Kessil A80 or Prime 16HD

btmedic04 · Mar 3, 2020

Hey folks, I'm thinking of rebooting my nuvo 10 and am debating between a kessil A80 or Prime 16HD (Kessil 160 is an option too.) I already have a 40B mixed reef with Radion XR15s, a 20L mixed reef with a couple of Prime HDs (Gen 2) and I want this tank to be as low maintenance as possible. With that said, I'm leaning towards lots of movement with softies and maybe a couple LPS primarily for corals. Part of me wants to see what kessil has to offer as I'm already familiar with Ecotech and AI products and am happy with their results. Would an A80 on a timer cut it, or should I step up to the 160 or take the value proposition in prime 16HD? Thanks!

Daniel91 · Mar 3, 2020

I have seen decent growth with my A80 on both SPS and LPS - softies grow under any light imo. People tend to underestimate them.

With that said, the Prime will most likely be the better light when it comes to power, growth, controllability and future coral progress.

JumboShrimp · Mar 3, 2020

I have 2 A80s on a 7 gallon AIO softie tank, and it’s probably overkill. They are set on about 1/2 intensity. They really are great lights, but I wouldn’t really count on them to penetrate a deep tank, or spread coverage too wide. Just my 2-cents.

btmedic04 · Mar 4, 2020

I think the tank display internal dimensions are 11.8" x 11.8" x 11. If I go with the a80, I'd mount it 4" off the surface as suggested for a mixed reef. I just want to remove the temptation of putting sps in there lol.

One last question about the a80, think it would be ok for rock flower nems?