reeftank220master
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I have 4 black box LED's and 6 Kessil a350's and I like having this combination on my 220..
KESSIL VS CHINESE BLACK BOX
- Thread starter elisa h
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reeftank220master
Active Member
I have 4 black box LED's and 6 Kessil a350's and I like having this combination on my 220..
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elisa h
Active Member
I have 4 black box LED's and 6 Kessil a350's and I like having this combination on my 220..
What a beautiful tank! Do you find that the kessils are worth the extra money compared to your bb's?
reeftank220master
Active Member
Thank you..I would say the Kessils put out a beautiful clean almost perfect light but I find they just are not as powerful as I would like so if I had to do it over I probably would scrap my current light set up and just spend big bucks and go with ecotech radions across the board!
I have two kessil a360's so I am a little biased.
I love those lights, the shimmer is crazy! I have never had Chinese black boxes, so I can't speak to much about them.
If I could go back in time I would've went with two Ecotech Radions xr30.
I love those lights, the shimmer is crazy! I have never had Chinese black boxes, so I can't speak to much about them.
If I could go back in time I would've went with two Ecotech Radions xr30.
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elisa h
Active Member
this is about 30-40% intensity.
Looks good! Cute kitty as well lol.
Bouncingsoul39
Valuable Member
Consider the fine print on the black box warranties. For example, SB Reefs, you have to pay shipping to send it to them for warranty repair, they will not just ship you a replacement fixture. Or they will send you parts, to make the repairs yourself. Shipping that unit to Florida will cost about $15-25 each way depending on where you live, plus all the down time, you will be without a light for a while if something were to happen. Not knocking them at all but it's good to read the warranty info. I sent SB an email three weeks ago inquiring about a product and have yet to hear back from them. Whenever I send an email to Marine Depot or BRS, I always here back within 48 hours. Same goes for Amazon Prime.
You dont need any light for at least 1 month now... let the tank cycle . You can use this time to read more about both options, apart from these opinions. BRS and several other vendors have some PAR and related information. R2R too has some really good articles on this. It is this knowledge, which will be more important. Both options can grow corals. Good enough for your requirements.
Kessil combines the LEDs into a single dense matrix, which gives a near perfect blend, that in turn gives the stunning shimmer, that its famous for. If you keep your water clear, kessil will shine that better than any thing out there I think. I used ABI bulb and similar leds first, I use kessil exclusively now, I switched slowly, after encountering some of the kessil lit tanks in local lfs. Remember its not only the raw power, but also easier controllability and over all power usage in the entire lifetime of the equipment that matters. It will be hard to find a kessil lit tank that has pink/purple hue..that said, kessil is fairly pricy. But I do think its bit pricy. . AI and other options are good as well. I would say go for the BBs if you are on budget. Otherwise, dont. Remember this is a old reefing advice to invest in a good equipments. Pump and Light are two main ones.
Kessil combines the LEDs into a single dense matrix, which gives a near perfect blend, that in turn gives the stunning shimmer, that its famous for. If you keep your water clear, kessil will shine that better than any thing out there I think. I used ABI bulb and similar leds first, I use kessil exclusively now, I switched slowly, after encountering some of the kessil lit tanks in local lfs. Remember its not only the raw power, but also easier controllability and over all power usage in the entire lifetime of the equipment that matters. It will be hard to find a kessil lit tank that has pink/purple hue..that said, kessil is fairly pricy. But I do think its bit pricy. . AI and other options are good as well. I would say go for the BBs if you are on budget. Otherwise, dont. Remember this is a old reefing advice to invest in a good equipments. Pump and Light are two main ones.
PabloEscobar17
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I think star polp will look awesome growing around there near the overflow...that's what I am doing
This is the tank, for reference. I will be replacing the blinds or getting some type of curtain so that sunlight doesn't come through. Anybody have any ideas on how to hide that ugly overflow box? I was thinking of growing some gsp or zoas over it lol
@elisa h , see what I mean on making a choice, they all make a strong case. I started asking the Coral growers and sellers and received the same results. @BoomCorals uses SBreef and he grows the the largest frags out there where Ultimate Corals Uses Kessils and gets great results (see his videos on FB) and other TopShelf sellers use Radions to grow collectors pieces. I think what ever direction you chose you will still question your decision like everyone else and want to try something new.
@saltyfilmfolks @Dana Riddle It would be interesting to start a poll of Retail coral sellers and distributors what they use if its not a secret or choice for a home Display Tank ?
@saltyfilmfolks @Dana Riddle It would be interesting to start a poll of Retail coral sellers and distributors what they use if its not a secret or choice for a home Display Tank ?
Reefrookie220
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So your on the bandwagon of a light you don't even own or have experience with?
And my logic is flawed....
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No problem, just got a little out of hand. And there's no doubt that the black boxes can do it.
BoomCorals
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I didn't read the entire thread but yes I now use SB reef lights. And I've used them all - AI, kessil, radion, and now sbreef. I saw no difference in growth between any of them. I currently own 10 SBreef lights. One of them arrived with an issue, I had them send me a replacement part, took 5 minutes with a screw driver to fix.
Edit: I will say I've also used the cheap Chinese $100 no name boxes. Those did NOT have as much growth as the others. They are less PAR and not the same colors as all the rest it seems.
Edit: I will say I've also used the cheap Chinese $100 no name boxes. Those did NOT have as much growth as the others. They are less PAR and not the same colors as all the rest it seems.
I actually visit real stores that prove there performance. I'm on the bandwagon that most lights today can grow colonies and I don't have to insult other members on there small frags and how there choice of lights was wrong. Still doesn't explain your lack of actually reading a post...... The point being is plenty of people have seen the lights, used different brands of lights and you had to insult someone to make a point? Like I said on my first post, all these LED lights have come along way and you can't go wrong with either, it comes down to looks IMO.
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JasPR
Active Member
Like "millennial virtue signalling", buying for technological status can be a compelling thing-- showing one cases strongly about providing what wisdom of the day says is "The very Best"! In the end, the animals don't know brands-- but they do know what makes for survival and what doesn't. The true value of high end is that it is eventually 'vetted' well. Often the vetting proves the marketing wrong. But those brands that make the cut are truly valuable as many many hobbyists in all levels of the hobby have reported their results. So I know of a 600 gallon system that only uses Chinese junk LEDs. The results are remarkable. The owner admits they need replacing often and have ZERO after market service ( he uses over 12 of the boxes along with metal Halide) But he is an importer and pays around 100 dollars a unit. As he puts it, he can buy 8 for the cost of just ONE Kessil panel. For Me, its the look of the light-- the shimmer of the water column, and the light dancing on pure white sand. That's a Kessil. The rest is marketing and your skills at husbandry. IMHO of course.
UABsleeper
Active Member
What about instead of the Kessil you go with ai hydra 26hd you get more spread than you would with kessil more control [without having to buy a controler] and still a good looking reliable light
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