Please show off your sps tank with Kessil lighting

CyberGuy · Oct 4, 2019

I am planning to get three Kessil 360X for a standard 120 gallon SPS dominant tank. Many successful sps tanks use either T5 fixtures or Radions but I want to know about the great success of Kessil lighting.

Please post photos and even advice of Kessil sps tanks. Thanks.

mattdg · Oct 4, 2019

Ditto. I am happy with my current setup, but have heard lots of positives about adding a two kessil / T5 hybrid to an SPS dominated system. I am most interested in how they'll bring out color in all types of coral. Side by side comparisons would be awesome too, along with the photos and advice !

Reefcowboy · Oct 4, 2019

Would be nice to narrow down kessils only, as most I've seen here have hybrid kessil with t5s.
Curious to see proven kessil only sps grown tanks!

CyberGuy · Oct 4, 2019

Yes, I am looking for Kessil only sps tanks.

Montiman · Oct 4, 2019

While not a true SPS tank this is my bosses reef tank. The pick is older but this tank was up for over 10 years and got taken down a few months ago when he had the floor redone. No acros but a beautiful mixed reef with some SPS in it. The amount of birdsnest he would bring in pruning his tank was insane. Tank was lit with 3 AP700s from as soon as they were released till earlier this year. Before the AP700s he had A360s from as soon as they were released. I think this pick was A360s.

IMO I don't see many Kessil SPS tanks but I also don't see people giving them a fair shot. The best EcoTech and AI lit tanks I have seen use an absolutely insane number of lights. Mike Pelletas 300 used 6 xr30 pros and SanJay uses 8-10 xr30 pros. I just haven't seen people use 6 ap700s to light a tank or twice that many a360s. Regardless of the LED I think you need alot of modules for ideal performance and sometimes adding t5s is just easier.

This tank is a good example because it used 1 AP700 every 2 feet which is a minimum of what I would use if I was doing an SPS dominate tank.

SeaDweller · Oct 4, 2019

supposedly some seller by the name of Defugium's reef uses AP700 to grow his acros; saw him at a trade show in San Diego and he said he used that exclusively. supposedly. Not sure if true, but his stuff looked good under THOSE lights, blew my mind; then looked like crap in my tank and now coloring up to better than how they were under those lights.

duke62 · Oct 4, 2019

Montiman said:
While not a true SPS tank this is my bosses reef tank. The pick is older but this tank was up for over 10 years and got taken down a few months ago when he had the floor redone. No acros but a beautiful mixed reef with some SPS in it. The amount of birdsnest he would bring in pruning his tank was insane. Tank was lit with 3 AP700s from as soon as they were released till earlier this year. Before the AP700s he had A360s from as soon as they were released. I think this pick was A360s.

IMO I don't see many Kessil SPS tanks but I also don't see people giving them a fair shot. The best EcoTech and AI lit tanks I have seen use an absolutely insane number of lights. Mike Pelletas 300 used 6 xr30 pros and SanJay uses 8-10 xr30 pros. I just haven't seen people use 6 ap700s to light a tank or twice that many a360s. Regardless of the LED I think you need alot of modules for ideal performance and sometimes adding t5s is just easier.

This tank is a good example because it used 1 AP700 every 2 feet which is a minimum of what I would use if I was doing an SPS dominate tank.

duke62 · Oct 4, 2019

If I were you save a little more and get the proven Radion pro. I have 3 of them with a hybrid and couldn’t be happier with my 180.

CyberGuy · Oct 4, 2019

SeaDweller said:
supposedly some seller by the name of Defugium's reef uses AP700 to grow his acros; saw him at a trade show in San Diego and he said he used that exclusively. supposedly. Not sure if true, but his stuff looked good under THOSE lights, blew my mind; then looked like crap in my tank and now coloring up to better than how they were under those lights.

So what lights are you using now that shows better coloration than the AP700 that he was using?

SeaDweller · Oct 4, 2019

CyberGuy said:
So what lights are you using now that shows better coloration than the AP700 that he was using?

RB Photon V2+, but not saying it was just my lights that make them look better now.

mind you, under those lights, the pieces I bought looked great. not so much under mine until now.

JBKReef · Oct 4, 2019

Not SPS specific but a mixed reef using only Kessil....

CyberGuy · Oct 4, 2019

Wow, so not many SPS Kessil users? Not even using the newer, more improved 360X version?

This thread is created in the sps forum too.

minus9 · Oct 5, 2019

This was my 22g before I upgraded. 3 Kessil 160's.

CyberGuy · Oct 5, 2019

minus9 said:
This was my 22g before I upgraded. 3 Kessil 160's.

Great looking sps tank with Kessil lighting.

Hoping to see more tanks like this.

divewsharks · Oct 5, 2019

I wish I had better pics, wish I did a better job of documenting the reef and growth.
These shots are with 4x 360W over a 5' 150G SPS dominant - mixed reef back in February. They grew the SPS very nicely, I then upgraded to a pair of AP700's - which with adding the tunable reds and such brought out more color. The SPS grew so well, that I ran into shading issues and so I upgraded again by adding the new aquatic life hybrid T5 fixtures in early August right after they were released. The AP700's are now slotted inside each of 2x 24" 4 bulb T5 fixtures. To me this is best option (LED + T5) as you get a full blanket of coverage - same could have been done with more LED fixtures, but also at greater cost.

The milli in the last pic, is easily more than double the size now.

I can take new pics.

CyberGuy · Oct 5, 2019

Great looking tank. Thanks.

drcole · Oct 5, 2019

divewsharks said:
I wish I had better pics, wish I did a better job of documenting the reef and growth.
These shots are with 4x 360W over a 5' 150G SPS dominant - mixed reef back in February. They grew the SPS very nicely, I then upgraded to a pair of AP700's - which with adding the tunable reds and such brought out more color. The SPS grew so well, that I ran into shading issues and so I upgraded again by adding the new aquatic life hybrid T5 fixtures in early August right after they were released. The AP700's are now slotted inside each of 2x 24" 4 bulb T5 fixtures. To me this is best option (LED + T5) as you get a full blanket of coverage - same could have been done with more LED fixtures, but also at greater cost.

The milli in the last pic, is easily more than double the size now.

I can take new pics.

Gimme those pectinias!!!