Okay here is the new Aquailluminations 12" SOL LED Super Blue on the tank.
First a drawing of what I did to the standard tank mount to get the light up higher and parallel to the front of the display.

Now the pictures.











Here are the settings.
8:00 am.
white at 35%
blue at 40%
royal blue at 45%
ramp up time 60 minutes.

9:45 am
white at 40%
blue at 45%
royal blue at 50%
60 minutes

8:15 pm
white at 35%
blue at 40%
royal blue at 45%
ramp down 40 minutes

9:15 pm
white at 0%
blue at 3%
royal blue at 3%
ramp down 60 minutes

Lunar cycle on

Thunder storms on
25 % chance
1 time per day.

[HiImSean]

1) Type of unit - Sol Blue
2) Tank dimensions - 18x18x18
3) Number of units - 1
4) Optics in unit - standard but i should be getting the 70degree optics soon
5) Height of units above water - ?? not sure yet
6) Detailed settings - none yet
7) Experience - non yet

[apuhl20]

Newsalt -- How is your coverage with the 3 units on the 180?? I am looking to do the same thing except with the 70* optics.

[newsalt]

Originally Posted by apuhl20

Newsalt -- How is your coverage with the 3 units on the 180?? I am looking to do the same thing except with the 70* optics.

Not too bad. There's a little spot lighting, but I'll see what happens as I increase the intensity. Right now the fixture is about 12" above the water. If the spot lighting becomes more noticable, I'll raise the fixtures up to see if it gets better. Here a current shot:

[VegasMike]

OK, got my light up and running. I will tell you that five units above a 72"x24"x30" tank with 70 degree optics, at 5" height (water surface to bottom of light) has absolutely no VISABLE hot spot issue at any intensity.

The way I set my lights up though gives me the ability to raise them up to around 15" above the surface if needed.

I have two tanks the same size on either side of my fireplace. I just got the second set up late last night.

Interestingly, one tank has all 70 degree optics and one is currently standard (should have the other 70 degree optics in a couple weeks). I am hoping to see a difference later today when the intesities on both systems hit 90 percent.

There are no corals in either tank as I just turned the pumps on this week.

[CleanLivin]

Given: Tank set up 1 month
Marineland 150 DD
36x36x27h
70 degree optics complete
2 Sol Blues with AI controller
lights at 7.5" above water surface
6:45AM ramp to 35/39/39 over 45"
6:45PM ramp to 0/5/5 over 180"
9:45PM ramp to 0/2/2 over 30"

All corals looking great at this time. Will hold the above conditions for the next couple of weeks to be sure all is well. Watching SPS's, etc. very closely for any signs of stress. At this point in time, all corals look substantially better than when purchased from LFS!

Used to have a 350 gallon set up back in 1981-1994; Halides and Ice caps - required BIG chiller - these LED's are great! With height I have the LED's at, there is basically nil for heat transfer to tank = no need for chiller.

I'm finding there is NO need for more than two Sol Blues on my tank. Very pleased with the coverage the full set of 70 degree optics provides. I had what I consider "hot spots" with the default setup of 40's in the center of each module.

[Y-DesygnGuy]

1) Type of unit - Sol Blue

2) Tank dimensions 24" x 24" x 24"

3) Number of units 1

4) Optics in unit Standard

5) Height of units above water 13"

6) Detailed settings

Night time is 0% white, 1% blue 2% royal blue
7:00am 5% white, 10% blue 10% royal blue 5 minute ramp time
8:00am 15% white 20% blue 20% royal blue 5 minute ramp time
9:00am 25% white 30% blue 30% royal blue 5 minute ramp time
10:00am 35% white 40% blue 40% royal blue 5 minute ramp time
11:00am 45% white 50% blue 50% royal blue 5 minute ramp time
12:00pm 65% white 70% blue 70% royal blue 5 minute ramp time
3:00pm 45% white 50% blue 50% royal blue 5 minute ramp time
4:00pm 35% white 40% blue 40% royal blue 5 minute ramp time
5:00pm 25% white 30% blue 30% royal blue 5 minute ramp time
6:00pm 15% white 20% blue 20% royal blue 5 minute ramp time
7:00pm 5% white 10% blue 10% royal blue 5 minute ramp time
8:00pm 0% white 1% blue 2% royal blue 5 minute ramp time

7) Experience 10+ years

[hmello@bermexin]

Experience 10+ years is your experience in the hobby I take it. Do you have any comparison even if it is just anecdotal on how well the coral are\have reacted to the LED system compared to any other light system you have used in the past? Color, Growth, Polyp extension etc.

Your graphic is A number one by the way. Thank you for showing us.

And why did you choose such a short ramp time with an hour in between each timer?

[Y-DesygnGuy]

Originally Posted by hmello@bermexin

Experience 10+ years is your experience in the hobby I take it. Do you have any comparison even if it is just anecdotal on how well the coral are\have reacted to the LED system compared to any other light system you have used in the past? Color, Growth, Polyp extension etc.

Your graphic is A number one by the way. Thank you for showing us.

And why did you choose such a short ramp time with an hour in between each timer?

Yes sorry I didn't even see the experience was meant with the lighting system. I have no experience with LED's my previous tank had MH and before that was all PC lighting. Well over 10 years ago more like 15 now I had a reef tank with florescent bulbs, I have pictures somewhere of that.

I have only had the light over the tank for 4 days now and I just got my first coral for the tank yesterday. I will most certainly keep everyone posted on growth. Again the local store I like to go to is all setup with LED lighting for every tank in the store. They use the Ecoxotic Panarama and Panarama Modules in the store. So I was trying to match their PAR readings so the coral did not fry under the AI fixture.

As far as the short ramp time goes, since I had things changing every hour on the hour, I wanted the light to be at its maximum brightness for each setting for a decent amount of time. Any advice on going longer, I would love to hear, I totally guessed to be honest.

[Y-DesygnGuy]

Here is what I got at 100% white 100% blue 100% royal blue. The Par Meter would not register above 2888 for me, I am sure 3" below the light it was much more than that at 100% everything.