I all of those things are covered. I have good flow filtration and nutrients. My light is 10 inches off the water which is about what most people run their Kessils. I agree that they all play important roles but chemistry is a truly quantifiable measurement.
Sense putting them on the sand bed and leaving for 5 days they look a lot better. This leads me to believe it was ether the lights or the alk. maybe both but probably the lights.
People are already asking me why I'm so crazy about my T5s, so...
I'll tell you my point of view on LEDs in general, and about the Kessils, then. LEDs are spot lights, right? They have lots of spots with different spectrums to direct straight to a surface, different the the ocean, also because of the LEDs' spectrums. The Kessils have a notorious hot spot if you will, specially because of it's shape, but all the LED fixtures have that too!! The problem with that type of fixture will be the placements of the organisms in the system. IMO one shouldn't have to play such game, removing pieces of SPS corals, or zoas on plugs, to satisfy their needs. It's a gamble that nobody likes to play. It's waste of time IMO and burns us out to the extreme! Reefing is supposed to be much easier than that! And can be! Trust me!
That is the reason why I always recommend T5s instead any type of LED. Time and gamble!
With the LEDs you will have to study and suffer through those tests instead enjoying the tank.
Metal halides are a bit like that too but incredible easier and forgiven about placing the corals and zoas in the system. By the way, IME Metal halides are the very best for any reef system. Best lights I've tried!
Because the heat is so intense and the electricity goes so expensive with the chiller running, it's a lot easier to deal with the T5s, cutting most of the heat, in comparison.
The T5s are the easiest of all lights. Not only for the plug&play, without the placement game of corals and zoas, but also for the uniformity of the light emitted by the fixture. It's so easy to deal with that it's like plug and forget about it!!! That is what we all should be running IMO.
You know...
I thought I was going the right way when I decided to have my LEDs for my 125gal system. I thought those "magic fixtures" would give me much less heat and I would pay less electricity. I was so wrong!! the only thing there was a significant difference was because I didn't need to spend $150.00 a year changing this T5 bulbs. You know what? If I had to spend $300.00 more to change such bulbs would be totally worthy. I had to proof to myself how wrong I was. I've tried to believe because so many people went down the road with the LEDs, so I tried...
Now, if you and others really want to stay with those expensive fixtures and think you're gonna make in the long run. I can tell you you probably will. You just have to stay focus and play the game. Keep in mind you have a high percentage of chances to loose many frags and that should be the norm. You will burn some frags? Yep. You will burn your brain trying to figure out the best way to place new plug? Unfortunately yep.
If you had a T5 fixture, like the ATI for example, you'll never worry about light. You just need to get the right bulbs for your taste. That's because most of the bulbs are pretty safe doing it's job without any problem at all for a year...
The heat isn't that bad and the fixture has fans. They also have a hybrid system with T5s + LEDs for those who believe they really, really need those blue LEDs to pop. I don't. I think the space of the LEDs in that system is better filled with a T5 bulb.
I think that's all..
I might refer this message in the future, so I don't have to write all that again and again.
I no more time. Back to work...
Grandis.
