Upgrading Fluval 13.5g light
- Thread starter Plunder
- Start date
- Tagged users None
dwair
Valuable Member
Great Question!! yes there is a reason. The reason is Kessil is kind of a set and forget kind of deal. But you have no control on it besides the knobs on the top of the actual light. You can buy a spectral controller - $100 and be able to set timers and adjust "abit" more.
Whereas the AI Prime HD, you get to access AI's app and control spectrum, set timers, etc. All built in with wifi. Don't need a controller.
With all that being said if you are worried about budget, you can go get a simple timer from home depot and hook it up to the Kessil and be just fine. If you want a little more controllability, go with the AI Prime HD.
Personally IF you can afford it, I'd go with the AI Prime just for the simple fact you dont' have to buy a $100 controller like you do with the Kessil. BOTH are great lights and you can't go wrong either way bud!
OP
OP
Plunder
Active Member
That explained a lot, thanks. I've made my decision and I'm going to order the AI Prime HD, less clutter is better. My own concern is taking off the lid because I know the snails will make a break for it, as they climb on the top of the glass when I clean the tank. Do they go back in on their own or do they snails gotta go?
dwair
Valuable Member
You can get a custom DIY screen lid off of BRS or even make one from Home depot, pretty cheap. Thats the route I would go. You will want a lid, not just for the snails but fish can jump out of the tank and go "carpet surfing" as we call it lol. Don't want to lose any livestock cause of no lid. Won't cost much to build a screen lid.
OP
OP
Plunder
Active Member
I'm going to look into this, thanks. Would the mesh cover interfere with lighting or is there a certain size I should use? Thanks!
dwair
Valuable Member
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/diy-aquarium-screen-top-kits-1-8-netting.html Something like this would work fine, they have different size netting. Will not interfere with lighting. As far as size goes, it depends on your fish really. Bigger the holes, the more chance a fish can jump through it.
Easy Reefing
Active Member
I have an ai prime 16HD on my fluval evo 13.5 and love it so far . U can make a mesh lid for around $20 from stuff at Home Depot
OP
OP
Plunder
Active Member
That's perfect, 1/8th seems enough to stop even the smallest snails. They are all out of stock at the moment but I will defiantly be ordering that 2-foot kit. Thanks a million. Funny how a tank with everything built-in somehow still gets an upgrade in the beginning.
I've been building and messing with computers since I was ten and I'm starting to see a correlation between the two hobbies. Seems smarter to just start from the bottom up and order everything individually to your requirements, because in the end, you end up replacing things in the beginning on a lot of "all in one" systems.
Did I really need to upgrade? I guess not, but once you start seeing these products in action and pictures of people's tanks and hearing about the performance of them.
Sometimes it feels like an itch I need to scratch, always in search for the best.
I've been building and messing with computers since I was ten and I'm starting to see a correlation between the two hobbies. Seems smarter to just start from the bottom up and order everything individually to your requirements, because in the end, you end up replacing things in the beginning on a lot of "all in one" systems.
Did I really need to upgrade? I guess not, but once you start seeing these products in action and pictures of people's tanks and hearing about the performance of them.
Sometimes it feels like an itch I need to scratch, always in search for the best.
Last edited:
OP
OP
Plunder
Active Member
That's a good point, I'm just being lazy. I'll go check it out tomorrow with my girl. It'll give us something to work on. Maybe they even have some better mesh.
butchhe
Community Member
I went the DIY route with 1/8" netting mentioned above. If I could do it all over again, the only thing I would chance is to find the netting in black or use black bridal veil mesh to reduce the glare from the light.
Jonify
Well-Known Member
Update: I did just watch a slew of BRS videos on lighting and was surprised to learn that softies/LPS do well up to 150, and SPS 200-350. A fellow reefer took PAR measurements with the stock EVO light and found 508 on the surface, 204 4" down, and 130 8" down (measurements taken from the center, PAR goes down as you approach the 4 corners of the tank of course). My ATO kicks on maybe twice a day for 10 seconds or so, and I only go through a gallon of water about once every week ... so I'm really rooting for this system's success with stock equipment only. I was hating on the stock skimmer, but it's really quieted down over the past few weeks and settled into a consistent skim. Adjusting that thing was a real pain though.
