Kessil A360X or AP9X?

[Seachelle]

Hello,

My DT hasn't come yet, but I'm trying to plan ahead and get as much equipment in advance as I can. My tank is approximately 24X27X24 and is 57 gallons. I was thinking about getting either a Kessil A360X or AP9X. I'm going to start off with easy beginner corals, like softies and LPS's, but eventually, I'd like to get a few easy SPS's and way down the road, maybe some acros. Which light would be better for this? I would prefer something that can be mounted to a tank via an arm, instead of hung. I was also thinking maybe of getting the AP360X for now and adding the Aquatic Life T5 hybrid fixture later, but I'm not sure if those have to be hung or not. Any other options I should be considering? Thanks for any advice!

 

[minus9]

I would go with the 360x's for now. They'll give you a little wiggle room for mounting/spacing. The Reef Brite add-on strips are pretty cool and would help add the fill light needed when you get into sps. That's a tall tank, so you may have to use the 55 degree lenses on the 360x's to give you a little more punch. Just depends on what corals you'll keep near the bottom? If your tank was 36 long, then the AP9x would fit the bill nicely. It was designed for 3' tanks, which is why the reflectors are shaped differently on them. Or you could do a single 500x, but you would still need fill light when you add sps down the road.

 

[Seachelle]

My tank is 24" deep - is that considered tall? It's 27" long and 24" wide. If I got the 360, I was thinking I'd only need 1 light. Would the AP9X be too big and throw the light too much to the sides of the tank? Im thinking my aquascape is going to be mostly centered since it's a square tank. Thanks for your help!

I would go with the 360x's for now. They'll give you a little wiggle room for mounting/spacing. The Reef Brite add-on strips are pretty cool and would help add the fill light needed when you get into sps. That's a tall tank, so you may have to use the 55 degree lenses on the 360x's to give you a little more punch. Just depends on what corals you'll keep near the bottom? If your tank was 36 long, then the AP9x would fit the bill nicely. It was designed for 3' tanks, which is why the reflectors are shaped differently on them. Or you could do a single 500x, but you would still need fill light when you add sps down the road.

 

[C_AWOL]

Both options can be used with a single mounting arm (ap9x uses a specific one if you dont want to buy 2 of the standard ones)

Pros of an ap9x:

-Buying 1 ap9x will be cheaper in comparison to buying 1 360x adding another of the same light (if 2 are even needed for sps in that size aquarium) since you wont need to purchase a controller/dongle or 2 mounting arms (assuming you're not hanging them) and an extra usb c cable to link them

-1 Ap9x will likely greatly reduce any form of shadowing you would get from having a single 360x due to there being 2 points of light vs 1 and it having more optimized lenses for rectangular spread (oval vs circular lens) in addition to being able to run at a lower % thus lasting longer factoring the periodic cleaning that all lights should receive (kessils ime do already last extremely long to begin with)

-1 plug + 1 transformer/ballast vs 2 which frees up an outlet if necessary

Cons:

-Since both sources of light come from 1 fixture, it's completely inflexible as far as spacing + lens being oval make it less than ideal for anything wider than 24" (without changing the orientation and considering a possible tank upgrade in the future)

-Higher initial investment point. There is no point in investing in this light if you aren't going to do sps for this size tank since a single 360x can handle the needs of virtually all other coral or want a different type of spectrum fill light/style fill light (extra uv/blue for more pop or flat lights like t5 to mute the shimmer without reducing surface agitation)

Pros of a 360x

-Lower initial investment cost (possibly lower long term lower investment cost if you don't plan on going sps heavy or at all later on)

-May be cheaper to add fill/supplementary light in the form of led bars/t5ho/2nd kessil to reduce shimmer/cover shadows/etc

-More flexible in position (might only matter in future tank upgrade potential)

-Circle lens makes it more viable for wider aquariums than the ap9x

Cons:

-May cost more to upgrade than simply buying an ap9x outright (dependent on whats being used to add on) + add on options may require hanging kits or a form of diy handiwork to mount to the aquarium

-2+ cables = less outlets for other gear and more to the cable mess/transformers that you may already have to deal with with other gear


My own personal verdict between the choices would be to buy an ap9x if my heart was dead set on keeping a tank full of sps (if it was really necessary for that sized aquarium) otherwise I don't see any issues running 1 360x and then adding something else later on if really necessary. Who knows, with the latter option you could ultimately strike gold if kessil ends up making the light we really need *cough160xcough* to address shadowing and what not.

 

[BoneDoc]

If you have the funds, I’d go with Whatever aesthetically looks good to you. The 360x is definitely enough juice to run your tank even with SPS. As they matured the hard shadowing will affect the base of the coral… but that’s 6-12 months away at best.

AP9x has the built in WiFi and spectral controller, and should help with some of the shadowing … so it’s better, but a total overkill. If you haven’t had a reef before, you’d be battling all of the ugly stages, which would be worse with a more powerful light.

 

[minus9]

My tank is 24" deep - is that considered tall? It's 27" long and 24" wide. If I got the 360, I was thinking I'd only need 1 light. Would the AP9X be too big and throw the light too much to the sides of the tank? Im thinking my aquascape is going to be mostly centered since it's a square tank. Thanks for your help!

Gotcha, I thought the dimensions seemed odd to me. We usually show tank dimensions by, length, width, height. Which may help you in the future. I would probably lean towards the AP9x, s this would give you good coverage, but in WiFi/control and a single mounting arm. With a single 360x you’ll get shading on any branching sps, so you’ll need fill light down the road for sure. I started a 22g with a single 160, but in the end I had three 160’s and a 4 bulb T5 fixture. The small tank was jam packed with sps that were growing out of the water. Fun stuff.

 

[Seachelle]

Gotcha, I thought the dimensions seemed odd to me. We usually show tank dimensions by, length, width, height. Which may help you in the future. I would probably lean towards the AP9x, s this would give you good coverage, but in WiFi/control and a single mounting arm. With a single 360x you’ll get shading on any branching sps, so you’ll need fill light down the road for sure. I started a 22g with a single 160, but in the end I had three 160’s and a 4 bulb T5 fixture. The small tank was jam packed with sps that were growing out of the water. Fun stuff.

That must have been an amazing tank!!! I am leaning towards the AP9X. I think it will be more cost effective in the long run. Thanks!

 

[Seachelle]

If you have the funds, I’d go with Whatever aesthetically looks good to you. The 360x is definitely enough juice to run your tank even with SPS. As they matured the hard shadowing will affect the base of the coral… but that’s 6-12 months away at best.

AP9x has the built in WiFi and spectral controller, and should help with some of the shadowing … so it’s better, but a total overkill. If you haven’t had a reef before, you’d be battling all of the ugly stages, which would be worse with a more powerful light.

I was wondering if the AP9X would be too much for my size tank. But if I ran the light at a lower percentage, do you think that would work? I'm trying to save a little by not having to upgrade lighting later on. I didn't think about the ugly stage though.

 

[piranhaman00]

24 “ 6 bulb T5 , or the 360 with AL hybrid

 

[BoneDoc]

I was wondering if the AP9X would be too much for my size tank. But if I ran the light at a lower percentage, do you think that would work? I'm trying to save a little by not having to upgrade lighting later on. I didn't think about the ugly stage though.

Yes. For sure you can run them lower. Some say it’s a waste of money, but not necessarily so if you’re planning on upgrading to asps soon Jared tank in the future

 

[minus9]

It’s actually better to not run them at full power, theoretically, they’ll last longer.