Nuvo 20 Lighting - AI Prime HD vs Radion XR15 vs Something Else??

WillU

WillU

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Hey! I'm upgrading my Fluval Evo 13.5 to a Nuvo 20 and have been going down a black hole of light research and can't decide.

I currently have an AI Prime 16HD which is doing fine. With the Nuvo 20 being a bit wider than my Fluval I've been thinking I'd need to at least get a second AI Prime or go to something like an XR15 or XR30?

Since I already need to buy something, I figured I might as well buy the best future proof option. I don't really plan to have any SPS as I have primarily a nem tank with about 15 nems at this point. I have some zoas and mushrooms as well.

So here is where I've been stuck:

1) Buy another AI Prime ~$250
2) Buy a single XR15 ~$500
3) Buy a single XR30 ~$800
4) Something else? Maybe a Kessil 360xe?

Open to other suggestions. I want something that looks nice, is easy to program and will do well for my nems and make them look good.

Ideally trying to stay around $500 but can stretch the budget for something really worth it.

Attaching some pics of my current tank.
 

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WillU said:
Hey! I'm upgrading my Fluval Evo 13.5 to a Nuvo 20 and have been going down a black hole of light research and can't decide.

I currently have an AI Prime 16HD which is doing fine. With the Nuvo 20 being a bit wider than my Fluval I've been thinking I'd need to at least get a second AI Prime or go to something like an XR15 or XR30?

Since I already need to buy something, I figured I might as well buy the best future proof option. I don't really plan to have any SPS as I have primarily a nem tank with about 15 nems at this point. I have some zoas and mushrooms as well.

So here is where I've been stuck:

1) Buy another AI Prime ~$250
2) Buy a single XR15 ~$500
3) Buy a single XR30 ~$800
4) Something else? Maybe a Kessil 360xe?

Open to other suggestions. I want something that looks nice, is easy to program and will do well for my nems and make them look good.

Ideally trying to stay around $500 but can stretch the budget for something really worth it.

Attaching some pics of my current tank.
Click to expand...
I say go with another AI prime if that is working well for you. Why change?
 
I'd stick with what you have unless the lenses are burned out since you didn't have a lot of lighting requirements with that livestock.

Otherwise the Kessil a360xe tuna blue would work well and it's on sale currently. I use that on my clams in the same size area, but it can be dialed down easily for your needs.

To future proof if you want to keep Acropora, you could pick up a ReeFi Uno 2.1 that would cover that area well and will put out more light than the XR30 at about half the price. 3 year warranty too.
 
Darkxerox said:
I'd stick with what you have unless the lenses are burned out since you didn't have a lot of lighting requirements with that livestock.

Otherwise the Kessil a360xe tuna blue would work well and it's on sale currently. I use that on my clams in the same size area, but it can be dialed down easily for your needs.

To future proof if you want to keep Acropora, you could pick up a ReeFi Uno 2.1 that would cover that area well and will put out more light than the XR30 at about half the price. 3 year warranty too.
Click to expand...
Would a single A360xe cover the nuvo 20? It's 24" wide.
 
WillU said:
Yeah but is it truly good with no shadows? I try not to just believe all the marketing they put out haha
Click to expand...
Any point source light will have shadows, that's unavoidable without like T5 or blade style lights. But honestly with your caves and elevation changes, it should look great and you can adjust it forward or back depending on how it looks. Plus you'll get less algae growing on the glass.
 
My vote is for a XR15 Blue. This will future proof it in case you want to upgrade to a larger tank and I've never had an issue with Mobius. I think I have a XR15 G5 Blue with diffuser and RMS mount I can sell as well.

I've used and still have a AI Prime 16HD, but have found the PAR output is very low. You don't need high PAR for your nems now, but just in case. I also hate the fact that the Prime lens always melts, so you'll want to replace them every year.

Kessil 360XE is good too, but it's annoying you have to buy the wifi dongle if you want to control it with the app.
 
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