Kessil vs Radion

[JCH]

I have 2 kessil 360s at about 50% and a 24 ich blade grow on my 65 seapora.

Your tank looks good! Is there a specific bracket you used to adapt to the kessils or did you DIY something?

 

[JCH]

Flow is more important than lighting. A lot of corals can go weeks without light. They will be in rough shape but alive. Weeks without flow? Not a chance for the vast majority.

Yeah I got MP40’s on there so I think I’m good as far as flow. There mounted on the ends providing nice random movement

 

[GARRIGA]

Kessils being a single puck have great shimmer but also narrow spread and why I switched mine for a XR15 G6 to get better spread plus not a fan a shimmer.

 

[JCH]

Kessils being a single puck have great shimmer but also narrow spread and why I switched mine for a XR15 G6 to get better spread plus not a fan a shimmer.

I actually added some of those magnetic reflectors to the kessils. They seem to give them a little more punch to the bottom which I guess is what they’re supposed to do. I’ve always liked the small footprint of Kessil but can see now I’m going to have to add some strips . Probably get some blades

 

[GARRIGA]

I actually added some of those magnetic reflectors to the kessils. They seem to give them a little more punch to the bottom which I guess is what they’re supposed to do. I’ve always liked the small footprint of Kessil but can see now I’m going to have to add some strips . Probably get some blades

Blades on my short list for my main. Have always been a fan of VHO back in the day and prefer the wider spread with Radions coming close especially the G6. If I have to add lights to make spread happen then I'd prefer going a different path offering a single solution to get that right. Why I went away from Kessil although were shimmer needed then a combination only option. Can't have both spread and shimmer based on what I know. Panel of LED vs single puck.

On a side not. Money not being an issue. Coral Care 2 and ATI Straton should be in the mix. Former not sure still offered and latter hopefully becomes more available. Although neither appear to offer the blues preferred in the states and likely closer to those Radion Pros.

 

[Crimsonphoenix]

Your tank looks good! Is there a specific bracket you used to adapt to the kessils or did you DIY something?

I used the hooks that came with them and a couple of zip ties to adjust the angles.

 

[JCH]

Blades on my short list for my main. Have always been a fan of VHO back in the day and prefer the wider spread with Radions coming close especially the G6. If I have to add lights to make spread happen then I'd prefer going a different path offering a single solution to get that right. Why I went away from Kessil although were shimmer needed then a combination only option. Can't have both spread and shimmer based on what I know. Panel of LED vs single puck.

On a side not. Money not being an issue. Coral Care 2 and ATI Straton should be in the mix. Former not sure still offered and latter hopefully becomes more available. Although neither appear to offer the blues preferred in the states and likely closer to those Radion Pros.

Yeah, I used to run metal halides , When Kessil first came out I switched to LED because I liked the idea of eliminating my chiller and using much less energy. Back then I wasn’t trying to grow any sps just lps and easy stuff. So , now I’ve gotten into sps including Acro. Guess I gotta up my game with the lighting! Didn’t realize it so much until I built this second setup and put the two xr30’s on it . BIG DIFFERENCE!!

 

[GARRIGA]

Yeah, I used to run metal halides , When Kessil first came out I switched to LED because I liked the idea of eliminating my chiller and using much less energy. Back then I wasn’t trying to grow any sps just lps and easy stuff. So , now I’ve gotten into sps including Acro. Guess I gotta up my game with the lighting! Didn’t realize it so much until I built this second setup and put the two xr30’s on it . BIG DIFFERENCE!!

Problem with spread is lack of punch. Now you need more wattage over same area to obtain required PAR although not sure we are keyed into that yet since some are experimenting with how many hours deliver that PAR and are having success. Perhaps try running your lights longer before investing in new solutions. Recall WWW mentioning their SPS receive 250 PAR which is well below standard recommendation of 350. This is something I'm going to experiment with once my reboot is up. Use what you got until it's useless.

Talking about halides. Loved that look but wasn't practical for me as to hanging them and why I stuck with VHO. Clueless to how hot spots worked back then and yet being in high school/college meant I couldn't afford either and settled for running two daylights which seemed to work just fine with my anemone which assumes perhaps somehow I was providing sufficient PAR. Did run those lights 16 hours plus. Why I'm suggesting just running them longer and see how that goes. Only way to find out.

 

[JCH]

I used the hooks that came with them and a couple of zip ties to adjust the angles.

Ohh I see looks like you have a canopy. I’m using the mounting arms . Think I’ll get one of those brackets that attach to the arms

 

[JCH]

Problem with spread is lack of punch. Now you need more wattage over same area to obtain required PAR although not sure we are keyed into that yet since some are experimenting with how many hours deliver that PAR and are having success. Perhaps try running your lights longer before investing in new solutions. Recall WWW mentioning their SPS receive 250 PAR which is well below standard recommendation of 350. This is something I'm going to experiment with once my reboot is up. Use what you got until it's useless.

Talking about halides. Loved that look but wasn't practical for me as to hanging them and why I stuck with VHO. Clueless to how hot spots worked back then and yet being in high school/college meant I couldn't afford either and settled for running two daylights which seemed to work just fine with my anemone which assumes perhaps somehow I was providing sufficient PAR. Did run those lights 16 hours plus. Why I'm suggesting just running them longer and see how that goes. Only way to find out.

Yeah I just cranked them up to 98% from 9am to 6 pm we will see how that goes? I been dumping a ton of cash into the new 160 so don’t really wanna pop for more lights on the 70 gallon at the moment. Maybe you can see the picture I posted on the other guys reply and see what you think?

 

[Sdbuehler1]

I started with two A360 Kessils on my 4ft x 2ft 100 gallon and it was ok for LPS but the growth on SPS was not good with some corals barely growing. I like the low profile and shimmer of the Kessils so I doubled down and added 2 more and now my SPS growth is fantastic. I do expect to have some shading issues as the corals grow so I may have to add an AI blade at some point.

 

[Sdbuehler1]

How old is the 70 gallon system? I had four kessil a360x lights by themselves in my 75 gallon sps tank for three years. I recently supplemented the kessils because the coral grew out and were getting shaded. I do suggest renting a par meter as well.

What light are you using to supplement the Kessils?

 

[1ocean]

I have 4 Radion xr30 blue with 3 Kessils A 360 . I have a Kessil in between each Radions. Goes like this R, K, R, K, R, K, R. The middle K is the center of the tank.

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

some shade is a good thing. I highly doubt that coral grows faster with a different fixture if you are runminf 2 A360’s. There are more factors at play that influence coral growth such as PH.

 

[JNalley]

The reason people with Kessils "supplement" with LED bars is to get some diffuse light into the tank, not because they're underpowered/don't grow coral. Kessils, because of the Dense Matrix LED array, lens, and reflector, make a point light. That is, all of the light coming from a single small point, similar to the Sun in Space. Radions make the lightsource larger, and therefore softer, creating a more diffuse light with softer shadows. The sunlight reaching the reefs is actually a mixture of the two types of light (Sharp collimated light and Diffuse light). The light from he sun diffuses through our atmosphere, clouds, water vapor, and then diffuses further once the water and particles in the water bounce the light in all directions.

 

[MarineandReef Jaron]

As someone who sells both. I will say that my general standard for SPS is 1 180w light per 2ftx2ft area. This would mean 2 XR30s or 2 AP9xs for the 75 gallon. With the 2 AP9Xs you would have 4 pucks of light instead of 2 reducing the shadows. With 2 90 watt lights you are ok for a mixed tank but for SPS I would recommend the larger 180 watt size. If you like kessil but think you need more light the 9X is the best option for most people the 500X has more punch but most people will benefit more from the second light puck in the 9x more than the extra penetration from the single puck in the 500X.

As a Kessil Fan Boy, it bothers me when people compare the 90w 360X to a 180w XR30. They are absolutely not the same thing. The 9X needs a lot more attention when used 1 per every 2 feet it is a fantastic light.

 

[JCH]

I started with two A360 Kessils on my 4ft x 2ft 100 gallon and it was ok for LPS but the growth on SPS was not good with some corals barely growing. I like the low profile and shimmer of the Kessils so I doubled down and added 2 more and now my SPS growth is fantastic. I do expect to have some shading issues as the corals grow so I may have to add an AI blade at some point.

Yeah that’s what I’m seeing. My two are on a 70 gallon waterbox. LPs growth is just ok but sps is really slow ! So, I’ve been chasing numbers thinking that was my problem. But , all along now I believe it’s the kessils just don’t have enough punch for sps! Wish I would’ve known that when I set this tank up 18 months ago. I wasn’t on R2R at the time to get all these valuable opinions from other hobbyists!

 

[JCH]

As someone who sells both. I will say that my general standard for SPS is 1 180w light per 2ftx2ft area. This would mean 2 XR30s or 2 AP9xs for the 75 gallon. With the 2 AP9Xs you would have 4 pucks of light instead of 2 reducing the shadows. With 2 90 watt lights you are ok for a mixed tank but for SPS I would recommend the larger 180 watt size. If you like kessil but think you need more light the 9X is the best option for most people the 500X has more punch but most people will benefit more from the second light puck in the 9x more than the extra penetration from the single puck in the 500X.

As a Kessil Fan Boy, it bothers me when people compare the 90w 360X to a 180w XR30. They are absolutely not the same thing. The 9X needs a lot more attention when used 1 per every 2 feet it is a fantastic light.

Yeah I realize a better comparison would be 360 against an xr15 . I was just takin a back by the huge difference between my 360’s and the xr30’s on my new build which got me thinking maybe 360’s aren’t enough on my 70 gallon , so I thought I would post on here to get some feedback. Apparently a good subject because I’m getting a lot of feedback. I’ve always liked the Kessil and purchased some when they first came out. Sorry you were offended bud ! LOL!

 

[Rocky Mountain Reef]

I have a combination of 1 A500X, 1 AP9X, 2 Radion XR15's, and 2 AI 4' Blade Grow's. Only have one stag horn and several Monti's, which are all growing very well right now. I like have a mix to get the benefit's of each.

 

[GARRIGA]

Yeah I just cranked them up to 98% from 9am to 6 pm we will see how that goes? I been dumping a ton of cash into the new 160 so don’t really wanna pop for more lights on the 70 gallon at the moment. Maybe you can see the picture I posted on the other guys reply and see what you think?

I'm no expert when it comes to lights and just commenting on my own experience and what I read. Some of it comes from what pot growers have learned. Much from the 70s learning about keeping FW planted tanks. End of day. We are managing photosynthetic organisms and stands to reason they might all behave similarly. At least in respect to the photosynthetic side of things. Corals also eat.