Kessil a80 how long should I run it?

[Sandroni]

Hey everyone, so I have a kessil a80 and I was wondering how long I should run my light. I have a 14g biocube with a pair of black photon clowns. I just got my first zoanthids today and will be unpacking a bit later. Any suggestions?

 

[minus9]

You're safe with an 8 to 12hr photo period, just start with a lower intensity and slowly work your way up. General rule with kessil's (and most led's) is 5% increase a month.
Do you have the spectral controller or an apex?
Remember, corals can survive a lot longer in lower light, than too high of light.
Go slow and be patient. Enjoy the new coral!

 

[Sandroni]

You're safe with an 8 to 12hr photo period, just start with a lower intensity and slowly work your way up. General rule with kessil's (and most led's) is 5% increase a month.
Do you have the spectral controller or an apex?
Remember, corals can survive a lot longer in lower light, than too high of light.
Go slow and be patient. Enjoy the new coral!

I don't have either but I am looking into the spectral controller. I usually have roughly 75% blues dimmed for my clowns. I am very excited to enjoy my coral! thanks!

 

[minus9]

Yeah, having the controller will make life easier. It's pretty straight forward, simply set the length of time, ramp up and down, color and intensity. It also has an acclimation mode, so when introducing new corals, you simply select the length of time (let's say a week), starting intensity and it will slowly increase over the designated time. I used to control my Kessil's with my apex, but found that I was simply using a ramp up and down, holding peak and having the color follow the intensity timeline. I would much rather have two more variable speed ports for controlling pumps/powerheads, then controlling my lights. But that's just me.
You can find used controllers for around $79 or less sometimes, but for $99, it's nice to have something new and clean.