Ai Vega - A Review (With Pictures)

[rstar]

Originally Posted by sphelps

Looks good, although I'm confused about one of the reasons you chose the fixture that relate to "not too much disco". My impressions of the Vega color is that it's pretty much the worst fixture when it comes to this effect, curious which fixtures you passed on for this reason. You can actually even see the effect clearly in the pictures. Also be careful not to run the lights too high, most of those corals have low light requirements and the AI units use pretty narrow optics that can create hot spots and burn sensitive corals.

As I stated above, the two main fixtures I was considering were the Maxspect Razor, and the Vega. I was also considering the Mazzara P and the SOL. I nixed the SOL because I wanted the additional color right away, and the Mazzara because my brother has had a lot of problems with his. The budget I had set for myself was around $800. After numerous PM's from various vendors and hobbyists alike mentioning a very bad effect that the Razor gives, and the fact that it is not modular I decided against it. I'll admit the only fixture I had seen myself was the Mazzara. I largely relied on fellow hobbyist advise, as I'm sure you can vouch first hand that the availability of most of these lights, even to just view is fairly limited in Saskatoon.

I'll also admit that I have very limited experience in any LED lighting, so my perception of what is and is not disco could be out to lunch, but to my eyes, I really cannot see much distinction between the red and green, more so the white and blue, but I don't find it unappealing in any way. The camera may be better picking up the separation, and I imagine if I ran an overflow which would greatly increase the surface agitation, this effect may become more pronounced.

Ultimately my choice came down to quality (AI from my research released a quality product, with good support) Spectrum without having to modify, price, and finally support, as this fixture was available locally, and I could have that backing. I've learned to value Baysides recommendations over the years and so decided to go this route.

The recommended height for this fixture is about 5" AWL and I am running it at 9" to get the spread over the whole tank. I am watching the corals closely and have not notice any burning or anything yet.

I hope this answered some of you questions, and thanks for reading!