H350 vs H380

[Lagerstars]

Hi all, new to the forum but have had my tank for 7 or 8 years now...

Have been looking at jumping on the refugium band wagon with a Kessil light and wondered what peoples thoughts are on the H350 vs H380.

I've read some people saying they think the 380 is a bit too powerful but the H80 is a waste of time. The H350 looks to be about the same light frequency but slightly less powerful and easier on the wallet.

Is there a reason to avoid the H350?

Cheers

 

[Crabs McJones]

Hi all, new to the forum but have had my tank for 7 or 8 years now...

Have been looking at jumping on the refugium band wagon with a Kessil light and wondered what peoples thoughts are on the H350 vs H380.

I've read some people saying they think the 380 is a bit too powerful but the H80 is a waste of time. The H350 looks to be about the same light frequency but slightly less powerful and easier on the wallet.

Is there a reason to avoid the H350?

Cheers

Welcome to R2R!!

The H380 is more powerful, but if you hang it far enough off the waters surface, you should be ok. And the spectrum that the H380 gives out over the H350 hits higher chlorophyll A and B peaks.

 

[siggy]

Hello @Lagerstars ,
I was thinking about this as well, I only have about a 7"x 14" fuge area, wouldn't the h80 be enough? I also seen some 160 style/size at the kessil web-site but not the full spectrum, the bummer is I had already purchased the
tuna blu 80 for the fuge and get algae growing everywhere but the cheato is stagnant in growth.

 

[Crabs McJones]

Hello @Lagerstars ,
I was thinking about this as well, I only have about a 7"x 14" fuge area, wouldn't the h80 be enough? I also seen some 160 style/size at the kessil web-site but not the full spectrum, the bummer is I had already purchased the
tuna blu 80 for the fuge and get algae growing everywhere but the cheato is stagnant in growth.

My fuge was 11x10 and the H80 wasn't powerful enough.

 

[Mark Gray]

I started with the Kessel H80 my cheato did not die but it also did not grow. Then I bought the H380 now I throw out a lot ever 6 or 6 days, and give a lot way also.

 

[Larry L]

I have an H80 over an area that's about 12 x 12 and it works great. It is about 4" above the water surface, and I pull out about a grapefruit-sized chunk every week. I also run pretty high nitrates and phosphates, so the people who are not seeing much growth with the H80 might have a system where lower nutrients are limiting the growth as much as (or more than) lack of light, hard to tell.

 

[hijinks7]

Go with the 350.. I have it over a 24x24 inch section of my sump and its growing like crazy.

 

[Mark Gray]

I have an H80 over an area that's about 12 x 12 and it works great. It is about 4" above the water surface, and I pull out about a grapefruit-sized chunk every week. I also run pretty high nitrates and phosphates, so the people who are not seeing much growth with the H80 might have a system where lower nutrients are limiting the growth as much as (or more than) lack of light, hard to tell.

Well My Nitrates and Phosphates were through the roof before I put the H380 on I also had a tone of GHA in my display not it is almost gone took 6 months but it's working

 

[Newb73]

I don't think the H380 is "too powerful".

I have run it and it is about like running an H350 magenta with an H80 fully set to blue side by side (which I have also done).

You'll get growth either way but slightly better growth with the added blues that you can dial in on the H380. I think the reason I don't have the bleaching on the top that others get is that I stir and mix my chaeto bed 2 or 3 times a week and also feed my tank tons of food, reef energy a & b and seachem phyto and zoo so the chaeto bed in my tank can handle the light without burning up. This is relatively small area as well ...about 20x20.

Considering the Kessil H350M can be had for as low as $200 and some times less, it isn't a terrible choice. It is not as good as an H380 but it is 30% less and still far better than most other refugium lights out there...certainly worth the jump from a $129 dollar H80 to spending $200 on the H350. Is it worth spending yet another $100 to jump to an H380.....probably. Especially if you are at 20x20 or larger. Definitely use an H350 or H380 at anything over 25x25.

 

[Larry L]

Well My Nitrates and Phosphates were through the roof before I put the H380 on I also had a tone of GHA in my display not it is almost gone

Yes, my nitrates and phosphates are a lot lower too, since I added the H80 and started pulling out bigs clumps of chaeto. I was just pointing out that if you are running a system that already has fairly low nutrients to start with, you might not see much growth with a lower light level, but you might see growth when you blast it with light.

 

[Mark Gray]

I don't think the H380 is "too powerful".

I have run it and it is about like running an H350 magenta with an H80 fully set to blue side by side (which I have also done).

You'll get growth either way but slightly better growth with the added blues that you can dial in on the H380. I think the reason I don't have the bleaching on the top that others get is that I stir and mix my chaeto bed 2 or 3 times a week and also feed my tank tons of food, reef energy a & b and seachem phyto and zoo so the chaeto bed in my tank can handle the light without burning up. This is relatively small area as well ...about 20x20.

Considering the Kessil H350M can be had for as low as $200 and some times less, it isn't a terrible choice.

I sometime remember to flip my Cheato can't get it to tumble. but if I don't pull some out ever 5 to 7 days it grows out of the water lol

 

[Newb73]

Yes, my nitrates and phosphates are a lot lower too, since I added the H80 and started pulling out bigs clumps of chaeto. I was just pointing out that if you are running a system that already has fairly low nutrients to start with, you might not see much growth with a lower light level, but you might see growth when you blast it with light.

And it might have the added benifit of allowing you to feed more which unlike most, i consider a goal.

I believe low feeding contributes to fish disease and collapse of fish immunity.

Healthy feeding habits along with high dissolved oxygen, lots of flow and good water quality are what i believe in large part allows me to keep an achilles tang in a heavily stocked tank without needing a hospital tank, qt procedures etc. (Although i run ozone and am about to add a large UV sterilizer as well).

 

[Mark Gray]

And it might have the added benifit of allowing you to feed more which unlike most, i consider a goal.

I believe low feeding contributes to fish disease and collapse of fish immunity.

Healthy feeding habits along with high dissolved oxygen, lots of flow abd good water quality are what i believe in large part allows me to keep an achilles tang in a heavily stocked tank without needing a hospital tank, qt procedures etc. (Although i run ozone and am about to add a large UV sterilizer as well).

Well I am pretty sure mine came from my Rock I didn't cure it, I wanted to glue it dry. I will do my new build the same way I think I used to use live rock but today I can buy anything I want in my tank

 

[Newb73]

I sometime remember to flip my Cheato can't get it to tumble. but if I don't pull some out ever 5 to 7 days it grows out of the water lol

Mine floats up out of water and starts to die as well.

When i mix it there is a LARGE release of gas, so much so that it has an audible fizz. I believe in my case it is hydrodgen sulfide from the marine pure and deep layer of miracle mud that sits under the chaeto and is fed a stready diet of denitrying bacteria from the effluent of my sulfur denitrator.

It seems like the gas bubbles get caught in my chaeto and float it up....i have to release the gas and sink the chaeto back down every few days.

Doesn't seem to hurt the chaeto much though.

Edit: It COULD be just oxygen that is being produced from photosynthesis.....who knows???

 

[Lagerstars]

Thanks for the replies everyone - I'm based in the UK, so the cost difference looks to be about £60-70 cheaper for the H350 vs H380.
I saw the spectrum difference between the two and figured its close enough to be decent.

I need to sort out a new sump first in any case, so just doing my homework for the moment.

 

[PatW]

Mine floats up out of water and starts to die as well.

When i mix it there is a LARGE release of gas, so much so that it has an audible fizz. I believe in my case it is hydrodgen sulfide from the marine pure and deep layer of miracle mud that sits under the chaeto and is fed a stready diet of denitrying bacteria from the effluent of my sulfur denitrator.

It seems like the gas bubbles get caught in my chaeto and float it up....i have to release the gas and sink the chaeto back down every few days.

Doesn't seem to hurt the chaeto much though.

Edit: It COULD be just oxygen that is being produced from photosynthesis.....who knows???

I don't think you have H2S, I think you have O2 or free oxygen. Photosynthesis is H20 plus CO2 in the presence of light produces O2 plus CH2O (carbohydrate usually it will be C6H12O6). Since the chaeto is growing at a high rate, it is booming as far as photosynthesis goes so it has to be producing O2. I see little bubbles in my chaeto but only when it is growing. So it leads me to conclude that the bubbles are O2.

 

[PatW]

I have the H380 and it is pretty high powered. It also heats up my sump. I am going to hang another fan to cool the tank right now with cooler weather, I am OK. I think the H350 would probably be enough for you. I would suggest you watch the BRS videos. I believe that they compare the H380 to the H350 in their Chaeto discussion videos.

 

[ReeferReefer]

I have the H380 and it is pretty high powered. It also heats up my sump. I am going to hang another fan to cool the tank right now with cooler weather, I am OK. I think the H350 would probably be enough for you. I would suggest you watch the BRS videos. I believe that they compare the H380 to the H350 in their Chaeto discussion videos.

I don't think they cover the H350 in the videos.

 

[ca1ore]

I ran the H350 for a while ( purple spectrum in a white fixture). When it failed I opted for the H380 rather than another H350. Both are observably similar in strength and for me grew chaeto equally well. I liked the fact that the newer H380 is switchable between purple and magenta (I run it mostly on purple).

Some places still sell the older light, but only at a modest discount to the H380. I do not buy these kinds of things used.