Another Kessil and T5 Question

hobbyreefer · Feb 14, 2020

I rented the MQ-510 Apogee Par Meter from BRS and I am a bit surprised at the par levels in my 5 foot tank.

Tank dimensions are 60 inches long by 26 inches wide by 24 inches tall.

I currently have the 48 inch aquatic life hybrid DX with 3 Kessil 360x running at 100% intensity and 3 ATI blue Plus and 1 Actinic T5. I'm running LEDs between 8AM and 8PM and T5s between 10AM and 7PM.

Par at the top of my rock work is around 300 - Top of the rock is about the middle of the tank.

Par in the middle of my rock is 220ish

Par on sand is around 170ish.

For some reason, I was thinking it would be a bit higher. My plan for the tank is 95% Acropora and I think I want more intense lighting.

Should I add 2 more Kessil 360x?

Instead, should I add a Radeon XR 30 or 2 XR15s and mix them with the kessils? How will mixing Radeon and Kessils affect the color? Going with more T5 or metal halide is probably not an option at this point due to already having the LED/Hybrid fixture.

Thanks!

BrandonS · Feb 14, 2020

In my experience kessil is not going to have the high par numbers you would get from other lights because of the spread on the optics. That's what gives that amazing shimmer. You can add the narrow reflector to increase par but decreases coverage. The wide angle spreads like 140 degrees. Most optics on LEDs are 120 or 90 degrees. So better blending and coverage but not as much power straight down. Also why kessil lights are usually mounted so close to the water. I have my fixture 8 inches from the water to minimize light spill. From your picture it looks like you have a descent amount of light bleed. Lowering the fixture would be my recommendation.

hobbyreefer · Feb 14, 2020

Thanks for the suggestion. My fixture is 8 inches above the water. It's a little off centered, but I wanted to ensure it was screwed into the studs... I might could lower it a couple more inches. I do want to hear from someone who has mixed Kessil and Radions. .

BrandonS · Feb 14, 2020

Sounds good. My two cents is I have kessils because I was given broken ones and fixed them. I would go radions in my t5 hybrid fixture if I wanted to buy them. With that said I am growing acropora and millipora no issues in 200 to 350 par.

My buddy has radions and kessil in his hybrid fixture over a 120. He is getting crazy growth under his radions and actually turned off his kessil

hobbyreefer · Feb 14, 2020

I appreciate your input. Maybe I can get a decent deal on a XR30 G4 now that the G5s are here... Would an XR30 plus 3 360x's and 4 T5s be enough?

PSU4ME · Feb 14, 2020

I’m building the same tank with the same T5 base and am planning on putting 3 gen 4s in there. Gen4 and T5 together is a great combo

BrandonS · Feb 14, 2020

hobbyreefer said:
I appreciate your input. Maybe I can get a decent deal on a XR30 G4 now that the G5s are here... Would an XR30 plus 3 360x's and 4 T5s be enough?

My buddy did multiple xr15s because of better spread

hobbyreefer · Feb 14, 2020

I dropped $1,300 on the Kessils...Just trying to decide the best move at this point. Mix Kessil and XR 15s? Try to sell the Kessils and go all Radion? This thing is really a money pit!

BrandonS · Feb 14, 2020

hobbyreefer said:
I dropped $1,300 on the Kessils...Just trying to decide the best move at this point. Mix Kessil and XR 15s? Try to sell the Kessils and go all Radion? This thing is really a money pit!

Only if you let it.

BRS recommended 250 to 350 par for acropora. Depending on the acropora they will grow very tall and will be in much higher par. I would give it a try after your cycle. Can also add reef bright strips. Extra par in blue spectrum and way cheaper for what you get.

dwest · Feb 14, 2020

I use kessil 360’s spaced 12 inches apart with my t5 hybrid on my 180. You might want 5 kessils if you are going be a heavy stick person. You might want to see if what you have works though. I turn mine down so that most of my acros get between 200 and 300 PAR.

PSU4ME · Feb 14, 2020

I like that 300 spot about mid tank and then as stated let them grow into higher par. Good par mid tank helps a lot of tabling acros stay flat

Crabs McJones · Feb 14, 2020

I would lower the fixture. Even though the package says 8 to 10 inches kessil recommends a 6.5 to 7 inch mounting height to punch par to the bottom of the tank.