Aqua Illumination Lighting

Aqua Illumination Lighting

Prime 16 HD, Hydra, Hydra Edge and Blade reef LEDs
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Blade Coral Grow - Aqua Illumination

Blade Coral Grow - Aqua Illumination

Starting at $169.99
Extremely Versatile Mounting, Spectrum, and Sizing Options.. Aquarium Lighting, Your Way!

Available in 7 different sizes from 12 to 66 inches
Balanced blue and white spectrum optimized...
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Answers

Aqua Illumination Lighting & Pump FAQs

What is the difference between the AI Prime 16HD and the AI Blade?
They solve different problems. The Prime 16HD is a point-source fixture — a single compact puck whose HD channels borrow power from unused colors to produce a punchy, shimmery beam over a focused footprint. It is the right primary light for a nano or small reef, and scales to larger tanks by running several in a row.

The Blade is a strip light, available in seven lengths from 12" to 66". Its 95-degree EdgeField optics wrap light around rockwork with minimal shadowing, it is IP66 rated, and it cools passively so it makes no noise at all. Blades work as a standalone light on shallow or long tanks, stacked in parallel for more intensity, or as supplemental fill alongside Hydra fixtures.

Short version: choose Prime for punch and shimmer in a small footprint, Blade for even coverage across a long span. Both are controlled from the same myAI app, so mixing them is straightforward.
How do you program Aqua Illumination lights?
Every current AI light pairs over Bluetooth with the free myAI app on iOS or Android — there is no separate controller to buy. Hydra Edge, Nero and Axis devices also work with Mobius and Neptune Apex Fusion if you already run a controller.

Programming scales to how much control you want. A pre-defined cycle gets you running in a couple of minutes, and multi-point programming lets you set your own sunrise, peak, sunset and moonlight points channel by channel. Most reefers start on a preset and refine from there.

A good starting point on a new tank is roughly 50-60% intensity over an 8 to 9 hour photoperiod, then increase 5-10% every week or two while you watch how the corals respond.
Do Aqua Illumination lights cause algae growth?
The fixture is not the cause — how you run it is. Nuisance algae shows up when photoperiod runs long (much beyond 12 hours a day), intensity is higher than the corals actually need, or nitrate and phosphate are already elevated. LEDs simply make an existing nutrient problem visible faster.

The practical fix is to shorten the photoperiod before you cut intensity, get nutrients under control, and ramp new lights slowly rather than starting at full power. If you are seeing algae on the glass within days of a new light, the schedule is almost always the culprit.

Worth noting that AI also sells lights designed to grow algae on purpose: the Prime 16 Fuge and the 12" Blade Refugium use spectrums tuned for macroalgae, which pulls nutrients out of the display and starves the algae you do not want.
What size tank is the AI Nero 3 for?
The Nero 3 moves up to 2000 GPH while drawing about 20 watts, and its wet side is only a couple of inches across, so it disappears in the tank. As a single pump it suits roughly 20 to 75 gallon reefs; on larger systems, reefers commonly run two for opposing flow. It mounts on glass up to 1/2" thick.

If you need more, the Nero 5 pushes 3000 GPH and the Nero 7 pushes 4000 GPH with a manufacturer rating covering 80 to 500+ gallon tanks and glass up to 0.79".

All three use the same broad-flow propeller, which spreads water in a wide pattern rather than a narrow jet. That lets you run higher flow numbers than you could with an older powerhead without blasting corals directly.
Which AI Axis return pump do I need?
Axis pumps are rated by display volume: the Axis 20 handles tanks up to 15 gallons at 185 GPH, the Axis 40 covers up to 40 gallons at 400 GPH, and the Axis 90 covers up to 90 gallons at 925 GPH.

Those ratings assume a typical sump-under-stand plumbing run. Head height, elbows and a long return line all reduce real-world flow, so if your display sits high, your plumbing is complex, or you are feeding a manifold, choose the next size up.

All three run a silent DC motor with three pump modes and connect to myAI, Mobius or MXM. The useful part is coordination: a feed or maintenance mode triggered in the app shuts down your return pump, powerheads and lights at the same time, then brings them back automatically.

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More info and buying tips

The Aqua Illumination Ecosystem

Aqua Illumination builds three things a reef tank cannot run without — light, in-tank flow and return flow — and ties all of them to a single app. Every current AI device, from a 12" Blade strip to a 4000 GPH Nero 7, pairs over Bluetooth with the free myAI app, so one phone controls your sunrise, your wave patterns and your feed mode together. That system-level control is the real reason reefers stay in the AI line once they start, and it is why the AI Prime 16HD and AI Blade remain two of the most searched reef lights on the market.

Reef Lights: Prime, Hydra, Hydra Edge and Blade

The Aqua Illumination lighting range splits into point-source fixtures and strips, and the right answer usually comes down to tank shape rather than budget.

  • Prime 16 HD — the world's most popular reef LED for a reason. HD channels dynamically borrow power from colors you are not using, so a single small puck produces a far more vivid spectrum than its footprint suggests. Ideal as the primary light on nano and small reefs, or run in multiples across a longer tank.
  • Hydra 32 HD and Hydra 64 HD — the workhorse of the line. The HD generation added more LEDs, more PAR, wider spread, improved optics and water resistance, a thinner body and a dedicated moonlight channel. The 32 covers most mixed reefs; the 64 is the SPS-capable big brother.
  • Hydra Edge 44 HD and Edge 68 HD — the newest platform. Solar Ring technology puts a cluster of white and warm-white LEDs in the center for controllable shimmer and caustics, EdgeField optics deliver 100-degree spread with minimal shadowing, and HyperDrive lets you push output where you need it. The Edge also talks to Mobius and Apex Fusion in addition to myAI.
  • Blade Coral Grow and Blade Coral Glow — modular strips in seven lengths from 12" to 66". Grow is tuned for photosynthesis, Glow for fluorescence. IP66 rated with passive, completely silent cooling and 95-degree EdgeField optics, they work as a standalone light on shallow or long tanks, stacked in parallel, or as supplemental fill next to Hydras.
  • Refugium lighting — the Prime 16 Fuge and the 12" Blade Refugium run spectrums built to grow macroalgae fast for nutrient export, not to color corals.

Nero and Orbit: Flow Inside the Tank

AI powerheads are built around a propeller that pushes a wide, soft column of water instead of the hard jet older designs produce. That matters in a coral tank: you get enough energy to lift detritus into your filtration and eliminate dead spots without sandblasting anything downstream.

  • Nero 3 — 2000 GPH from a 20W pump with a wet-side footprint barely over 2 inches. The most popular pump in the range and the right starting point for most small and mid-size reefs.
  • Nero 5 — 3000 GPH for mid-size systems that need more turnover from a single pump.
  • Nero 7 — 4000 GPH, rated for tanks from 80 to 500+ gallons, mounts on glass up to 0.79" thick and still measures only 3.38" across.
  • Orbit 2 and Orbit 4 — cross-flow pumps that circle water around the tank the way tidal current moves across a reef. Excellent at lifting nutrients off the sand bed, and genuinely powerful when paired with the directional flow of a Nero.

Axis Return Pumps

The Axis series brings DC control to the sump. Each AI return pump runs near-silent, offers three pump modes, and is sized by display volume: Axis 20 for tanks up to 15 gallons (185 GPH), Axis 40 for up to 40 gallons (400 GPH) and Axis 90 for up to 90 gallons (925 GPH). Head height and plumbing runs eat into rated flow, so if your sump sits in a stand below a tall display, size up.

One App for the Whole System

The payoff for staying inside the AI ecosystem is coordination. Feed and maintenance modes triggered from myAI stop your lights, powerheads and return pump together, then restart them on a timer — no reaching behind the stand for three separate controllers. Programming scales with you: start on a pre-defined cycle, then move to multi-point programming when you want a specific sunrise, peak and moonlight curve. Hydra Edge, Nero and Axis devices also work with Mobius and Neptune Apex Fusion if you already run a controller.

Mounting and Accessories

Almost every AI fixture ships ready for more than one mounting method. HMS rail mounts and multi-light kits handle rimless tanks and multi-fixture arrays, flex arms give you a clean single-post mount, and hanging kits drop a fixture from the ceiling or a canopy. Blade strips include either a tank rest or mounting clips in the box. If you are upgrading a Hydra to a Hydra Edge, the Edge 44 and Edge 68 HMS adapter kits let you reuse the rail you already own.

Choosing Your Setup

For a nano or small reef up to about 30 gallons, a Prime 16 HD, a Nero 3 and an Axis 20 or 40 covers the whole system. From 40 to 90 gallons, step up to a Hydra 32 HD or a pair of Primes, a Nero 3 or 5, and an Axis 90. Above that, plan on multiple Hydra 64 HD or Hydra Edge 68 fixtures, two Neros or an Orbit paired with a Nero, and an external return sized to your head height. Whatever the scale, run new lights conservatively — roughly 50-60% intensity over an 8 to 9 hour photoperiod — and ramp up 5-10% at a time as corals acclimate.