Calling all T5/LED hybrid owners for help!!

[Cari]

Doing an aquascape/lighting remodel....

Background: Standard 90 gallon, 48” tank with custom made canopy (which I will definitely be keeping . Started many moons ago with MH/T5 actinic , changed to 36” ATI dimmable with 2-48” RB LED, currently have 2 - Kessil 360we Tuna Blues.
Currently have softies, some LPS and anemones. Want to have totally mixed reef.

Pros/Cons of each for me:

MH/T5 Actinic - Pros: LOVED the shimmer, wired so all cables/cords completely hidden. Outside aesthetics of aquarium perfect....Cons: hated the heat! Wanted to experiment with more color variations of T5’s.

ATI Dimmable/RB - Pros: Coral colors popped, virtually no heat issues, good coral growth, happy corals. Dimmable feature nice, not a huge need for me. Cons: Had to take fixture completely down for any maintenance, no coverage at end of tank, (purchased 36” based on recommendations viewed online) RB a size larger, but not attached to ATI, too many cords, NOT enough shimmer.

Kessil 360we Tuna Blues - Pros: Easy to install, take up little space. Zero heat issues. Not as many cords. Cons: Shimmer looks unnatural to me, get the ‘disco ball’ reference. Have had difficulty dialing in on a lighting schedule. I like the look of lower color/higher intensity, but can get “baked” on algae on glass as a result. Many corals seem to be surviving, not thriving. Anemones hanging out at top. (Under the other two, they were mid level to bottom)

So bottom line : Here’s what I’m looking for:
1): Bulb color variations and happiness of corals with T5.
2). Shimmer of MH, or a little more subdued of the LED.
3). Self cooling system for obvious heat issues ( I also have 2 fans in canopy ends - one sucking in and one blowing out)
4). As little cords as possible - and length would be an advantage as well
5). FULL coverage
6). Mounting ideas for maintenance - I’m thinking potentially figuring in “drawer slides” somehow.

I have given thought to the ATI Powermodule, I think if the 6 bulb model wasn’t a special order (with a 90 day lead time) I may have already ordered . But because I’m drawn to ATI, haven’t really deeply explored other options. I would definitely entertain higher end budget wise, if it truly gives what I’m looking for...so let’s take budget off the table for now!

Sorry for the long post....thanks in advance for the input!

 

[GoVols]

JMO...

I'd look at the Giesemann Aurora as an option too.

 

[Cari]

Thanks! I will definitely check it out.

As a side note... I should have titled this to include MH/T5 hybrids too. With today’s technology, there may be options out there that are not huge heat producers.

 

[Cari]

I found some info on the Aurora, nice fixture! In the article, the reefer had a 48” over a 60” tank, about 11” high. What size would you get over a 48”?

 

[Jimbo662]

You could try the Aquatic Life Hybrid using your existing Kessils.

 

[14 foot reef]

You could try the Aquatic Life Hybrid using your existing Kessils.

I second this option, I added the AI hybrids, could NOT be happier.

IMG_3384

• 14 foot reef
• Jul 1, 2018

 

[Pmj]

Your coral selection doesn't require the highest end lights. Best thing to do to fit your needs would be to customize with retrofit and do the wiring in the canopy yourself, or do a Aquatic Life hybrid. Those would balance out the shimmer. Why spend a ton of money on a fixture to put it in a canopy on a standard 90 with a brace. JMO.

 

[Cari]

Thanks for responding....I did see those. Do you think the T5's in that setup would be enough to subdue the 'Disco ball' effect of the Kessils? Do you have that setup?

 

[WV Reefer]

The Aquaticlife T5 Hybrid. I use it on my 75 gallon with two Radions. With this light you could keep your Kessils and use any T5 bulbs that you like.

 

[14 foot reef]

Thanks for responding....I did see those. Do you think the T5's in that setup would be enough to subdue the 'Disco ball' effect of the Kessils? Do you have that setup?

I actually think the fixture took too much of Kessils perfect shimmer away, but that's me. I do have 9 Kessils mounted in 2 - 48" and 1 - 36" AI hybrid
Before

IMG_3089

• 14 foot reef
• Jun 8, 2018

from front porch

After

IMG_3372

• 14 foot reef
• Jun 30, 2018
• 2

 

[Pmj]

Thanks for responding....I did see those. Do you think the T5's in that setup would be enough to subdue the 'Disco ball' effect of the Kessils? Do you have that setup?

Kessil doesn't have almost any disco ball. Disco ball is when you see separate colors from the leds not being packed in close to blend. You're thinking of the ridiculous shimmer, which yes, T5s will drown out a lot.

 

[Cari]

14 Foot - Your setup is SWEET! I will check those out! Could I do 2-24" instead of one long fixture and get the same effect? My setup puts the canopy up high and it would be easier to maneuver smaller fixtures for maintenance.

PMJ - you are correct with my current corals. However, I plan on introducing SPS in the near future. You mention the brace - I have not seen a 90 gallon without one. Do you know of one?

 

[Pmj]

14 Foot - Your setup is SWEET! I will check those out! Could I do 2-24" instead of one long fixture and get the same effect? My setup puts the canopy up high and it would be easier to maneuver smaller fixtures for maintenance.

PMJ - you are correct with my current corals. However, I plan on introducing SPS in the near future. You mention the brace - I have not seen a 90 gallon without one. Do you know of one?

Rimless tanks. My only point was since you have a canopy hiding everything, there is no need to pay a premium for aesthetics. You could also buy/put something to diffuse the A360s, which will reduce the shimmer. But if you want to increase your light for SPS, just add some T5s imo.

 

[Cari]

Thanks for the clarification PMJ. Maybe it is an enormous amount of shimmer vs. disco ball look...either way for me I'd like a little less of it.

 

[declanisadog]

I personally would go with one fixture over two simply to save on bulb replacement.

 

[14 foot reef]

I personally would go with one fixture over two simply to save on bulb replacement.

I second this, one fixture less wire mess and the units are really easy to handle. Their mounting wires are about the best I've seen, you can easily raise and lower them by sliding the "Auto Locking Hardware".

I'll take a short video tonight or tomorrow and paste it here for you.

 

[madweazl]

When I made the decision to go SPS dominant a little over a year ago, I decided to supplement the two Kessil A360WEs I was running with a two bulb 48" LET T5 retrofit (our tank had a center brace so adding a third Kessil wasn't a viable option). I used that setup for about 10 months until switching over to the 48" AquaticLife fixture that we actually purchased for our other tank (I couldn't resist trying it out even though I had little to no reason to do so). I also wanted to try some different bulb combinations to find a look I liked prior to the 150g going live.

I really like the Kessil shimmer; with the two T5s, there was very little impact to the shimmer but the four bulb fixture has muted it extensively. It is still there and overall looks quite nice (more like a MH lit tank). The four bulbs have provided the ability to get a color combination I find more appealing to the eye where the two I was running prior, were never quite right.

In terms of coral health, I haven't observed a difference yet but did have a substantial set-back a little over a month ago. At first I thought it may have been related to the spectrum changes I introduced (I kept PAR levels very close) but after a few weeks, I found a magnetic float sensor bracket corroding in the sump. I almost lost two of the acroporas (about 95% died off on those two) and a few others were looking rough. It may have been a combination of the lighting change with the corroding magnet, all magnet, all lighting, or some other factor completely but I was able to recover and things are looking much better again.

I think the 48" AquaticLife would be a decent option for your setup, especially since you already have the Kessils. You had mentioned reducing cords, running two Aquaticlife fixtures will add two additional cords (each fixture has two power cords but you can modify them to a single cord fairly easily). This would also add an additional hanging kit (two more cables) which probably isn't something you want.

This link provides some PAR data that I captured on the 48" AquaticLife and a pair of Kessils. Hopefully some of this was helpful.

 

[jd371]

I just built this floating canopy to house the Aquatic Life fixture. Now all the wires associated with the lighting are enclosed in the canopy so there is no wires hanging off the back except the one for the power strip.

 

[Jimbo662]

I just built this floating canopy to house the Aquatic Life fixture. Now all the wires associated with the lighting are enclosed in the canopy so there is no wires hanging off the back except the one for the power strip.

Brilliant idea!

 

[Cari]

This site is awesome! I wish I was half as talented as all of you are! I guess I've got the next best thing....a spouse supportive of my hobbyPMJ - I don't see too many rimless tanks around where I am...and if I do, I'm too intrigued by what's inside I guess, cause I've never noticed no brace! Great point about the extra $$ for a fixture only I will see. I could spend the remaining money on coral. I will be checking out the Aquatic Life 48" hybrid later today! Just watched a video on the concealing caps for the ends with channels for wires.

I think I really like the idea of turning the shimmer of the Kessils down a bit, more to like the MH shimmer. We'll see though!!

Keep those thoughts and ideas coming! You can never have too many!!