Refugium light.....Is spending the big $ on Kessil worth it?

[cracker]

Agreed ! my point is If You have enough nutrients in the system, a less expensive light will grow chaeto well also. You need both for the macro to flourish. I have a 100$ nova & it works very well for me & I have 200$ extra to spend on something else.

 

[Marlon2024]

I got lucky I bought 2 h380 that were used for a month for 160 locally for both. Sold one and kept one. Just waiting on my sump so I can finally use it

 

[RobertP]

YES, IMO. As others have said you cannot expect your fuge to outgrow your display lights if you buy the cheapos. That is what you are asking a cheap light to do right? Of course the cheapo lights will grow chaeto but if you want it to grow at full potential I recommend this light. I started out with a clipon light because the funds were used up on other more important components. However, I would consider it higher on the list because it is one heck of a nutrient controller!

My nitrates hover around 3-5 and my H380 grows so much chaeto I have to harvest every month to 6 weeks. Since my LFS takes chaeto in trade I have gotten lots of "free" stuff from them over the past year. I even had to turn down the number of hours I run the light because it was using up TOO MUCH nitrates. Yes, I was able to grow some chaeto with a clip on light but it was nowhere near as fast as the Kessil. I am growing chaeto and mangroves in my refugium if that helps. Mangroves are over on the side and the light is about 12 inches from the water due to it being in the tank cabinet.

Then there is the power consumption comparison. How many watts is that cheapo amazon grow light? Last one I looked at was 1000watts which I think is insane. The H380 is 95w and my apex keeps me honest.
I will admit that I am a fuge watcher and cant wait to get a bigger tank so I can build a larger refugium!

 

[Greybeard]

Dual 24" T5 fixture off of Amazon. I think it was like $30, came with 6500k bulbs. When it comes time to replace the bulbs, I'll probably buy horticulture tubes for it, but it's growing macro just fine, thanks.

I'm having to evaluate dosing Sodium Nitrate. Nitrate levels are unmeasurable. Same with phosphate. First time I've _ever_ had that problem

 

[delv2323]

How exactly does a Kessil (a light brand I wouldn't bother to put over my SPS tank) outperform a similarly bright, similar spectrum cheaper light at growing chaeto or other algaes exactly? Would you still "get what you pay for" if you over payed for the identical Kessil?

 

[Velcro]

How exactly does a Kessil (a light brand I wouldn't bother to put over my SPS tank) outperform a similarly bright, similar spectrum cheaper light at growing chaeto or other algaes exactly? Would you still "get what you pay for" if you over payed for the identical Kessil?

It doesn’t. Period. Just like how a cheap reef LED (reefbreeders) does just as well if not better than an overpriced Radion. BRS didn’t include a marshydro for a reason: they don’t sell it. When people see just as good if not better chaeto growth from a $75 light which one are they going to buy? The mars hydro even has UL rating. Even if it uses cheap LEDs and drivers you can replace it how many times before hitting the kessil price?

Don’t get me wrong, I spend a lot of money in certain areas of this hobby for the good stuff. This is just one area where it seems extremely unnecessary.

 

[Fumanchu]

Definitely not

 

[Fumanchu]

40 dollar led grow just as much Macro so definitely not worth spending big money on refigium lighting. Just to be clear

 

[Fumanchu]

The results

 

[Bob Escher]

The kessil isn't adjustable unfortunately. But a way to increase or decrease the amount of light the algae is getting is to raise or lower it over your water level. I currently use it at 10 inches off the waters surface. Wish I could go higher, but the chaeto will eventually acclimate to that light level

I have a H80 which is adjustable and I love it
BRS has a video on them

 

[Bob Escher]

My H380 grows cheato thick and dense, I tried the cheapo 50$ light first and look back at a wasted 50$.

Is that a cube sump

 

[Jeepguy242]

125 gallon aquarium... 30 gallon sump/fuge... 50ppm nitrates.... 8ppm phosphates... hair algae everywhere


34$ amazon plant grow light.... fist size ball of cheato....

14 days.... 2ml vodka per day.... 12 hour cycle on cheato.... same cycle on display tank... 750 watts of 20k radium metal halides

at the end of the 14 days.... 0ppm phos.... 0ppm nitrate.... stopped vodka dosing.... basketball sized dense wad of cheato... hair algae 90% gone except for some stubborn spots in the back... very little manual removal other than syphoning off what looked like it was dying to prevent it releasing nutrients bac into the tank...

stripped my water of nutrients in 14 days.... no i dont need a kessil....

if money was no object, i sure as heck would have one but i spent the extra on 8 fish today to up my bioload for my corals...

 

[joeyhatch11]

$12 insane grow light. Not only do I run one on all 3 of my tanks and harvest chaeto bi-weekly, I have countless friends and customer's that have purchased one and are sharing in same results. Currently have 0 nitrates in all three of my tanks and have to dose sodium nitrate just to feed the fuge. $12, 12watt hydro light is the way to go. Would love to see BRS do a side by side with this.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/12W-E26-E27-PAR38-12-LED-Red-Blue-Hydroponic-Flower-Plant-Grow-Light-Bulb-Lamp/172228430053?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649

 

[Awesome Dennis]

Is that a cube sump

Yes it's a modified cube sump

 

[cracker]

How about lights for algae scrubbers ?

 

[jeffrey holloway]

Didn't realize there are so many Kessils haters out there. H380 does what it says it will do. I ran several different lights fixtures over my fuge the last few yrs. they all grew cheato, and the all stopped working for one reason or another. The H380 grows Cheato at a different level, keeps my PH well over 8.3 during the night, and I don't bother testing for nitrates and phosphates anymore. Yeah those cheap amazon lights will grow algae, cheap pumps will move water, the beauty in life is we all have choices.

 

[Velcro]

How about lights for algae scrubbers ?

Didn't realize there are so many Kessils haters out there. H380 does what it says it will do. I ran several different lights fixtures over my fuge the last few yrs. they all grew cheato, and the all stopped working for one reason or another. The H380 grows Cheato at a different level, keeps my PH well over 8.3 during the night, and I don't bother testing for nitrates and phosphates anymore. Yeah those cheap amazon lights will grow algae, cheap pumps will move water, the beauty in life is we all have choices.

kessil hater? I have two 360we kessils (and eight t5 bulbs) on a 30x30 cube. They are amazing lights aesthetically. Wouldn’t trust them alone for SPS, but they do a great job of adding some shimmer excitement t0 t5

 

[Marlon2024]

kessil hater? I have two 360we kessils (and eight t5 bulbs) on a 30x30 cube. They are amazing lights aesthetically. Wouldn’t trust them alone for SPS, but they do a great job of adding some shimmer excitement t0 t5

There have been tanks with amazing sps on kessils alone.

 

[Jeepguy242]

Yea I don’t get calling people kessil haters cause they don’t wanna spend 400 bills to grow cheato

 

[ca1ore]

How about lights for algae scrubbers ?

Don't think the h380 would be a good choice for an ATS, if that's what you were asking? I've been using a pair of ReefBreeders fuge lights on mine going on five years and they've done yeomen service. They need to be quite close so I even removed the lenses. Don't think RB sells them anymore though.