Fixture · Aqua Illumination · LED puck
AI Prime 16 HD
Best small-tank LED bar-for-buck. Surprisingly capable for 20-gal nanos and 24″ AIO builds.
At a glance
- Max draw
- 55 W
- Coverage
- 16″ × 16″ at 7″
- Mounting height
- 7″
- Street price
- $220
PAR at depth (μmol/m²/s)
| Depth | Center | Edge | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6″ | 420 | 140 | |
| 12″ | 250 | 80 | |
| 18″ | 150 | 50 | |
| 24″ | 95 | 30 |
All readings corrected for underwater use. Center = directly under fixture; edge = at the 16″ × 16″ footprint edge. PAR varies by individual fixture setup, mount type, and tank glass — use these as a sizing baseline, then measure with your own meter.
Spectrum channels
- uv
- violet
- royal blue
- blue
- cyan
- green
- red
- cool white
Best for
- Nano reef
- LPS
- Frag tank
Pros
- + Cheap entry to AI ecosystem
- + Same myAI app control
- + Small footprint
Cons
- − Limited spread
- − Not enough for tanks > 24″ wide
Where to buy
Affiliate links
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, reefcalcs earns from qualifying purchases.
PAR data source
BRS Prime HD video + Reef2Reef readings.
Next steps
- Correct your PAR meter reading using the PAR underwater calculator — uncorrected, the Apogee MQ-500 reads about 24 % low underwater (×1.32) and the older MQ-200 about 7 % low (×1.08); the MQ-510 corrects itself.
- Convert peak PAR to DLI with the DLI calculator — that's the metric corals actually care about.
- Reference the lighting guide for PAR targets by coral type.
Last reviewed