Seeking Advice: First Tank Lights: 75 gallon Mixed Reef - Two Kessil A360X + T5 Hybrid = Too Strong PAR for LPS? Best combination?

[Pepper Reefer]

Hello reef2reef!
Thank you very much in advance for your input & advice!

I am looking to buy the first lights for my 75 gallon reef (48 x 18 x 21), my budget is ~$2,000.
As a new reefer, I will be growing soft coral with the goal of beginner LPS when my tank is ready to support them. Long term, I would like to keep some SPS in this same tank, as a mixed reef.

The light(s) that seem the best choice so far seem to be two Kessil A360X’s; however, long term, if I want to keep SPS, I think that I would need to supplement them with more lighting.
My rock layout is a little more on the edges of the tank/light range, so I think that even with a Kessil 55° reflector, there wouldn’t be enough PAR for where my SPS needs to be placed.

To supplement the Kessils, I have been looking at T5 hybrids as well as LED strips.
The one that seems the best for boosting growth, reducing shadows, tank appearance, ‘best of both worlds LED & T5’ is the Aquatic Life 24" T5HO G3 Hybrid 4-Lamp Light Fixture
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/24-t5ho-g3-hybrid-4-lamp-light-fixture-aquatic-life.html
However, it seems to really be ‘overkill’ for my strong LPS preference.
In general, I really prefer LPS like Acan/Micromussa Lords (requiring 50-150 PAR) and Euphyllia (requiring 100-150 PAR) than SPS - but it would be nice to be able to keep some SPS.

The Aquatic Life T5 + Kessil hybrid seems like it would completely fry my Acans & Euphyllia at the bottom of my 21” tank, when I see threads like this:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/d...-2-kessil-360x-aquatic-life-hybrid-t5.733349/]
Where two A360X + Aquatic Life Hybrid T5’s are hitting 200-300 PAR throughout the bottom of the tank (granted with 100% intensity!)

What light combination would you recommend so that I could be hitting 200+ PAR throughout the top of the tank, and closer to 100 PAR at the bottom of the tank?
I am completely open to light suggestions other than Kessil - Kessil just seems the best to me for shimmer, quality, size, tank appearance, gear appearance, reliability, add ons, customer service, price etc.
I have looked & researched these others so far at reef2reef suggestion:
>Radions
>Neptune Sky
>Reef Fi 2.0
>Noopsyche K7 pros
>Orphek OR3-120 bars
>Ai Hydra 26 or 32 HD
>xr15’s with a 4x36” t5 hybrid
Personally, none seem better to me than an A360X + hybrid/supplementing lights, but I am completely open to your advice on why you think “X + Y + Z” light combination is actually the most optimal for my setup and goals. I know that many people are very successful with a very wide range of equipment, and that there is no “best”, that it’s all very subjective & a matter of opinion, and that keeping good water parameters will ultimately be more important than lighting. With all that said..


Would it be better to do the two A360X’s with the Aquatic Life Hybrid four T5 24” and just greatly lower the intensity on the Kessils to avoid frying my LPS? (added benefit of the LEDs lasting longer!)

Or would it be better to do two Kessil A360X each with an LED strip like an Orphek OR3 24” https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/day-plus-or3-led-light-bar-orphek.html
or Reef Brite 24" Blue XHO LED Strip Light https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/blue-xho-led-strip-light-reef-brite.html

Or better to supplement with only one or two T5’s for each Kessil (such as Blue+ / Coral+) instead of the four T5s that are in the Aquatic Life Hybrid?

Or would it be best to just only get the two A360X initially which will support LPS fine, and in the future when ready for SPS, get the hybrid or add more T5 or LED strips as needed?
I worry that if I go this route, I will have placed LPS based on the initial PAR, and then later when I add more lights, they could be too much and kill the LPS, or I could be unable by then to move them to a lower PAR section.
I feel like it would be better to just have all the lights from the beginning, so that I don’t place lower PAR demanding LPS ‘wrong’ for where the tank is headed long-term, if that makes sense.

I’m sorry for this long rambling post - thank you for reading it!
What do you think would be best for getting 200+ PAR at the top and 100 PAR at the bottom for a mixed reef in my 75 gallon?
Thank you very much for all your advice!!

 

[Shibaken3]

reefbreeder v2. makes it simple for me. ez set up and no hassel

 

[Pepper Reefer]

reefbreeder v2. makes it simple for me. ez set up and no hassel

I really like the reefbreeder 48" photon v2! It was my initial plan when looking at lights, the PAR charts for it all seemed perfect for my depth and what I wanted to achieve
However (and I should have written this in my first post!) I have a 3 inch wide support brace across the middle of the tank that is very close to the water line - I think that with the reefbreeder, or any long single light it would cast a very big shadow. I don't think that I would be able to place a light under the support beam other than one completely waterproof. Do you think that this would be a better option, than 2 lights - one for each section on either side of the brace?

I also see an added benefit of having 2 different lights that longterm if I upgrade to a larger tank, or upgrade my lights, I can use the Kessils on a quarantine tank / frag tank
Another benefit is that I could more easily customize the left side vs right side, as the left side of my tank is set up for a euphyllia garden and right side has more rock work to support SPS

 

[Erasmus Crowley]

My setup is very close to the one that you're thinking about. I'm running a 40 breeder display with the 36" Aquatic Life T5 hybrid fixture and 2 Kessil A360Xs. The whole rig is mounted in a canopy about 12" or so off the top of my water. For the T5s I'm running 2x ATI Blue Plus as well as 2x ATI True Actinic. I can share my experiences and maybe answer some questions if there's anything that you're curious about.

Firstly, don't underestimate how much light these rigs can put out. It's very VERY easy to fry your coral with this setup. Either rent or borrow a PAR meter or even invest in purchasing one.

For the Kessils, the wifi app lets you set up the timings for the Kessil lights as well as the intensity. I bought the narrow beam lenses, but I find that the hotspots that they create were too powerful for my liking, while leaving shadows in the corners that were too dark. I just accept that some light is wasted from the wide spread.

For the T5's I'm using my Apex to control the ON/OFF time with a switchable outlet, and I'm using the 10v light control output from the Apex to dim the bulbs. The Aquatic Life fixtures don't come with a built in dimmer, but they do support 10v controllers like the Apex.

I suggest you figure out a way to control your lights in a similar way to what I'm doing. My T5s and Kessils all slowly ramp up together and peak at about 30% each for the main 6 hour photoperiod. Then they all ramp down together. I make the green channel on the Kessils ramp up to about 70% for a more natural ocean color instead of the dark blue windex look. By doing that I get a comfortable 110 maximum PAR at pretty much every place in my tank as long as I'm in the bottom half of the water. Which I know because I bought a PAR meter after I killed some coral by overlighting them. Did I mention that you should use a PAR meter? lol

30% doesn't feel like much, but it is more than you think. Anyway, I'm very happy with 110 PAR because I focus exclusively on LPS and that seems to make them very happy.

My strategy was to use the T5s as the driver of photosynthesis and the main provider of PAR. The Kessils provide the extra spectrum that the T5s don't have like the green and near UV while also giving the shimmer that they're known and loved for. To accomplish those goals, I would also suggest that you get the full 48" Aquatic Life T5 fixture instead of the 24" version. The 48" bulbs will create a much more even blanket of light for the whole tank. The 24" version will definitely leave all the corners dark and unable to grow much of anything.

It's not talked about much, but the Kessils also have a great moonlight system that uses a super low power led and can even simulate the lunar cycle. I really like it for keeping fish calm at night, and being able to sneak a peak into the tank without having to blind stuff by waving a flashlight around. There are standalone moonlight simulation systems available, but the Kessils have it built in so that's one less then to worry about buying.

 

[ScubaFish802]

I didn't see in your list, have you checked out the new AI Blades that just came out as well? I love my kessil, but just wanted to throw it out there

 

[Pepper Reefer]

My setup is very close to the one that you're thinking about. I'm running a 40 breeder display with the 36" Aquatic Life T5 hybrid fixture and 2 Kessil A360Xs. The whole rig is mounted in a canopy about 12" or so off the top of my water. For the T5s I'm running 2x ATI Blue Plus as well as 2x ATI True Actinic. I can share my experiences and maybe answer some questions if there's anything that you're curious about.

Firstly, don't underestimate how much light these rigs can put out. It's very VERY easy to fry your coral with this setup. Either rent or borrow a PAR meter or even invest in purchasing one.

For the Kessils, the wifi app lets you set up the timings for the Kessil lights as well as the intensity. I bought the narrow beam lenses, but I find that the hotspots that they create were too powerful for my liking, while leaving shadows in the corners that were too dark. I just accept that some light is wasted from the wide spread.

For the T5's I'm using my Apex to control the ON/OFF time with a switchable outlet, and I'm using the 10v light control output from the Apex to dim the bulbs. The Aquatic Life fixtures don't come with a built in dimmer, but they do support 10v controllers like the Apex.

I suggest you figure out a way to control your lights in a similar way to what I'm doing. My T5s and Kessils all slowly ramp up together and peak at about 30% each for the main 6 hour photoperiod. Then they all ramp down together. I make the green channel on the Kessils ramp up to about 70% for a more natural ocean color instead of the dark blue windex look. By doing that I get a comfortable 110 maximum PAR at pretty much every place in my tank as long as I'm in the bottom half of the water. Which I know because I bought a PAR meter after I killed some coral by overlighting them. Did I mention that you should use a PAR meter? lol

30% doesn't feel like much, but it is more than you think. Anyway, I'm very happy with 110 PAR because I focus exclusively on LPS and that seems to make them very happy.

My strategy was to use the T5s as the driver of photosynthesis and the main provider of PAR. The Kessils provide the extra spectrum that the T5s don't have like the green and near UV while also giving the shimmer that they're known and loved for. To accomplish those goals, I would also suggest that you get the full 48" Aquatic Life T5 fixture instead of the 24" version. The 48" bulbs will create a much more even blanket of light for the whole tank. The 24" version will definitely leave all the corners dark and unable to grow much of anything.

It's not talked about much, but the Kessils also have a great moonlight system that uses a super low power led and can even simulate the lunar cycle. I really like it for keeping fish calm at night, and being able to sneak a peak into the tank without having to blind stuff by waving a flashlight around. There are standalone moonlight simulation systems available, but the Kessils have it built in so that's one less then to worry about buying.

Thank you very much for your input @Erasmus Crowley !
Very cool that your setup is very, very close to the one I am considering.

What PAR are you getting in the top half or top third of your tank? Do you think your tank could support SPS at the top, if you wanted, where you wouldn’t have to adjust intensity affecting your LPS in the bottom half?

It seems like the best solution, to have the ability to dim the T5s as you suggest, if I went with the hybrid. However.. to go this route seems very expensive for my first lights, as I would need to get two DX18 24” @$539 each (two instead of a single 48” to avoid shadows from my middle support brace)

24" DX18 Hybrid Dimmable T5 HO Light Fixture - Aquatic Life

A Dimmable T5 HO Aquarium Light Fixture with Provisions for your Favorite LED Modules! The ultimate way to incorporate both fluorescent and LED lighting over your aquarium in a stylish and compact package. Aquatic Life's DX18 Hybrid Light Fixture accepts four T5 lamps which, when paired with a...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Plus an APEX able to do 0-10v dim control @$899
The two A360X’s @$449 each
Eight T5 bulbs, Kessil wifi dongle etc
Putting the total at $3,400 for my tank lights!
[picture attached]

I think that long term this may be the best solution.. It’s just that $3,400 is getting close to double my budget for my lights :/
Almost triple the cost of just getting two Kessils
Perhaps I just start with the two Kessils, and then upgrade to the dimmable T5s + APEX when advancing to SPS?
Or do you think that the $3,400 would be worth it to just do from the beginning, have the APEX tank protection, and be (hopefully) set with my lighting for the life of my tank?

I feel like for $3,400 I could be getting some crazy, good lights! Perhaps I cannot achieve the mixed reef I want without spending close to this - but I feel like I could be getting the par I need for SPS by adding a single LED orphek bar to each kessil for only ~$1400

 

[Erasmus Crowley]

Thank you very much for your input @Erasmus Crowley !
Very cool that your setup is very, very close to the one I am considering.

What PAR are you getting in the top half or top third of your tank? Do you think your tank could support SPS at the top, if you wanted, where you wouldn’t have to adjust intensity affecting your LPS in the bottom half?

It seems like the best solution, to have the ability to dim the T5s as you suggest, if I went with the hybrid. However.. to go this route seems very expensive for my first lights, as I would need to get two DX18 24” @$539 each (two instead of a single 48” to avoid shadows from my middle support brace)

24" DX18 Hybrid Dimmable T5 HO Light Fixture - Aquatic Life

A Dimmable T5 HO Aquarium Light Fixture with Provisions for your Favorite LED Modules! The ultimate way to incorporate both fluorescent and LED lighting over your aquarium in a stylish and compact package. Aquatic Life's DX18 Hybrid Light Fixture accepts four T5 lamps which, when paired with a...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Plus an APEX able to do 0-10v dim control @$899
The two A360X’s @$449 each
Eight T5 bulbs, Kessil wifi dongle etc
Putting the total at $3,400 for my tank lights!
[picture attached]

I think that long term this may be the best solution.. It’s just that $3,400 is getting close to double my budget for my lights :/
Almost triple the cost of just getting two Kessils
Perhaps I just start with the two Kessils, and then upgrade to the dimmable T5s + APEX when advancing to SPS?
Or do you think that the $3,400 would be worth it to just do from the beginning, have the APEX tank protection, and be (hopefully) set with my lighting for the life of my tank?

I feel like for $3,400 I could be getting some crazy, good lights! Perhaps I cannot achieve the mixed reef I want without spending close to this - but I feel like I could be getting the par I need for SPS by adding a single LED orphek bar to each kessil for only ~$1400

Okay. I'm going to try and tackle this in the reverse of the order you asked. lol

For the T5 dimming, you could go the route I did when I first got the fixture and make your own dimming knobs. You can find information about that here... https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/will-these-dimming-knobs-work.769850/

You can pull that off for like $20 if you have to go buy some super cheap headphones and cut the cable off.

Combine those knobs with a outlet timer that you can get at Home Depot or something for like $8. That would let you skip the Apex for a while.

Even with a brace in the middle, I would still go with the 48" fixture. T5s don't cast shadows like LED's do. I am 100% sure that you'll never be able to notice it. Just don't put a Kessil directly above the brace, which you probably wouldn't do anyway.

That would mean that the fixture is $600 instead of 2x$500. (rounding), and you only have to buy 4 bulbs instead of 8.

So price breakdown:
$644.99 for the dimmable hybrid fixture
$30 for the knobs and timer to manually dim the T5s.
$24 x4 for the bulbs.
$548.00 for one Kessil in a combo with the Wifi dongle
$449.00 for the second Kessil by itself.

Which, if my math is correct, adds up to... $1767.99. So, it's pushing the limits of your budget, but not breaking it.

About par in the top half, it's been a while since I was poking around with the PAR meter, but I think I was getting about 180 directly under the Kessils at the top of the water.

If I cranked up the intensity, I'm pretty certain that I could easily hit 300 to 400 PAR. I don't really want to test that though, because that might actually kill things in my tank. I don't know how much light exposure it takes to burn a coral.

I think that if I wanted to do a mixed tank, I wouldn't be able to do very high light demanding corals like acropora unless I let the SPS grow out and deliberately placed the LPS and softies in the shadows. I'd have to start with the SPS though so that they could take over the top, and then poke around with my PAR meter to find safe places to put the low light corals. The T5s are just very good at getting light everywhere at about the same strength.

 

[Erasmus Crowley]

Oh, it just occurred to me that you could probably use the narrow focus lenses on the Kessils to get a spotlight of VERY high par. Just put your SPS rocks directly in that spotlight and crank up the intensity on the Kessil, and set the T5s to a more comfortable LPS PAR level. That would make for a very manageable mixed reef with high light requirement SPS.

 

[Erasmus Crowley]

However.. to go this route seems very expensive for my first lights, as I would need to get two DX18 24” @$539 each (two instead of a single 48” to avoid shadows from my middle support brace)

This seems a bit obvious in hindsight, but I just realized this.

Imagine that you're looking up at the lamps from below.

The 48" bulbs hanging above the brace would look identical to the two 24" bulbs that are also hanging above the brace. They would cast identical shadows.

 

[Pepper Reefer]

Okay. I'm going to try and tackle this in the reverse of the order you asked. lol

For the T5 dimming, you could go the route I did when I first got the fixture and make your own dimming knobs. You can find information about that here... https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/will-these-dimming-knobs-work.769850/

You can pull that off for like $20 if you have to go buy some super cheap headphones and cut the cable off.

Combine those knobs with a outlet timer that you can get at Home Depot or something for like $8. That would let you skip the Apex for a while.

Even with a brace in the middle, I would still go with the 48" fixture. T5s don't cast shadows like LED's do. I am 100% sure that you'll never be able to notice it. Just don't put a Kessil directly above the brace, which you probably wouldn't do anyway.

That would mean that the fixture is $600 instead of 2x$500. (rounding), and you only have to buy 4 bulbs instead of 8.

So price breakdown:
$644.99 for the dimmable hybrid fixture
$30 for the knobs and timer to manually dim the T5s.
$24 x4 for the bulbs.
$548.00 for one Kessil in a combo with the Wifi dongle
$449.00 for the second Kessil by itself.

Which, if my math is correct, adds up to... $1767.99. So, it's pushing the limits of your budget, but not breaking it.

About par in the top half, it's been a while since I was poking around with the PAR meter, but I think I was getting about 180 directly under the Kessils at the top of the water.

If I cranked up the intensity, I'm pretty certain that I could easily hit 300 to 400 PAR. I don't really want to test that though, because that might actually kill things in my tank. I don't know how much light exposure it takes to burn a coral.

I think that if I wanted to do a mixed tank, I wouldn't be able to do very high light demanding corals like acropora unless I let the SPS grow out and deliberately placed the LPS and softies in the shadows. I'd have to start with the SPS though so that they could take over the top, and then poke around with my PAR meter to find safe places to put the low light corals. The T5s are just very good at getting light everywhere at about the same strength.

I truly appreciate you taking the time to offer your advice and link me the products & threads @Erasmus Crowley!

You're probably right on it being better to just do a 48" fixture, that I wouldn't notice the shadow from the crossbar from the T5's if I had the Kessils spread out in the other two sections. Worst case scenario, if I did see shadows, I could just get a submersible LED like a tunze to place under my cross bar.
Over the lifetime of the tank it would be worse to be replacing 8 lights rather than 4 every 9-12 months too.

With the money I'll save from only doing 1 fixture instead of 2, and the savings in T5 bulbs, I could buy an APEX with that savings..

To be honest, I'm a little hesitant to be taking apart the wiring of the 48" DX18, both because I have never done electrical work before (based on your description & the thread though it doesn't seem that complicated!) and that by doing so it could void the warranty on the light / make Aquatic Life give me a really hard time if ever something went wrong with it..
I think that if I was further into my reefing career I would be more confident to do this - I am just afraid to mess with the wires and break something, and then not have the ability to bounce back without buying another light or having to go through a 4-6 week process of getting it repaired.

I think it may in the end be best to do the 48" as you suggested, 2 kessils, and bite the bullet and get the APEX.. perhaps a single tank failure prevented by the APEX could pay for itself, too.

I think that I will also get the 55° reflector for the right side which has more locations to support SPS

 

[Erasmus Crowley]

To be honest, I'm a little hesitant to be taking apart the wiring of the 48" DX18, both because I have never done electrical work before (based on your description & the thread though it doesn't seem that complicated!) and that by doing so it could void the warranty on the light / make Aquatic Life give me a really hard time if ever something went wrong with it..

Oh no. You don't do anything to the wiring of the fixture. The fixture has a jack that is identical to a headphone jack. You just buy an old pair of headphones and cut the male jack off of them. Inside the headphone cable are 2 pairs of wires. Each pair of wires connects to one of the adjustment knobs. Then plug the jack into the light fixture and use the knobs to adjust as you see fit. That's it.

Or just go for the Apex. That is a much better solution anyway. lol

 

[RedoubtReef]

You could do this and save $1000 if halide is an option you would consider:

Reef Brite HyBrid Halide 36" SE Pendant w/XHO LED strips | Premium Aquatics

Aquarium & Fish Supplies Superstore. Guaranteed Low Prices. Free Shipping for qualified orders. Aquarium supply for your aquarium fish, saltwater aquariums, freshwater aquariums and ponds. The best aquarium lighting, protein skimmers, aquarium chillers, calcium reactors, aquarium pumps for fish...

premiumaquatics.com

 

[Pepper Reefer]

Oh no. You don't do anything to the wiring of the fixture. The fixture has a jack that is identical to a headphone jack. You just buy an old pair of headphones and cut the male jack off of them. Inside the headphone cable are 2 pairs of wires. Each pair of wires connects to one of the adjustment knobs. Then plug the jack into the light and use the knobs to adjust as you see fit. That's it.

Or just go for the Apex. That is a much better solution anyway. lol

Ahh! Hmmm. Good to know!! Haha. In that case, it could be good for me to at least try and do it this way first - worst case scenario I fail and am out like $30-40 and get to keep the outlet with timer... and then buy an APEX

It looks like I could get everything for $2,878 [picture attached]
which although is $878 over budget.. the lights themselves are under the $2K budget, or at least that's what I can tell myself

 

[Pepper Reefer]

I really appreciate all your help @Erasmus Crowley!! Thanks again

 

[Mjl714]

Here’s my 75g with two Kessil 360we’s. Only the Kessils since 2015. Lots of great lighting choices, good luck. I also like the Reefi Uno 2 Pros.

 

[Erasmus Crowley]

I really appreciate all your help @Erasmus Crowley!! Thanks again

I'm glad that I could be helpful, and it was kind of fun.

Oh, one last thing. If you go down the Apex route, you'll need a cable to connect the Apex to the headphone jack thing. Aquatic Life does make them, but no one seems to BRS doesn't sell them online. I think I ended up having to go to the Aquatic Life subforum and ask a mod there to let me buy one directly. It was very affordable. I just don't want you to order everything and then find yourself wondering, "Wait. How the hell do I connect these things together?"

 

[Erasmus Crowley]

you'll need a cable to connect the Apex to the headphone jack thing

This thing.

 

[Pepper Reefer]

I'm glad that I could be helpful, and it was kind of fun.

Oh, one last thing. If you go down the Apex route, you'll need a cable to connect the Apex to the headphone jack thing. Aquatic Life does make them, but no one seems to BRS doesn't sell them online. I think I ended up having to go to the Aquatic Life subforum and ask a mod there to let me buy one directly. It was very affordable. I just don't want you to order everything and then find yourself wondering, "Wait. How the hell do I connect these things together?"

Thank you!
On the BRS website they list this on the DX18 webpage:

48" DX18 Hybrid Dimmable T5 HO Light Fixture - Aquatic Life

A Dimmable T5 HO Aquarium Light Fixture with Provisions for your Favorite LED Modules! The ultimate way to incorporate both fluorescent and LED lighting over your aquarium in a stylish and compact package. Aquatic Life's DX18 Hybrid Light Fixture accepts four T5 lamps which, when paired with a...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

in the 'T5 dimming' section it links to this

Kessil to Neptune Apex Control Cable - Kessil

Use the Kessil A360/A160 Neptune Apex Control Cable to connect your Kessil 360 (A360N/360W) or A160 LED lights to your Neptune Systems Apex controller. Specifications Type 1 - compatible with Neptune Systems Apex controllers Length: 6 Ft. (1800mm) without connectors Color: Black One End: 1/8"...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

I think that it might be the same thing - the saltwateraquarium page doesn't say whether it's

• One End: 1/8" (3.5mm) stereo male phono plug
• Other End: RJ45 plug

or not - so I think I would just get it from the link you provided, just to be safe

 

[Erasmus Crowley]

Thank you!
On the BRS website they list this on the DX18 webpage:

48" DX18 Hybrid Dimmable T5 HO Light Fixture - Aquatic Life

A Dimmable T5 HO Aquarium Light Fixture with Provisions for your Favorite LED Modules! The ultimate way to incorporate both fluorescent and LED lighting over your aquarium in a stylish and compact package. Aquatic Life's DX18 Hybrid Light Fixture accepts four T5 lamps which, when paired with a...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

in the 'T5 dimming' section it links to this

Kessil to Neptune Apex Control Cable - Kessil

Use the Kessil A360/A160 Neptune Apex Control Cable to connect your Kessil 360 (A360N/360W) or A160 LED lights to your Neptune Systems Apex controller. Specifications Type 1 - compatible with Neptune Systems Apex controllers Length: 6 Ft. (1800mm) without connectors Color: Black One End: 1/8"...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

I think that it might be the same thing - the saltwateraquarium page doesn't say whether it's

• One End: 1/8" (3.5mm) stereo male phono plug
• Other End: RJ45 plug

or not - so I think I would just get it from the link you provided, just to be safe

For what it's worth, that looks like the exact same cable to me.