Kessil A80 for 13.5 gallon

[Reefnut88]

Any information/input would be helpful, thanks.

 

[Ron Reefman]

What kind of 'information ' are you looking for?

 

[Reefnut88]

I have one on my 13.5, is this suitable for Lps growth or do I need something better?

 

[Ron Reefman]

Over a 13.5g tank it should be more than enough PAR. I assume the tank is about 12" deep?

 

[LiveWire]

I would say also that it should be fine for most softies and LPS. I have 2 of them on a 30L and have had no issues with the corals getting enough lighting.

 

[Reefnut88]

Give or take.

 

[hart24601]

I personally would run something more powerful, I ran a 160 over a 3g cube at full power, however I was after more PAR. On a 13g tank I would consider 15W is really pushing lighting that tank if you want to play with mounting heights or expand what corals you keep particularly if you need to mount the light higher to cover the entire tank. If your tank is the fluval 13.5 it is 22 x 11.5 x 15 in which imo is larger than the a80 is going to do a great job with.

 

[Reefnut88]

I think it lights ok? Or am I wrong?

 

[Gareth elliott]

I think it lights ok? Or am I wrong?

Its impossible to judge par by eye. Your eyes evolved to see light useful for survival and the amount of cones and rods, their placement will skew a tanks “light density” to how it perceives each wavelength. Also light placement will skew this as well place the. Tanks with high par in the center may appear dim when viewing from the outside.

How to program your light i would look at other successful member tanks who run these and how they have light height, intensity and how much blue vs white they have theirs set. Popular lights like this, follow success to get success so dont have to invest in expensive items like a par meter.

 

[Iván Olalla]

You can check my build thread if you like, had the a80 and experimented with other fixtures...8 gallon mixed reef...the a80 lacks power IMHO

 

[dbjonesjr]

Do NOT listen to anyone that claims an A80 is not enough for an LPS tank. You would only need higher par if you were keeping demanding SPS corals. Another way to judge is by your anemone. Is it happy or does it constantly move around?

 

[Iván Olalla]

Do NOT listen to anyone that claims an A80 is not enough for an LPS tank. You would only need higher par if you were keeping demanding SPS corals. Another way to judge is by your anemone. Is it happy or does it constantly move around?

Wow....says the guy that bought a 360 for a 12*12*12 and doubted the a80 lol.... Well, the OP asked for opinions, everyone has one right? but an informed one? i had the a80 in 8 gallons, ran PAR numbers, and went for a cheaper but heavier on PAR numbers fixture due to my experience and tests.... so, what´s your point? As far as i know survive and thrive is different, also had a pair of big BTA´s in the tank that went to other tank due to space (yes they thrived, grew, and outgrew the tank...not with the kessil tough)

 

[Jay Z]

I have a single 160 on my 14 x 14 x 14. Set at about 55%.

 

[dbjonesjr]

Wow....says the guy that bought a 360 for a 12*12*12 and doubted the a80 lol.... Well, the OP asked for opinions, everyone has one right? but an informed one? i had the a80 in 8 gallons, ran PAR numbers, and went for a cheaper but heavier on PAR numbers fixture due to my experience and tests.... so, what´s your point? As far as i know survive and thrive is different, also had a pair of big BTA´s in the tank that went to other tank due to space (yes they thrived, grew, and outgrew the tank...not with the kessil tough)

To clarify, I have friends who have LPS thriving under A80’s. That being said, I will be keeping SPS in the cube I have. There is a large difference between the lighting requirements of LPS and SPS. Furthermore, I am well aware that the A360X is overkill for the 7 gallon cube. However, I will eventually be upgrading to something with a larger footprint once I am allowed and therefor purchased a light that will be sufficient for not just this tank, but the next in addition.