Kessil A160WE over Biocube 29

[rja]

Hey all,
My LFS has been pretty persistent on my A160WE over my Biocube 29 being enough light alone to grow anything. I suppose this may be true as it is a killer light! I have some quick questions on my schedule, intensity, and color level.
So, I like blue, a lot. I really want to run my light no more than 10% color. That’s almost totally blue, pretty much totally blue. I love the way the corals look and I love how it hides some algae and whatnot. Is this okay? I understand that perhaps blue will be the best and most important section of the color spectrum for coral photosynthesis while concurrently slightly starving algae?
As far as intensity goes, with some low light softies and moderate light LPS, I don’t want to go higher than 50% intensity right? I mean this is a bright light and everyone (corals) seems happy at that output level.
When it comes to photo period, would 8 hours a day work? One hour ramp up to 50% one hour ramp down to 0% intensity? I don’t want to over-complicate things. Back in the metal halide and T5 days wasn’t it just on/off? Or if you were really baller you had many bulbs that could be mixed half on half off? Right? So my schedule shouldn’t be too bad?
Anyway, if you have a similar setup to me, drop your schedules and inputs! I know there are plenty of you out there who can give me some advice and I really appreciate it!

 

[Spare time]

Blue is not going to hinder algae. Blue is meant for growing algae inside corals. The 10% color is fine but I prefer some white for the fish's eyes.

Run the intensity at 100% at kessil's recommended height


8 hours a day is fine.

 

[dedragon]

The a 160 we will grow most LPS and softies but i dont think it will hit the upper 200s you might want for acropora. I dont think you need to run this light at 50% but at 100% for LPS and if you wanted to do more sps I would lean towards the kessil a360x over the a160we.
Hard to say exactly as you would have to know exact mounting height of the unit but a360x would usually be recommended over the 1 a160we for mixed tanks on a 24" by 24" cube so the 24" width of the biocube has me leaning that way.

 

[dedragon]

I always like the Kessil plus t5 or led bar look, but there are different options out there though for a budget build as well like smatfarms led

 

[Jubei2006]

So I have an oceanic biocube 29. I use the a360x tuna blue. My softies and LPS have done adequately, but all the SPS I have put in it lose color, and if I wait too long in quarantine, they bleach and die back. The softies and LPS grow slowly, and some of the LPS will recede over a period of months. I think it is a combo of inadequate lights, and parameter stability, because as soon as they go in the 525gallon under the Mitras 7206s they come right back and start growing well.