LED Lighting 360W or AP700

[jaywrench473]

Hello all...1st post here. Been out for about 12 years and starting back up. The technology advancement in the equipment is mind blowing.

Question on lighting a 4X2X2 120 gallon tank. Would like to use LED and am wondering if I should light it with (2) 360 Wide or a single AP700. I am planning on softies and LPS and well after tank is established, 12-18 months, diving into SPS.

Opinions please - Open to other LED lighting options as well

Thanks

 

[whosurcaddie]

All Kessil lights are amazing and if they are in your budget I would definitely go for that. Don't know much about the ap700 kinda nice that its all in one unit the 360's are tried and true though.

There are more affordable options that grow corals just as good.

https://www.reefbreeders.com/shop/superlux/

http://www.oceanrevivellc.com/goods.php?id=21

This will be your cheapest option. Growth is just as good as anything else.

http://www.amazon.com/Galaxyhydro-55x3w-Dimmable-Spectrum-Aquarium/dp/B00INM0J1M/ref=sr_1_2?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1449316574&sr=1-2-spons&keywords=reef+led&psc=1

 

[jaywrench473]

Thanks for the response. I am favoring the Kessil because of lighting options and better PAR levels down to 24". I am looking for information on coverage over the 4 feet. The AP700 claims 48" coverage at 15-18"'s but will I get to enough light at the ends of the tank. Will 2 360's give me more at the ends of the tank? I also like the look of the gooseneck mount on the 360. The tank does have a small euro brace so don't even know yet if the gooseneck will mount. Still researching.

 

[whosurcaddie]

You will get full coverage with either light. You will actually have some light spill so there should be no worries with inadequate coverage. Light spill is where the spread is so great that light can shine outside the tank. You can keep this from happening with a height adjustment. If you hang the ap700 15-18" of the tank that might make it harder to grow SPS. It says for SPS reefs to hang the fixture 5 to 8 inches from the surface of the water.

All of those fixtures I sent you with 90* optics can grow almost anything at 24" deep.

There's another Kessil like fixture that just hit the market a few months ago people seem to like it a lot. Just giving you all the options.

http://www.amazon.com/Aquatic-Life-Halo-Basic-Fixture/dp/B00T6FGDJW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449324884&sr=8-1&keywords=reef+halo

 

[billdogg]

I have a single A360W over one side of a 120. It serves as my frag tank. Excellent coverage from such a compact light. No complaints at all. I'm currently trying to sell enough frags to buy one for the other side.

FWIW - I have a Kenya Tree forest growing in the other (umlighted) half. There is more than enough spillover to keep them happy.

It hangs ~12" from the water and is turned most of the way up

 

[reefbroao]

The new kessil is super cool. check it out. Its a light bar and my LFS got one so the guys were showing it to me. Not cheap but extremely nice. Par is a little low but still a great light.

But I would look at the reef breeder photons. priced much better and they are quite programmable. Absolutely love mine. I have one acro that has shown incredible growth in the past 2 weeks. I accidentally chipped the tip while arranging some rock and it has grown over again. That was 5 days ago.

 

[WaReefer458]

You are going to want 2 360's I only say this because you will end up with shadowing in the middle due to the center brace on the tank. If it's in the budget I'd do 2 of the 700's but that's a ton of money.

 

[jaywrench473]

Fortunately there is no center brace so center shadowing shouldn't be an issue. I would love to get 2 ap700's. Budget is fairly good but might not be that good. Might start with one for now.

Reefbroa- Are you referring to the Ap700? Is there another light bar they introduced? If so link please.

Does anyone have the gooseneck mount on the 700? Look good? Adjustable?

Want to pull the trigger but 800+ want to do it right the first time

Appreciate all the info and options

 

[Coelli]

My tank is not as long or wide as yours, but it is as deep. 36x18x24. My LFS, one of the best around, recommended I go with the A360NE rather than the WE because of the depth. To figure out how high to hang them for best coverage and least light spill he said to use painter's tape to mark the tank exactly one third of the way front to back, then in half the length of the tank. That was for centering them. Then, turn on the light and raise it above the tank until the cone of light was at the waterline. For us that was about 8" up. For the WEs it would be different. I wasn't 100% sure that the NEs would be the right choice but the LFS said if I wasn't happy with them he'd swap them for the WEs. That's how confident he was. Their positioning means I have overlap in the middle for things that like a lot of light, and dimmer but still bright at the edges all the way down to the sandbed.

The AP700 wasn't out when I bought my lights but I think I would have gone with the 360s anyway; they're very small and it's very easy to hang them from DIY EMT mounts. Two pucks next to each other would have been a waste on a tank my size; it would be harder to get the right spread.

I absolutely love my Kessils. I know some people are convinced that all LEDs are worthless but I have been running these for a year now and had good success. Some of my SPS are slow growers but others are taking over my tank. I even have a stylo and a monti cap about 18" and 20" down in the tank and they seem quite happy. An orange digitata about 16" below the waterline is going nuts. Photosynthetic gorgonians are growing like weeds. SPS at the top of the tank (I have a rock wall) are doing great. One of my wild colonies is starting to peek above the waterline when my return is off.

I have the Kessils hooked up to my Apex and run a 14 hour light cycle from 8AM to 10PM, with a couple of hours at either end at very low percentages and peaking at about 80% intensity for a few hours in the middle (ramping up and down).

And best of all, the cats can't jump on them. That was one of the deciding factors too!

 

[reefbroao]

ahh yes the ap700, I got to fiddle with it yesterday. Extremely slim great coloration and the brain's they had in the DT seemed to love it. I dont know the PAR exactly but I do know he said that long term it's not that great.

They had one over a 60 G cube and it covered it very well.

 

[reeferdon]

The 700 is very nice however keep this in mind. With 2 360's you'll have more ways to adjusting them over your tank. With the 700 your almost stuck with just up and down