Can ai prime 16hd grow acro or sps in general?

[sweetcoralina]

My tank is currently 4 months old and I am considering to add some corals soon. Originally I plan to keep it as fowlr so didn't think too much about the light and get the ai prime 16hd. It's a 4ft tank and I have 2 right now. Do I have to upgrade my lights if I want to keep acro?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

To be honest, no. Just 2 on that size tank is not very effective and will be challenging to grow anything but the lowest light requiring corals. I’m sorry I’m just being honest and straightforward. Sorry.

 

[sweetcoralina]

To be honest, no. Just 2 on that size tank is not very effective and will be challenging to grow anything but the lowest light requiring corals. I’m sorry I’m just being honest and straightforward. Sorry.

What light would be a better choice then? I think radion is pretty popular.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Yes it is but I have no experience with that light so will let others comment. Good luck.

 

[VintageReefer]

Radion will set you back $2000. You need two xr30’s for a 48” tank

Affordable options
Reefbreeders photon 48 v2 - roughly 800-900$

Maxspect razor $450

Maxspect Razor X 200w LED Lighting Fixture (CLOSEOUT)

Limitless Spectral Combinations to Fit Your Tank’s Needs Effective Coverage: 48in x 22in | Maximum Coverage: 50in x 26inDimensions: 33in x 10.2in x 1.25in (LxWxH) | Suited for tanks: 32.5in - 47in

store.coralvue.com

Noopsyche k7 pro - would need 3-4 of these

 

[GatorGreg]

My tank is currently 4 months old and I am considering to add some corals soon. Originally I plan to keep it as fowlr so didn't think too much about the light and get the ai prime 16hd. It's a 4ft tank and I have 2 right now. Do I have to upgrade my lights if I want to keep acro?

Prime 16HD will grow any coral you want even the highest light demanding corals. BUT, it has to be in the correct size tank for that small of a light. In a 4ft tank you’d probably need at least 3 maybe 4 more to even start to get close to what you’re trying to do. I have a 4ft tank and I have 2 Hydra 32s on it right now and I have 2 AI Primes in the closet I’m going to add in the future when I need some supplemental lighting.

This is going to be a LPS tank

 

[amarck]

Rent a par meter and position them high. im sure you can grow them. People grow acros at half power with ai primes. If its all SPS consider an upgrade, but if you’re experimenting i wouldn’t rush out to buy new lights.

 

[GatorGreg]

To be honest, no. Just 2 on that size tank is not very effective and will be challenging to grow anything but the lowest light requiring corals. I’m sorry I’m just being honest and straightforward. Sorry.

While I agree it won’t work for a full blown SPS tank. Those little lights are stronger than you think. If a person with a 4ft tank that wasn’t very deep had a scape that was like just 2 piles of rocks. One directly under each light. They could absolutely have an LPS tank. It wouldnt be very appealing in my opinion but it could work in a pinch

 

[cjtabares]

I have 4 t5(6 months oldish) and an ai prime over a 2’ tank. A few inches under water it is at about 350 par. I’m going to be adding a 2nd prime. I should have measured with the t5s off. I will try to borrow my clubs par meter after I get the 2nd.

 

[VintageReefer]

AI prime would do fine but you need a minimum of 4 of them and a high rock scape for sps. Higher than most people normally would build

Op isn’t asking for lps tank. They want acro/sps. For that, I stand by my advice

Lps? Sure. 2-3 primes and you can do fines.

 

[sweetcoralina]

This is my scape. So basically two piles of rock under the light. As you can see there’s a butterfly in there and I’m going to add a declivis butterfly soon so this is more of an experiment. I was considering mixed reef but I think LPS would stand no chance with my fish while SPS might have a chance.

 

[GatorGreg]

AI prime would do fine but you need a minimum of 4 of them and a high rock scape for sps. Higher than most people normally would build

Op isn’t asking for lps tank. They want acro/sps. For that, I stand by my advice

Lps? Sure. 2-3 primes and you can do fines.

That’s why I said they’d need 5 possibly 6

 

[dr_vinnie_boombatz]

AI prime is like growing coral on rice and beans. When I added my Radion it was a game changer for color and growth. Steak, veggies, and desert now.

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Rent a par meter and position them high. im sure you can grow them. People grow acros at half power with ai primes. If its all SPS consider an upgrade, but if you’re experimenting i wouldn’t rush out to buy new lights.

 

[GatorGreg]

AI prime is like growing coral on rice and beans. When I added my Radion it was a game changer for color and growth. Steak, veggies, and desert now.

Cool, show us your differences in results with some pictures.

I’ve seen some absolutely epic tanks using AI Primes.

 

[billyocean]

Pretty much any reef light is fine for sps as long as you have enough coverage.

 

[GatorGreg]

I think he’s since broke this tank down. But I wouldn’t say this fella was growing corals on rice and beans. That’s a fellow Louisiana reefer using an AI Prime on a 10g tank

 

[GatorGreg]

Pretty much any reef light is fine for sps as long as you have enough coverage.

Yeah I watched a video one time where the dude from I think it was Battle Corals uses Reef Breeders on several on his grow out tanks.

 

[billyocean]

Yeah I watched a video one time where the dude from I think it was Battle Corals uses Reef Breeders on several on his grow out tanks.

Yeah..Adam uses RB. These days most reef lights are fine. The more important factors IMO are chemistry and flow for acros. There's people who are extremely successful with a brand of light....and people who fail miserably with the same brand of light..lol. I run viparspectra lights which have no frills except on/off timer and Intensity adjustment. Acros are fine and color is fine. Grab whatever reef light is affordable and gives you good coverage...plenty of options.

 

[Northern Flicker]

To be honest, no. Just 2 on that size tank is not very effective and will be challenging to grow anything but the lowest light requiring corals. I’m sorry I’m just being honest and straightforward. Sorry.

I grew SPS directly under Prime 16s on a 4ft tank.

OP you gotta crank em, and you gotta place your Acros right under the light, but yes it can be done.

I would start off with easier SPS personally.

The RB Photons are awesome lights. I would go with one of those over a few Primes for sure.