kessil vs t5

[Brighteyes_13]

Originally ive been budgeting to install the Kessil AP700 to run along my 2 lamp t5. Does anyone have this fixture? they boast great growth but most ppl ive talked to say LED cannot provide the right spectrum in sufficent amounts to get the growth that t5 and MH can. It has swayed me to the point im considering a new light setup.

So question 1, is anyone running this that can attest to its "great growth" claim?

question 2, how obtainable are the MH bulbs anymore?

question 3, are the dual end 150w mh bulbs as bad as the articles make them out to be?

Im sure i'll have more questions as i hone in on what i want to do, but for now this would be super helpful.

[SoloSK71]

I can't speak to point 1 as I don't run the Kessil lights but as to the other two:

You can still get MH lights from multiple vendors

The consensus appears to be the single end MH is better than dual end

As to your question of MH vs T5 vs LED, I think that there is plenty of evidence that all three can grow corals and provide a great looking tank. I have used T5, MH, MH/T5 combo, LED, T5/LED combo and I not seen any great difference in growth between the different options.

I think a lot more growth can be attributed to stability, both of lighting as well as well as water parameters. LEDs allow people to play with them a lot more than MH or T5 and what may be visually pleasing to people may not be the best for coral growth.

Charles

[Ace Storman]

Brighteyes_13 ...I've done plenty of in depth research on these led lights recently. Personally, I would not recommend the AP700 as they are a two channel kind of light (Blue and White). The Radion XR30w G4 PRO in my opinion are the lights to go with. EACH color channel, eight of them is independently configurable and the new Gen 4 seem to output characteristics similar to that of metal halides. There are two recent articles that shed some real good facts about these lights. One article has pictures showing the exceptional coral growth achieved by these Gen 4 Radions.

BS "Map" pricing...aka price fixing is about the same for both lights.
Please pm me with your number and I can shed some further information. Regards, Norman

[Moogled]

Oof....Radion G4 PRO's are nice but they're also $800USD each. Then again so is her AP700 but does she need 2 of them?

They're also running a 100g which means they're looking at a minimum of 2 fixtures if they go that route.

There is a neat little tool that helps you visualize PAR output in Radions based on tank dimensions. Let me see if I can dig that up...

[Brighteyes_13]

i made enough height in my hood to run a single kessil ap700. as well the plan was to run 2 dual t5ho strips to even out any dimmer spots on the ends.

Radions are pretty but very expensive.


Am i the only one who feels like choosing lighting is like smashing your forehead into a wall repeatedly? There are so many options, and so many opinions that its hard to come to any conclusions without picking it up and installing it to decide.

[intarsiabox]

You can find articles about how great such and such lights grow coral for pretty much any manufacturer you can think of. Any decent quality light fixture will grow corals just fine if you have really good water quality. Every light type has it's pros and cons and it really comes down to what your personal aesthetical preference is. The light fixture is only a single part of the equation and by no means guarantees any success. If you are able it would be great if you can see different tanks running different light systems to see what they look like in person. Just in the LFS's in Edmonton there are tanks running Kessils, Radions, MH's and T5's and they all have a different look and appeal to them.

[Brighteyes_13]

Personally, I would not recommend the AP700 as they are a two channel kind of light (Blue and White).


what do you mean 2 channel? sorry im a bit new to this tech. how does this affect the light spectrum?

[Myka]

I can't speak to point 1 as I don't run the Kessil lights but as to the other two:

You can still get MH lights from multiple vendors

The consensus appears to be the single end MH is better than dual end

Agreed.

As for growth, I've found halide beats out everything else.

I also agree with AceStorman...Radions are where it's at for LEDs. Very nice fixtures, and that means a lot coming from me because I'm an LED hater. :lol:
I wouldn't put Radions on my own tank though... hehehe

[Brighteyes_13]

with the above info, do you think 2x250w mh and 4x54w t5ho would work on a 48x20" footprint?

[Roskoreef]

I know it will and have a setup for sale 500$ for a giesemann Spectra, 2x 250w SE 4xt5ho with ballasts, 3 mth old bulbs plus a few extra bulbs,

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/spectra-t5-metal-halide-4x54w-48-giesemann.html

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