Kessil AP9X or Radion XR30 G6 Pro

[WarChief]

Wife gave me a blank check for my lighting. I am relatively new to the hobby and want to get the best lights possible before I get to where I can add corals. I plan to run a mixed reef and will have fish in my tank. I currently am running a 120 gal 6 foot long tank. About 22" tall. Thanks for the input!

 

[Spare time]

I like the visuals of kessils way better. Plus, you can mute them with a led bar on the side if you want.

 

[Simon Reefing]

If you like the shimmer of the Kessil I would do radions on the outside and an a360x in the middle for the shimmer

 

[WarChief]

If you like the shimmer of the Kessil I would do radions on the outside and an a360x in the middle for the shimmer

I never thought of that. I could do a AP9X with two Radion XR 15 Pros. One on each side....

 

[Spare time]

I never thought of that. I could do a AP9X with two Radion XR 15 Pros. One on each side....

@Simon Reefing

 

[WarChief]

@Simon Reefing

I wonder how much overkill it would be to do the AP9X and two of the 30s in a 6' tank. Everything would get nuked....

 

[GatorGreg]

Go beast mode and do an ATI dimmable with some Orphek bars for supplement. Fuego

 

[Spare time]

I wonder how much overkill it would be to do the AP9X and two of the 30s in a 6' tank. Everything would get nuked....

You could always turn them down. In this budget, personally would go with two ap9x and then ai bladesdown the road

 

[Acros]

If it is a 'blank check', get 4 ap9x and mount them front to back. That would be the best. If you decide on radions, XR30 in the same configuration will work. I definitely prefer the look of Kessil over Radion. Kessil tanks have always looked more 'crisp' to me, where as everything else look a little 'hazy'.

 

[GatorGreg]

If it is a 'blank check', get 4 ap9x and mount them front to back. That would be the best. If you decide on radions, XR30 in the same configuration will work. I definitely prefer the look of Kessil over Radion. Kessil tanks have always looked more 'crisp' to me, where as everything else look a little 'hazy'.

I like Kessil as well. Everything is pretty darn expensive in general in the big names.

as far as what I’ve seen in person. Kessil, Orphek, Radion, ATI, Reef Breeders, Chinese Black box and AI Prime. The only one that stood out to me in person and was a clear difference in wow factor as to how the tank looked was Orphek.

Then there’s the ATI crowd who seem to have explosive growth. Can’t deny that

 

[WarChief]

You could always turn them down. In this budget, personally would go with two ap9x and then ai bladesdown the road

You saying ap9x and AI Blades or just blades instead of the AP9X?

 

[Acros]

I like Kessil as well. Everything is pretty darn expensive in general in the big names.

as far as what I’ve seen in person. Kessil, Orphek, Radion, ATI, Reef Breeders, Chinese Black box and AI Prime. The only one that stood out to me in person and was a clear difference in wow factor as to how the tank looked was Orphek.

Then there’s the ATI crowd who seem to have explosive growth. Can’t deny that

As ATI Straton is no longer available, the next best thing will be reef breeders photon or LED bar based setup.

That being said, I am not entirely convinced about the negative effects of shadowing that people attribute to Kessils. My tank is right now consuming ~2dkh alk/day. It is a 24" x 16" space lit by one Kessil ap9x. The above statement might change once the frags and mini colonies grow into 3-4" sized colony size.

 

[WarChief]

As ATI Straton is no longer available, the next best thing will be reef breeders photon or LED bar based setup.

That being said, I am not entirely convinced about the negative effects of shadowing that people attribute to Kessils. My tank is right now consuming ~2dkh alk/day. It is a 24" x 16" space lit by one Kessil ap9x. The above statement might change once the frags and mini colonies grow into 3-4" sized colony size.

Would you reccommend reef breeders photon over kessils???

 

[Acros]

Would you reccommend reef breeders photon over kessils???

Most mainstream lights are very close to each other in terms of performance. It is just a matter of preference and how many you need to light the space. I have a strong preference for Kessil ap9x.

If money is no object, I would go for Kessil ap9x (minimum 4 on a 6" tank).

If on a budget I will use reef breeders photon, even radions might workout cheaper as they have better spread than ap9x.

 

[WarChief]

I was going to go 2 AP9x. For now. Says up to 48" on the website. They would both be covering 36"

 

[Kfactor]

i tried some radions and just didnt like them the alwasys seem washed out to me

 

[C_AWOL]

Both lights will work well but there's one thing that is for certain, I absolutely hate using mobius as a control method.

The while the kessil app itself isn't the best thing in the world, it's at least a lot more functional (for me) than mobius is and the insanely huge benefit of the ap9x is that it works even without the app (you miss out on controlling the violet + green + red however) or you can simply use iota to link it to your apex if you have one for easy control that way without using the kessil app

TLDR: Ap9x wins for me between the two.

 

[agREEFs]

Wife gave me a blank check for my lighting. I am relatively new to the hobby and want to get the best lights possible before I get to where I can add corals. I plan to run a mixed reef and will have fish in my tank. I currently am running a 120 gal 6 foot long tank. About 22" tall. Thanks for the input!

I recommend to get 3 xr15s that’s the best option quality wise. Ecotech who makes Radion is Better than Kessil with the spectrum and has a warranty that actually works unlike kessil.

 

[Simon Reefing]

Both lights will work well but there's one thing that is for certain, I absolutely hate using mobius as a control method.

The while the kessil app itself isn't the best thing in the world, it's at least a lot more functional (for me) than mobius is and the insanely huge benefit of the ap9x is that it works even without the app (you miss out on controlling the violet + green + red however) or you can simply use iota to link it to your apex if you have one for easy control that way without using the kessil app

TLDR: Ap9x wins for me between the two.

Is there a difference between the ap700 and ap9x light array wise? Is it more powerful or better spread or anything or is it the same light remodeled

 

[agREEFs]

I recommend to get 3 xr15s that’s the best option quality wise. Ecotech who makes Radion is Better than Kessil with the spectrum and has a warranty that actually works unlike kessil.

Or do 2 xr30s