Recommended intensity setting for a kessil A500x over an 18" sps cube?

[rennjidk]

It's mounted over a JBJ RF-25 @ 8" off the water and no reflector, per BRS recommendation. I do use a glass top, so I'm expecting 10-20% reduction in par, but I'd still like to make 200 on the sand (16" of water). I'm not messing with the spectrum at all, other than just turning the knob to where I like visually and letting the kessil logic work out the rest. Anyone else have one mounted over a similar sized cube? My plan was to start at around 40%.

 

[Reefer Matt]

It's mounted over a JBJ RF-25 @ 8" off the water and no reflector, per BRS recommendation. I do use a glass top, so I'm expecting 10-20% reduction in par, but I'd still like to make 200 on the sand (16" of water). I'm not messing with the spectrum at all, other than just turning the knob to where I like visually and letting the kessil logic work out the rest. Anyone else have one mounted over a similar sized cube? My plan was to start at around 40%.

I recommend renting a par meter to eliminate any guesswork. That is a powerful light. As a side note, I use glass lids, and do not have any par loss as long as they stay clean.

 

[rennjidk]

I recommend renting a par meter to eliminate any guesswork. That is a powerful light. As a side note, I use glass lids, and do not have any par loss as long as they stay clean.

That would be ideal, but there's no local places around me and the only options are a little pricey now

 

[Reefer Matt]

That would be ideal, but there's no local places around me and the only options are a little pricey now

I understand. If there are any local reef groups around you, someone may have one as well. Also, maybe Kessil has a chart on their website that can give you an idea.

 

[minus9]

I would also recommend using the spectral controller x or the wifi dongle to unlock control of the violet, red and green channels (violet being the most important one). I'm using a 500x over a 10g, but I have it mounted nearly 2' above the tank and I'm using the 35 degree lens. You can start at 20% intensity and go from there, but as mentioned earlier, I would rent/borrow a par meter if you can.

 

[Ironwill723]

You can rent a par meter from BRS.

 

[Hurricane Aquatics]

No, don't start at 40%. I had a 40 gallon cube which was a 22 inch. I would recommend 20% to start. That's still a lot of PAR. You can find a post I did on here with PAR readings and the 500x is very powerful.

Also, if you get a wifi dongle, be REAL careful adjusting the violet channel. On my PAR meter it added a TON of PAR when sliding it up. It really shouldn't have but it did per the PAR meter.

I always liked 20 to 25% intensity to start, 30 color. If that's a bit too blue, then go to 60 color or whatever you like. It doesn't really matter on that.

I was just setting up this cube a couple of years ago.

 

[naterealbig]

Hey there.

Coincidentally, I just checked PAR levels in my 130g which runs 2 x Kessil A500X's + 2 x Reefbrite 50/50 + 2 x Reefbrite XHO's.

With all 3 sets of lights on, with the Kessils running at max intensity and max color (or max white light, no individual violet/red/green adjustment, running ~ 10" above water) I was reading 250-300 PAR (MQ-510 model PAR meter) mid-way through the tank. I was actually surprised it wasn't a lot more....

On an 18" tank, I think running the Kessil at 40% without any supplemental lighting would be just fine. Midway through your tank the PAR would be a bit higher (theoretically) at the 9" (mid-point) in your tank, but lower without supplemental lighting, and much much lower at 40%.

That being said, if the rental is only $50 from BRS to rent the meter, I'd do it just for the piece of mind.

**edit - the PAR #'s above are without any lenses on the Kessils.

 

[chipchipbro]

rent it, its worth it.. i also did that mistake and waited for a year or so..

 

[minus9]

Hey there.

Coincidentally, I just checked PAR levels in my 130g which runs 2 x Kessil A500X's + 2 x Reefbrite 50/50 + 2 x Reefbrite XHO's.

With all 3 sets of lights on, with the Kessils running at max intensity and max color (or max white light, no individual violet/red/green adjustment, running ~ 10" above water) I was reading 250-300 PAR (MQ-510 model PAR meter) mid-way through the tank. I was actually surprised it wasn't a lot more....

On an 18" tank, I think running the Kessil at 40% without any supplemental lighting would be just fine. Midway through your tank the PAR would be a bit higher (theoretically) at the 9" (mid-point) in your tank, but lower without supplemental lighting, and much much lower at 40%.

That being said, if the rental is only $50 from BRS to rent the meter, I'd do it just for the piece of mind.

**edit - the PAR #'s above are without any lenses on the Kessils.

Reduce your color setting to 40-50% and watch the par level increase. I did the same thing, turned up the color and was surprised the level wasn't higher, then I turned down the color % and watched the par increase as I turned down the %. Also, for people just starting to use the violet channel, go slow and increase 5% a week or so until you match your intensity. You can go past your intensity after the animals have acclimated to the current level.

 

[Hurricane Aquatics]

Hey there.

Coincidentally, I just checked PAR levels in my 130g which runs 2 x Kessil A500X's + 2 x Reefbrite 50/50 + 2 x Reefbrite XHO's.

With all 3 sets of lights on, with the Kessils running at max intensity and max color (or max white light, no individual violet/red/green adjustment, running ~ 10" above water) I was reading 250-300 PAR (MQ-510 model PAR meter) mid-way through the tank. I was actually surprised it wasn't a lot more....

On an 18" tank, I think running the Kessil at 40% without any supplemental lighting would be just fine. Midway through your tank the PAR would be a bit higher (theoretically) at the 9" (mid-point) in your tank, but lower without supplemental lighting, and much much lower at 40%.

That being said, if the rental is only $50 from BRS to rent the meter, I'd do it just for the piece of mind.

**edit - the PAR #'s above are without any lenses on the Kessils.

Your PAR levels are because you didn't use a reflector and your tank is much larger than a small cube. The cube will cause the light to refract off the glass and cause higher par.

In your tank, the 130g,Inwould use the 55 degree reflectors and mount them about 12 to 15 inches off the water. If course you would need to add another 500 most likely.

The par you're getting, 250 to 300, is actually about perfect for most everything. If you want to jump that par significantly, adjust your violet channel up and check PAR.

The Violet channel is like the secret TURBO button, lol.

 

[rennjidk]

You can rent a par meter from BRS.

Yeah but they charge a $100 restocking fee +shipping. I just bought one instead.

 

[naterealbig]

Reduce your color setting to 40-50% and watch the par level increase. I did the same thing, turned up the color and was surprised the level wasn't higher, then I turned down the color % and watched the par increase as I turned down the %. Also, for people just starting to use the violet channel, go slow and increase 5% a week or so until you match your intensity. You can go past your intensity after the animals have acclimated to the current level.

Huh. I was under the impression that Kessil logic kept the blues at the same intensity regardless of the color setting. Is this not true?

Interesting - will test your statement tomorrow. I'm assuming Apogee 510 will capture this?

Aldi interesting, over my softie and my sps QT tanks i run my A360X at 100% all channels (including red, green, violet, color, at 100% for about 8 hrs a day, with no objection from the corals).

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[naterealbig]

Your PAR levels are because you didn't use a reflector and your tank is much larger than a small cube. The cube will cause the light to refract off the glass and cause higher par.

In your tank, the 130g,Inwould use the 55 degree reflectors and mount them about 12 to 15 inches off the water. If course you would need to add another 500 most likely.

The par you're getting, 250 to 300, is actually about perfect for most everything. If you want to jump that par significantly, adjust your violet channel up and check PAR.

The Violet channel is like the secret TURBO button, lol.

Thanks, will give this a shot. I'm very happy with the setup - there is incredibly even coverage over the entire tank, and it's as close to halides as i can get (I've always been a halides fanboy), and now that I'm thinking about it, i guess it is about the same PAR i would see with 2 x MH halides + quad T5 setup.. i don't know why i was expecting more.

Will test out with the RGV channels turned up - haven't set up my dongle yet.

 

[minus9]

Huh. I was under the impression that Kessil logic kept the blues at the same intensity regardless of the color setting. Is this not true?

Interesting - will test your statement tomorrow. I'm assuming Apogee 510 will capture this?

Aldi interesting, over my softie and my sps QT tanks i run my A360X at 100% all channels (including red, green, violet, color, at 100% for about 8 hrs a day, with no objection from the corals).

Thanks for the feedback.

It ensures the spectrum is optimal for coral health and growth, but I’m not actually sure what level the blue spectrum keeps as you move the color % higher. It probably keeps enough blue while it raises the warmer side of the spectrum? I just noticed when I reduced the color that the par level increased as I lowered it from 100%.

 

[naterealbig]

It ensures the spectrum is optimal for coral health and growth, but I’m not actually sure what level the blue spectrum keeps as you move the color % higher. It probably keeps enough blue while it raises the warmer side of the spectrum? I just noticed when I reduced the color that the par level increased as I lowered it from 100%.

Thanks - will try this and report back!

 

[rennjidk]

Ok, so the A500x came in today, and surprisingly, so did the apogee par meter I ordered after posting this thread.

In an 18" cube for sps level lighting, you need to use the included reflector. With just the bare light, at 100% power and mounted 9" off the water per BRS, It made 212 par. Its an extremely even blanket, not the usual kessil shimmer. And I really do mean even. Pretty much any spot I could find to test was right at 200, regardless of depth.

The light spill was horrendous and I would not advise viewing without protective eyewear.

With the reflector, I now see why they call this light a par monster. The light made 600+ par across all of my rockwork. I cranked it back to 48% and that gave me around 225. Being such a narrow beam, the corners read 110-138, both top and bottom.

Adjusting the spectrum either way resulted in +/- 30 par. Not really much of a difference, so just pick a color you like.

I'm going to play with the mounting height later and see if I can't even it out without blinding myself.

Anyways I hope this helps someone in the future.

 

[rennjidk]

I raised the light to 11" with the reflector. I'm still getting massive light bleed. I'm going to try again tomorrow without the reflector in a lower position, maybe 6 inches and report back. Once I get everything set correctly, I'll post a full par map for future reference.

 

[samb5590]

Any update to this? Running an a500x on a 60g cube (24x24x24) and I’m doing what I can to not buy/rent a par meter lol…

 

[Hurricane Aquatics]

Any update to this? Running an a500x on a 60g cube (24x24x24) and I’m doing what I can to not buy/rent a par meter lol…

What is your coral list and what do you want to keep?
How low are the corals in the tank from the top of the water?
How high is your A500X mounted above the water and are you using a reflector?