Fluval Evo 12 Gallon [13.5]

[Reef of Fillory]

Just bought the Fluval Evo and am already thinking about possible lighting upgrades.

I have seen that some people grow SPS with the stock light/hood but my concern is that the stock setup will generate too much heat. My wife is not a big fan of the SPS and this will be on the bar between kitchen and living room. With that said, this tank will be primarily LPS/softies with an occasional SPS.

I would like the ability to put a small anemone in this tank if the opportunity presents itself. Possibly a small clam if the tank stays stable enough.

I have seen others use the stock lighting for anemones, but not for clams.

Others use the Kessil A80 ($), Kessil A160 ($$$) and the AI Prime HD. ($$)

I would be looking to buy any of these lights [or others based on suggestions] for this tank used on the forums as I come across them.


Any input or opinions are appreciated!

Thanks

 

[GoVols]

I'd think a Kessil a80 would do the job

 

[Reef of Fillory]

I'd think a Kessil a80 would do the job

The a80's price is enticing for choosing that over an AI.

With the difference in price between the a80 ($130) and AI Prime ($200) is the Prime worth $70 more?

One of my fears about the a160 [aside from being double the price of the a80] is that it'll be more of a spotlight.

I only have around 12" above my tank in it's current location to mount a new light.

Do you think that one a80 would be enough to give sufficient coverage and par to an EVO tank? I've heard some people say that they've added a second a80, or have moved up to more powerful lights even on a 12 gallon.

For my last tank I bought SBReef lights basic and used that on my tank, so I went low-end but now that i'm considering "higher end" lighting, I don't really know what the consensus is on whether one is worth the extra $ over another. I only hear polarizing opinions regarding Kessil vs AI.

I've even tossed around the idea of trying a metal halide on the tank with a temp controlled fan =O

I do have an ATO on the nano tank

 

[GoVols]

Hard choice between the Prime and the a160we. The Kessil's do have a nice MH shimmer and their led's are mixed right out of the gate.

If you could take the heat, MH would be killer

 

[Reef of Fillory]

Hard choice between the Prime and the a160we. The Kessil's do have a nice MH shimmer and their led's are mixed right out of the gate.

If you could take the heat, MH would be killer

What worries me on the MH is that as far as I know they can't be dimmed and I don't want to fry anything

Also the price of MH + possibly needing a chiller would probably outweigh the cost of the higher end LED

 

[Pittsford_Pets]

I have a Prime over my 10 and I’m having awesome growth/coloration. I’d go with it all the way

 

[Reef of Fillory]

I have a Prime over my 10 and I’m having awesome growth/coloration. I’d go with it all the way

Is yours the HD, or the "normal" one?

I really don't know the difference between the a80 and the Prime, or whether I should care about the differences or not ;Pompus

 

[lake985]

I had an A160 mounted ~12" over a 6G Fluval Edge and it was more than enough light. Granted the tank was pretty shallow, but I don't believe I ever set the intensity above 40% with softies and LPS. If you decide to go with one, you should be able to grow SPS.

 

[Reef of Fillory]

I had an A160 mounted ~12" over a 6G Edge and it was more than enough light. Granted the tank was pretty shallow, but I don't believe I ever set the intensity above 40% with softies and LPS. If you decide to go with one, you should be able to grow SPS.

Nice tank! Did you find that you had plenty of coverage without blinding light spillage?

The a160 is 40 watts and according to the BRS specs requires 12-24" mounting height for 12-24" coverage respectively. I don't think that I could get the light 12" off the top of the tank where it's located so that might rule out the a160.


The a80 is 15 watts, so if you were to run the a160 @ 40% that would be the a80's wattage @ 100%.


Does anyone have experience running the a80 on 8-10-12 gallon tanks? I now have an anemone and plan to get 1-2 more as well as possibly adding a clam to the tank once I determine what lighting i'm going with.


Thanks for the experiences everyone!

 

[lake985]

Nice tank! Did you find that you had plenty of coverage without blinding light spillage?

Yes, I had plenty of coverage, but the tank was located on an end table next to our sofa (i.e. eye level when sitting) and my wife constantly complained about the light blinding her. So, she learned to sit at the other end of the sofa--easy fix !!

 

[Reef of Fillory]

Haha, my tank is on the bar between my kitchen and living room, and is 'behind' the couch so I would imagine that light spill would be irritating while sitting on the couch

 

[lake985]

Digging the scape, but you might have light spillage with any fixture since the tank is above your head when sitting. A 22g long tank would look great there...just sayin' .

 

[jefra]

Agreed, great scape! Though I don't have mine any more, the EVO was one of my favorite nano tanks.

 

[Reef of Fillory]

I've got 9" of clearance max above the tank now, so I think the a160 isn't going to work. Any opinions on a80 vs Ai prime?

If I remember correctly from reading on the forums, the a80 will need a additional controller to be programmable more than on/ off plugged in to a timer, while the AI prime has ramping and timing capabilities built in?

 

[Reef of Fillory]

Thank you for all the insight everyone, I pulled the trigger on an AI prime HD from @bulkreefsupply tonight after talking to the boss.

No mounting arms in stock anywhere thigh, so I'm not sure what I'll do once I get it without having a way to mount it.

If you want to follow my little tank, stop by my build thread in the nano section:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/michigan-evo-12-13-5-gallons.366050/

 

[Gino Rodriguez]

I had an A160 mounted ~12" over a 6G Fluval Edge and it was more than enough light. Granted the tank was pretty shallow, but I don't believe I ever set the intensity above 40% with softies and LPS. If you decide to go with one, you should be able to grow SPS.

Woah woah woah! A Fluval edge!?How did you keep glass so sharp!? My buddy had one years back when I was into aquascaping and the top glass always got that white buildup from the hard water let alone salt creep!? You’re a wizard.