AI Nano LED pictured over live corals and mini reef

By on Aug 24, 2011

ai nano led

With the included mounting bracket, the AI Nano LED is on in sixty seconds

ai nano led

The AI Nano LED is part spotlight, part nano-fixture, and all high end LEDs with custom engineered lenses and an easy, intuitive touch-sensitive color control. The combination of the Cree XM cool white and Cree XP blue and royal blue LEDs has just the right quantity and quality of light to make coral colors pop over area of 20 to 24 inches squared. Although the AI Nano has a slightly different light engine under the hood, the output of light is very similar in quality and appearance as the AI Sol LED. The AI Nano LED light has tight optics, a black mounting arm and small fixture whcih really help to draw attention away from the source of the light, and directs it towards the live corals in this reef aquarium. After the break is a long series of pictures showing the AI Nano LED doing its thing over an EcoMini 28 gallon reef tank.

ai nano led

Since all of the light of the AI Nano LED comes from a small area, it creates hard shadows. The coral colors really fluoresce well and the tank has a slightly blueish cast overall.

ai nano led

By contrast, the Mame Ecolight which a softer shadow margins with a more even light distribution. The color is more balanced, not as blue with strong reds, pinks and orange but definitely less fluorescent than the AI Nano

ai nano led

What mounting arm?

ai nano led

just the Cree XPE blue LEDs

ai nano led

just the Cree XPE royal blue LEDs

ai nano led
ai nano led
ai nano led
ai nano led

Posted in Reef News |
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  5. AI Nano LED radically redesigned and release announced for the end of July
  6. Pacific Sun announces the first Cree XM LED reef light with the Metis XM
  7. Cree announces new higher performance Royal Blue LED with the XLamp XTE
 
  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_QSDPQ6KDZJ64Q25D2NVBTL2YTM wood

    Are there still going to be mounting arm haters?

  • http://twitter.com/seahostler John W Ostler

    Looks great.  I have mine on preorder from reefgeek.com.  They say they’ll be shipping out maybe as soon as Friday.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_OSVHXS5G6QAI2ZZL6G3JZ3HDH4 Jane

    Looks great but where’s the neutral white?  It’s lacking in the warmer end of the spectrum…

  • Michael Ornellas

    So 20-24″ coverage… Is that saying that a 48X24X24″ tank could be covered by just 2 AI nano…  um that would be awesome… 70 watts and $700… really?

  • Anonymous

    I think you could get away with two AI Nanos on a 75 gallon tank for 80% of corals. You would only have to go to three if you wanted more light demanding species like shallow water acroporas. 

  • http://twitter.com/alex93se alex nguyen

    Might have to get some to supplement my sol blues. Btw, I heard reefgeek and socaltropicalfish have them in stock.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Adam-Pottebaum/516975239 Adam Pottebaum

    Yea but if you put a third on a 75 where would it go? The only reasonable place is in the center and over half of the light on the middle fixture would get blocked by the center brace. On a bigger tank like a 75 you’d almost need 2 or 4.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Adam-Pottebaum/516975239 Adam Pottebaum

    Yea but if you put a third on a 75 where would it go? The only reasonable place is in the center and over half of the light on the middle fixture would get blocked by the center brace. On a bigger tank like a 75 you’d almost need 2 or 4.

  • Anonymous

    Center brace? I don’t even know anyone with a center brace on a tank smaller then 300 gallons.

  • Anonymous

    Who says lighting on the tank has to be symmetrical? SPS and two lights on one side, LPS and Chalices with one light on the other side

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Matthew-Tibbits/8640355 Matthew Tibbits

    Most AGA tanks starting at 75 gallons have a center brace.  I can’t remember if 55s have them or not…

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Adam-Pottebaum/516975239 Adam Pottebaum

    Yea there’s an idea!

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_VP2AH2FX2HF2VF2HM7RRHIWDDY Chipper

    Sure, it looks nice now, but let’s see that tank after 3 years.
     
    Two of my LFS have already changed back from LEDs to T5s. 
     
    Both said the same thing – after a year with LEDs, the colors and growth of the corals both sucked.
     
     
     
     

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_VP2AH2FX2HF2VF2HM7RRHIWDDY Chipper

    Sure, it looks nice now, but let’s see that tank after 3 years.
     
    Two of my LFS have already changed back from LEDs to T5s. 
     
    Both said the same thing – after a year with LEDs, the colors and growth of the corals both sucked.
     
     
     
     

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=608040062 Ioannis Mylothridis

    That’s funny, most people report much beter growth with LED’s, myself included

    As about the color i convinced its all about proper acclimatisation and the correct type of LED bins

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_VP2AH2FX2HF2VF2HM7RRHIWDDY Chipper

    That’s funny, I would say the opposite. 

    Most people I talk to say much better growth with halides and/or T5s versus LEDs.

    LEDs are still a few years away.

    Anyone can stock a tank and post on this blog how great that LED light is…..but, lets see those corals in a few years.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_DKK4APO7KQDM7MLT4X6OX3JBM4 MeghannG

    I have been growing corals under leds for more than a year and have gotten excellent growth and color. Now all of my tanks have LED’s, I think your message would have been more appropriate 2 years or maybe even a year ago, but not anymore. ;)

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_DKK4APO7KQDM7MLT4X6OX3JBM4 MeghannG

    I have been growing corals under leds for more than a year and have gotten excellent growth and color. Now all of my tanks have LED’s, I think your message would have been more appropriate 2 years or maybe even a year ago, but not anymore. ;)

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_DKK4APO7KQDM7MLT4X6OX3JBM4 MeghannG

    I have been growing corals under leds for more than a year and have gotten excellent growth and color. Now all of my tanks have LED’s, I think your message would have been more appropriate 2 years or maybe even a year ago, but not anymore. ;)

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_VP2AH2FX2HF2VF2HM7RRHIWDDY Chipper

    Yawn.

    A whole year huh?

    Since when does 1 year = 3 years? Read my post.
    ;)

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=622465486 Ryan Thompson

    Where is the dislike button? You haven’t added one meaningful reply to this entire comment section.

    A year under any lighting system shows that that lighting system will work. I don’t care if it is T5, MH, PC or the sun! If it works for a year, it will work for 10 years.

    99% of coral/tank problems have to do with husbandry and hobbyists getting lazy. Water parameters aren’t watched closely enough for 3-4 months and when the problem happens, it is too late.

    Light is light. The corals don’t care how they receive it as long as it is the proper lighting. Just as many people fail with MH and T5 as they do with LED. They all work and will continue to work as long as the hobbyist does their job.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_VP2AH2FX2HF2VF2HM7RRHIWDDY Chipper

    I dont know where the “dislike” button is either, but after your not so insightful reply, I would love to push that very same button.

    Don’t bring up “water parameters” or “getting lazy”…..we are assuming all things are the same.

    Obviously you don’t know what you are talking about when it comes to reef lighting.  Light is NOT light.  PAR IS THE IMPORTANT ASPECT.

    Coral growth and coral colors SUCK after 3 YEARS…….

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=622465486 Ryan Thompson

    You are right that PAR is the important aspect and LEDs put out more PAR then any other lighting system for the most part. With the right optics I can get an LED system to kill even the most powerful halide system.

    I can guarantee I know more about lighting then you do.

    Just to be totally correct, PUR is the important aspect here. You can have all the PAR in world but if none of the light is usable, it doesn’t matter. I would love to see some PUR readings for LEDs but I haven’t found any data on that just yet. Sanjay Joshi is supposed to be working on quite a few LED projects right now so hopefully he will get some PUR readings.

    Once again, corals die from water parameters more often than anything else. But I am sure your extensive knowledge and research shows otherwise. You are just a troll that doesn’t like LED lighting because a LFS couldn’t keep a tank with them. I would stop going to that LFS if I were you. I have multiple LFS around me that have been using LEDs for well over a year and things look great. If your LFS started using LEDs over 3 years ago they probably used old technology when people were just trying to make LEDs work over a tank.

    In the beginning LEDs had many downfalls. For example the cool white:blue combo that most people used. Some people and companies are actually still stuck on this mentality and it is sad. Blue:white combos have never looked good or worked the best over our tanks. Now many companies are starting to use red, magenta, pink and even neutral white LEDs to add in some of the warmer spectrum and people are having much better results.

    So once again, unless you have some good information and some proof of what you talk about, you are just a troll.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_6G5J7WMDLAVONOUHIFG2LIKKLQ Darryl

    Fully agree with this statement.

    Same thing happened with me and LED lights…..after a few years, the chalices looked like crap….put back on a halide light and everything did great again.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_6G5J7WMDLAVONOUHIFG2LIKKLQ Darryl

    Wrong.

    I had the same problem with LEDs…..growth and colors were terrible after a couple of years of use.

    Switched back to halides and everything is much better.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=622465486 Ryan Thompson

    Once again, there are way too many success stories with LED’s to use such a broad statement that they don’t work. Just as many people fail with MH and T5 as they do with LED.

    Would you be so kind to share what LED’s you used and how they were setup? I am willing to bet that you lacked spectrum because of using a cool white and royal blue LED combo.

  • John Oxnard

    Youre just jealous that you dont have the coin to drop on a sick LED setup dude.Waaaaaa!!!I dropped a grand on Duo 1050s alone,not including heatsink/LEDS to have multiple fully dimmable channels of RB,B,NW,TV and UV and my corals look radioactive even if I pull a frag out and hold it under my normal Kitchen lighting. Youre not getting that with T5′s

  • John Oxnard

    LOL Dude you are getting utterly destroyed on this topic. You have this pent up rage against a form of lighting. How sad is that? Ironically youre contradicting yourself bringing up PAR. LED is the PAR Monster in lighting.You sound jealous that you cant afford a sick LED setup. Awwww, too bad ;)

  • John Oxnard

    Classic.Either “Darryl” and Chipper are the same dude, or they are two dudes tanning nude together under some Metal Halides. There is absolutely no argument. The data speaks for itself: Corals dont know the difference between different forms of lighting. They respond to PAR, PERIOD.Just some haters who cant afford premium lighting

  • http://twitter.com/rbabyt Ruth Topaz

    I have the fixture, love the light–have a problem with the mounting arm.  1, i have a rimless tank–it’s an ADA tank and the screws that they provide to secure the arm are not long enough–I have way too much slack on the arm that the fixture droops, I have to stick something in the extra space to secure it—w t f?

    Secondly, my tank’s only 12″ deep, the mounting arm’s specifically created for cubes, it seems.  The edge of my light is right at the front of my tank…I need to figure out a different alternative for my tank and push it back a few inches so that the focus is at the center of the tank.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1380085756 Jamie Cline

    I have a 26g bow front. 24x15x21 with a rim~would this fixture clamp on? Also what about light penetration with a 21″ depth?

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1380085756 Jamie Cline

    I have a 26g bow front. 24x15x21 with a rim~would this fixture clamp on? Also what about light penetration with a 21″ depth?

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1380085756 Jamie Cline

    I have a 26g bow front. 24x15x21 with a rim~would this fixture clamp on? Also what about light penetration with a 21″ depth?