LED Recommendation for Nano 24x15x16 inch

[herurich]

Hi, I'm searching replacement for my current LED, Maxspect Jump MJ-L165 Original Version.
My choice will be :
- Kessil a163we Tuna Blue
- AI prime 16 HD
- Chihiros Nova 1 reef LED

My tank size : 24x15x16 inch softies dominant with a couple of LPS and clam.

Which one is the better choice for my tank? I know it will be very subjective, but any input is much appreciated.

 

[BaliReefBox]

Hi can I ask why you are replacing the Maxspect? cheers

 

[herurich]

Hi can I ask why you are replacing the Maxspect? cheers

Hi, actually I love its performance, it's just not blue enough for me , the cool white and blue light cannot be adjusted separately

 

[Jekyl]

I would vote a Kessel 360

 

[CasperOe]

LEDs are like religion to people That being said, there are many tests and comparisons on YouTube that I would take a look at..

I have three AI Primes currently in the house across two different setups- and all three are suffering from flickering, loosing connection to the app and dropping the loaded schedule.

I have a Kessil A160 Tuna Blue over a frag tank and I am really impressed with the ease of use (.. lack of controllability is a great thing!) as well as the spectrum and shimmer.

I have 3 x Radion XR15 Gen. 6 over my new tank as well- one 15 could be considered too but might be overkill for you depending on what you wish to achieve.

Best of luck!

Note: I also run a Kessil A360x Tuna Flora as a refugium light- these Kessils are build like tanks and are dead easy to use..

 

[herurich]

LEDs are like religion to people That being said, there are many tests and comparisons on YouTube that I would take a look at..

I have three AI Primes currently in the house across two different setups- and all three are suffering from flickering, loosing connection to the app and dropping the loaded schedule.

I have a Kessil A160 Tuna Blue over a frag tank and I am really impressed with the ease of use (.. lack of controllability is a great thing!) as well as the spectrum and shimmer.

I have 3 x Radion XR15 Gen. 6 over my new tank as well- one 15 could be considered too but might be overkill for you depending on what you wish to achieve.

Best of luck!

Note: I also run a Kessil A360x Tuna Flora as a refugium light- these Kessils are build like tanks and are dead easy to use..

Yeap I'm aware there'll be no end asking which one is better

My end goal would be the coral growth and coloring, though I'm not expecting an extraordinary growth. Simply seeing the corals growing makes me happy.

Is kessil controller really necessary in your opinion? I mean does it affect the coral growth at all or I can just use simple timer?

Thanks for you input, I really appreciate it!

 

[herurich]

I would vote a Kessel 360

Thanks! I was thinking that option too.

 

[Acros]

For that tank size and LPS corals, AI Prime 16HD should work just fine.

That said any 60w and above led should work.

 

[BaliReefBox]

Hi, actually I love its performance, it's just not blue enough for me , the cool white and blue light cannot be adjusted separately

If thats the case why not try th Blue edition. It is what I have and that is why I asked the question to see if I went down a wrong road. The Blue edition lights up everything cheers

 

[CasperOe]

Yeap I'm aware there'll be no end asking which one is better

My end goal would be the coral growth and coloring, though I'm not expecting an extraordinary growth. Simply seeing the corals growing makes me happy.

Is kessil controller really necessary in your opinion? I mean does it affect the coral growth at all or I can just use simple timer?

Thanks for you input, I really appreciate it!

Nope- not necessary at all- I do not have one on my refugium or my frag tank. It comes pre-set to a spectrum which has been proved working. You can adjust the intensity and the white tones to make it look as per your preference.

The Kessil lights are dead simple to use and you know that it WILL work. No fannying about with various sliders etc.

 

[herurich]

Nope- not necessary at all- I do not have one on my refugium or my frag tank. It comes pre-set to a spectrum which has been proved working. You can adjust the intensity and the white tones to make it look as per your preference.

The Kessil lights are dead simple to use and you know that it WILL work. No fannying about with various sliders etc.

Thanks!

 

[MaxTremors]

In general, Kessils are underpowered and provide significantly less par than other similarly priced flagship brands. For example the AI Prime 16HD at max intensity provides almost 100% more PAR than the Kessil A160 at full intensity. Even the A360 puts out less PAR than the Prime 16HD Kessil doesn’t publish their own internal PAR numbers saying that there is more to the equation than PAR (and there is) and that their spectrum is somehow special (it’s not). Kessils will absolutely grow corals, and they provide the best shimmer (due to their lenses and how tightly grouped the diodes in their lights are). If you have a clam, based on the dimensions of your tank, I would go with an AI Hydra 32, an XR30, a Neptune Sky, or for a budget option a Noopsyche K7 V3. On my 20” cube mixed reef an AI Prime 16HD was somewhat underpowered and had a lot of shadowing, I was offered to try out the Noopsyche, and it offers much better coverage, less shadowing and significantly more power.

 

[minus9]

Regardless of what light you choose, make sure it's powerful enough for your clam. It's the most light demanding animal in your tank and you should provide enough full spectrum lighting for it. Depending on the clams position in your tank, a single fixture will suffice, but using a light with either a "panel" style or double puck configuration would work best. SmatFarm G5 is a great budget light and will cover quite a bit. I honestly think a single 360x w/controller or dongle would look great and provide plenty of light given the clam is directly under the light. You'll want the controller or dongle to unlock the violet channel, plus you'll have control of red and green too. Long term, you would probably want two 360x's. Do you have a budget?

 

[herurich]

Regardless of what light you choose, make sure it's powerful enough for your clam. It's the most light demanding animal in your tank and you should provide enough full spectrum lighting for it. Depending on the clams position in your tank, a single fixture will suffice, but using a light with either a "panel" style or double puck configuration would work best. SmatFarm G5 is a great budget light and will cover quite a bit. I honestly think a single 360x w/controller or dongle would look great and provide plenty of light given the clam is directly under the light. You'll want the controller or dongle to unlock the violet channel, plus you'll have control of red and green too. Long term, you would probably want two 360x's. Do you have a budget?

Yes I do, I also consider buying 360. So using additional controller does make a huge difference?
Thanks for this suggestions!

 

[herurich]

In general, Kessils are underpowered and provide significantly less par than other similarly priced flagship brands. For example the AI Prime 16HD at max intensity provides almost 100% more PAR than the Kessil A160 at full intensity. Even the A360 puts out less PAR than the Prime 16HD Kessil doesn’t publish their own internal PAR numbers saying that there is more to the equation than PAR (and there is) and that their spectrum is somehow special (it’s not). Kessils will absolutely grow corals, and they provide the best shimmer (due to their lenses and how tightly grouped the diodes in their lights are). If you have a clam, based on the dimensions of your tank, I would go with an AI Hydra 32, an XR30, a Neptune Sky, or for a budget option a Noopsyche K7 V3. On my 20” cube mixed reef an AI Prime 16HD was somewhat underpowered and had a lot of shadowing, I was offered to try out the Noopsyche, and it offers much better coverage, less shadowing and significantly more power.

Thanks! So much insight for me.

 

[minus9]

Yes I do, I also consider buying 360. So using additional controller does make a huge difference?
Thanks for this suggestions!

Yes, having the controller unlocks the violet channel, which is very important to light loving animals. I think the comparison of the Kessil 160 to HD16 is pretty close, but I would have to disagree about the 360x's performance. I don't want to start the LED battle here, but the 360x is great with a mixed reef and will have plenty of power in your size tank. There are numerous fixtures that will fit the bill, you have to figure out what you want from the light/fixture(s) and what you want to spend? All the lights listed here will do the job, it's a matter of how you use the light/fixture that makes the difference. We have an abundance of fixtures to choose from, which can be a problem, but a good problem to have. Just check out my build thread if you want an idea of what Kessil's can do. It's all how you use them in the end.

 

[herurich]

Thanks for all your input! I finally bought kessil A360x, and so happy with it.