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AI Hydra 26 or 52 for 38/65 gallon
- Thread starter Cannoy
- Start date
The tanks in question, 38 gal and 65 gal tanks both seem to be 36 inches long. The also both also have a center brace. No matter what you do, it's going to be a problem to light either tank with a single fixture. Take a look at Al's own specs for both fixtures here (offsite) - http://www.aquaillumination.com/lighting/hydra/ Note that the coverage area for a 36 inch square is bright in the center, and very dim toward the edges. In reality, each fixture will give you coverage for about 24 inches. The big difference is that the model 56 produces a lot more light compared to a model 26.
The big factor here is going to be what your going to keep in the tank. If you want soft corals, zoas, mushrooms and so on, two model 26s' could be enough. If you want SPS corals or clams your going to want additional light, so two model 52's would be needed.
While we are on the subject, it should be pointed out that any of the Al fixtures require a controller or director to operate them.
Lastly, don't forget all the mounting hardware your going to need.
Just to give you an idea, I use 6 of the older Hydra, which has 20 LEDs each over my 126 gal reef. My tank also has a center brace, so that why I'm not using an odd number of fixtures. I get excellent light out of them, and am only running them at about 80%. I tried 4 originally, but found that LED lighting wants to go, more or less, straight down, so it created bright and dim areas near the surface. Adding the 2 additional fixtures made the upper lighting much more even.
Now let's look at price. From a "famous name seller" the Al hydra 52 is about $600 verses the Al Hydra 26 for about $400. With the 52, your getting twice the light for only 1 1/2 times the cost.
I see a few reasonable ways you can go here. One would be to just get two Hydra 52 and be done with it, but that's got a big initial investment.
Another way would be to get a single 52 and see how it does over the 38 gal tank. Personally, I think the because of the center brace, and the dim ends, your going to want a second fixture.
You could also go with two 26s, but if you need more light later, adding more of them isn't very cost effective.
You could also look at LED lighting from other manufacturers. However, the problems are going to be similar. Here's the Eco Tech Radion XR3 Pro (offsite) - http://ecotechmarine.com/products/radion/radion-xr30w-pro/ Note it's par distribution graph. It's also very bright in the center, and dim to the edges. In other words, check out the over manufacturers, but one way or another, they are going to "get you".
The big factor here is going to be what your going to keep in the tank. If you want soft corals, zoas, mushrooms and so on, two model 26s' could be enough. If you want SPS corals or clams your going to want additional light, so two model 52's would be needed.
While we are on the subject, it should be pointed out that any of the Al fixtures require a controller or director to operate them.
Lastly, don't forget all the mounting hardware your going to need.
Just to give you an idea, I use 6 of the older Hydra, which has 20 LEDs each over my 126 gal reef. My tank also has a center brace, so that why I'm not using an odd number of fixtures. I get excellent light out of them, and am only running them at about 80%. I tried 4 originally, but found that LED lighting wants to go, more or less, straight down, so it created bright and dim areas near the surface. Adding the 2 additional fixtures made the upper lighting much more even.
Now let's look at price. From a "famous name seller" the Al hydra 52 is about $600 verses the Al Hydra 26 for about $400. With the 52, your getting twice the light for only 1 1/2 times the cost.
I see a few reasonable ways you can go here. One would be to just get two Hydra 52 and be done with it, but that's got a big initial investment.
Another way would be to get a single 52 and see how it does over the 38 gal tank. Personally, I think the because of the center brace, and the dim ends, your going to want a second fixture.
You could also go with two 26s, but if you need more light later, adding more of them isn't very cost effective.
You could also look at LED lighting from other manufacturers. However, the problems are going to be similar. Here's the Eco Tech Radion XR3 Pro (offsite) - http://ecotechmarine.com/products/radion/radion-xr30w-pro/ Note it's par distribution graph. It's also very bright in the center, and dim to the edges. In other words, check out the over manufacturers, but one way or another, they are going to "get you".