- Hey it's Thomas here and today we're gonna be taking
a look at the Aqua Illuminations Prime 16HD.
These are fantastic, high-performance LED fixtures
with all the bells and whistles in a very compact
and easily affordable format with opt control,
great mounting options and despite being super tiny is
very capable of growing corals, not only in nano reefs
like you'd expect, but when used in the right way
also has fantastic performance on larger reef tanks too,
so let's take a closer look.
There are tons of LED light fixtures out there
that are more than capable of growing corals
but the AI Prime 16HD is one of,
if not the most popular fixture around
and it should come as no surprise.
They have the same excellent spectrum and app control
as the larger Hydro fixtures, a variety
of slick mounting options,
are one of the most affordable flagship fixtures
at just over 200 bucks, which is half the price
of a Radion XR 15, and they make corals look great.
They're also incredibly flexible
and can also achieve better performance in terms of spread
and coverage than the larger Hydro fixtures puck for puck.
So let's get this one out of the box
and I'll show you what I'm talking about.
In the box you'll find the AI Prime 16HD,
the power supply and power cable, the quick start guide,
and a small tool for removing the screen for maintenance.
First off, let's address the elephant in the room.
There are four different versions of the AI Prime.
The Reef that I have here, the Fuge, the freshwater
and the Sol.
In this video I'm gonna be focusing on the Prime 16HD Reef,
however, I will touch on the new Sol version
just a little bit.
So you can kind of decide for yourself
if that $20 in savings is gonna be worth it for you.
Despite it's extremely small stature,
the Prime 16HD Reef is a powerhouse LED fixture capable
of providing enough light to keep the easiest softies,
all the way up to more light demanding SPS
and has all the same control and spectrum offerings
as the larger Hydro 32 and 64 models,
but with only a single puck of LEDs
which also gives it a distinct advantage.
Unlike the Hydro 32 or 64 fixtures, an array
of smaller Prime fixtures allows you to spread out
those LED pucks further apart so you can achieve
a more even distribution of light with less shadowing.
So if you have been considering those larger Hydro fixtures,
it may be worth a little bit extra to choose
for example, eight of the Prime fixtures over two
of the Hydro 64 fixtures, just to be able to spread all
of that light output more evenly.
The Prime fixtures also have the advantage
of being able to grow with you as a reefer.
If you start with a pair of Prime fixtures on your 36
by 18, 40 gallon breeder aquarium, after a year of growth,
you may find that your now larger Frags are getting
some shadowing between the colonies.
Instead of buying all new lighting or filler lights,
you can get another pair of Primes
and keep all of the lighting on the same app,
the same schedule and save that added cost of upgrading
to all new lighting at the same time.
And the exact same thing applies
if you decide to upgrade your tank.
Instead of all new lighting for your corals to adjust to,
you can just add more Primes to your existing ones
to cover the increased foot frame of that new aquarium.
When it comes to mounting hardware,
the Primes have a number of flexible options,
and that includes two literally flexible goosenecks
in 12 inch and 18 inch lengths to suit a variety
of tank sizes with panels up to 1.2 inches thick
with or without trim.
They have a slick, rubberized coating on the neck
and include clips to hold the wires neatly
against the gooseneck for a clean look.
If you prefer a rigid mount
than the Prime tank mount arm is great,
and my personal favorite,
it's made from lightweight aluminum
and has very little weight, making it great
for smaller tanks with thinner panels,
but it can still fit tanks with panels up
to 1.25 inches thick and it has adjustable height
that ranges from roughly 5 inches up to 12 inches
and an adjustable length from 6 inches up to 12 inches.
making it suitable for tanks as small as a 12 inch cube up
to larger tanks with a 24 inch depth front to back
like a 120 gallon.
It also has a ball joint attachment
for the light that allows it to pivot
so you can direct the light where you need it most
and cord routing channels to keep things looking slick.
Last but not least, if you prefer to hang your fixture
on a wire or want to attach your Prime
to a Universal Hybrid fixture bracket or mounting rail,
there's also a hanging kit available
that includes a special L bracket
with that same clever ball joint connection, as well
as all the hardware you need to hang a light
from the ceiling.
The L bracket has an open slot on the top
that can be used with generic stainless steel nuts
and bolts from your local hardware store
to attach it to universal brackets like the ones included
with the Aquatic Life Hybrid T5 fixtures.
The Prime 16HD Reef's spectrum is exactly
what you would expect to see in a premium Reef LED light,
offering wide coverage on the blue end including UV
and violet with cool white, red, and green diodes
to balance it out for a brighter, more natural look.
The wide blue spectrum will provide plenty
of par and fluorescence for coral growth and color pop
and can certainly show off those psychedelic coral colors
reefers are pining for, and if you're the kind
of reefer who really doesn't use much white, green, or red,
the app will allow you to overdrive the blue
and UV channels with the extra wattage not being used
by the channels you've turned down,
which is exactly what Randy has done
with the BRS recommended spectrum
of UV and violet channels at 166%, the Royal blue
and blue channels at 125%, red and green at just 10%,
and the cool white at 65%,
which creates a spectrum offering that comes
in very close to the ATI Blue Plus used
as the gold standard and will certainly do a great job
at growing colorful coral colonies.
When it comes to spread and coverage,
a single Prime 16HD can provide enough par
for softies and LPS within a 24 inch by 24 inch foot frame.
Or if SPS is your goal, a 16 by 16 inch foot frame.
That means a single Prime can effectively light a wide range
of Nano tanks while a pair or even trio
of Primes is an excellent option for 36 and 48 inch tanks.
And like I touched on earlier, by adding more Primes
and spreading them out over a larger aquarium,
you can actually achieve better spread and par distribution
while reducing hotspots and shadowing, compared
to the Hydro 32 and 64 fixtures for nearly the same cost,
which is going to be very appealing for a lot of reefers.
The Prime 16HD runs on the My AI app
which is available for both Android and iOS devices.
It offers all the control you'll need
to tune the spectrum and intensity
to what you prefer for your specific reefing goals, as well
as create a schedule with just a few taps using easy setup.
You can also create your own custom schedule by adding,
removing, or dragging points on the graph
as well as customizing the spectrum for each point,
providing a ton of flexibility.
There are also optional lunar and acclimation modes
for nighttime viewing and acclimating new corals.
Now, like I mentioned earlier,
there is a new AI Prime 16 Sol version which is a throwback
to a classic light that helped put AI on the map.
The new Prime 16 Sol has a bluer spectrum
that includes only three channels, including blue,
royal blue and cool whites and removes the green,
red, violet, and UV diodes from the mix,
cutting down on the overall cost of the light.
This simplified version of the Prime is going to be
an excellent option for those who want a bluer look
to their tank while shedding some
of the spectral frills, saving about 13 Watts
of power and $20 off the price tag.
So if you don't intend to use the green and red channels
or are gonna have them set to practically zero
and don't really mind not having those UV
and violet channels, then the AI Prime Sol is for you.
But if you prefer to have the full range of spectrum
at your fingertips, or enjoy having a whiter looking tank
and want to squeeze out as much par as possible
for your higher light demanding corals,
the Prime 16HD Reef is a phenomenal option,
especially at its price point.
So if this little powerhouse light fits your reefing mantra,
you can pick one up for yourself by clicking right here.
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