How Many Kessil AP9X?

Chipper1978 · Feb 27, 2023

In the process of setting up an SPS frag tank. Dimensions are 72"x24"x14". Bought 2 Kessil AP9X. Anyone with experience with this light think that will give sufficient coverage?

JC1977 · Feb 27, 2023

Chipper1978 said:
In the process of setting up an SPS frag tank. Dimensions are 72"x24"x14". Bought 2 Kessil AP9X. Anyone with experience with this light think that will give sufficient coverage?

I ran 3 units on my 72”x24”x24” tank with sps before I converted to a FOWLR. I started with two but just didn’t get enough coverage on a 6 foot tank.

Pntbll687 · Feb 27, 2023

Chipper1978 said:
In the process of setting up an SPS frag tank. Dimensions are 72"x24"x14". Bought 2 Kessil AP9X. Anyone with experience with this light think that will give sufficient coverage?

That's going to depend on how high you mount them.

I have a single AP700 on a 48x24x10 frag tank, and get 150+ par in 75% of the tank.

I would start with two and see if it works, you can always add a third, or a couple bars to fill in.

I'd actually go with two AP9X, and two of these bars in the 6' model
https://www.quantareef.com/product-page/quanta-pro-product-line

jepuskar · Feb 27, 2023

I have 2 over a 72x46x24

Chipper1978 · Feb 27, 2023

JC1977 said:
I ran 3 units on my 72”x24”x24” tank with sps before I converted to a FOWLR. I started with two but just didn’t get enough coverage on a 6 foot tank.

That's what I am worried about. Kessil says they can cover up to 36" each for SPS. We all know those estimates are usually stretched to the max.

Chipper1978 · Feb 27, 2023

Pntbll687 said:
That's going to depend on how high you mount them.

I have a single AP700 on a 48x24x10 frag tank, and get 150+ par in 75% of the tank.

I would start with two and see if it works, you can always add a third, or a couple bars to fill in.

I'd actually go with two AP9X, and two of these bars in the 6' model
https://www.quantareef.com/product-page/quanta-pro-product-line

Thanks for all of the info! Those supplemental bars are intriguing to consider.

JC1977 · Feb 27, 2023

Chipper1978 said:
That's what I am worried about. Kessil says they can cover up to 36" each for SPS. We all know those estimates are usually stretched to the max.

I hear you but yeah I would say you’ll either need another ap9x or some other supplemental lighting as suggested by others because I don’t feel they cover 36”. At least not for sps. Best of luck!

minus9 · Feb 27, 2023

3 with good LED bars like Quanta Pro will cover you pretty well. For branching sps/acropora, each puck will light a 12"-16" square area, for tabling sps, you can get more coverage. I'm a huge Kessil fan, but you have to be aware of how they "light" an area. To me they offer the best in contrast, color blending and spectrum. The contrast creates shadows, so overlapping them will reduce the shadows and the LED bars will help fill in the those spots without making it look like a T5 lit tank, which is very flat looking. For acropora, using LED's, you're gonna need more fixtures than you think, it's just a fact of how they illuminate a tank. You can start with two and add as the tank grows. But I really like blending different LED styles/platforms when lighting acropora with LEDs only. But again, this is personal preference and experience.