AI Hydra 64HD for a 20g nano cube

[IURobert]

Hi reefers,

I have this oportunity to buy an AI hydra 64 HD for a very good price. Do you think will be to much for a 20g nano cube? For you to understand, the price for it will be like a new AI prime 16 HD.

Thank you,

 

[bushdoc]

It is too much if run at 30% or even less, but you can always run it at 15% or so and perhaps in the future you will upgrade to larger tank.
Word of warning though- it is very powerful, so if you set it too high it might burn your corals.

 

[silent1mezzo]

Hi reefers,

I have this oportunity to buy an AI hydra 64 HD for a very good price. Do you think will be to much for a 20g nano cube? For you to understand, the price for it will be like a new AI prime 16 HD.

Thank you,

Yes it is way too much if you were to run it at 100%. You'll definitely get spill over the sides of the tank but you can combat that with shades and mounting it lower. Run it at 5%, check par and increase if needed.

I'd definitely buy this over the 16hd purely for the fact you can upgrade your tank later and have an amazing light.

 

[Spare time]

As other said, run it low at something 25% max (i.e. 100% of a prime). I'd probably mount it as high as possible and then start at 15%.

 

[kamike91]

It‘s similar to my setup. I have a hydra 52hd at 60% UV/V/RY, 53% B, and 9% CW over a 20 gallon cube. Mounting height is 12 inches from waterline to bottom of the fixture. At the waterline PAR is about 500, halfway down in the center about 250, sand bed along the tank perimeter 150-180. I could turn it down a little but everything is happy. Almost everything is at middle height or lower.