Dennis Cartier
Valuable Member
I am running a single AP700 over an 80 G tank right now. The tank is mostly frags and mid size colonies. This tank started with a single AP700 and then I added an Aquatic Life Hybrid T5 with B+ and C+ bulbs. I was having shadowing issues with the single AP700 on the SPS in the tank with the single AP700. After adding the T5's, growth took off. So the AP700 on its own can certainly grow SPS, but it truly shines when combined with T5.
I had some crashes during vacations earlier this year, so the tank is back to a single AP700 and only a few SPS. I am still getting growth under the AP700 only, but it is much slower. I think I have my light running at 30% right now (the tank is only 16" deep). What I have noticed with the AP700 is that it is very easy to bleach corals with them. They are very powerful lights. People, including myself, turn them up thinking they are dim, but bleach corals in the process. I am guessing they have substantial PAR low in the blue range and that is why they appear dimmer to us, but can burn corals if increased too fast.
I have started increasing the my AP700 1% at a time, waiting a few weeks between changes, to see if I can get growth like I did with the T5's. Truth be told, it would be way more easy just to turn the T5's back on gradually and get them back to the 4 hrs per day that I had them running before the crashes.
I am with everybody else on my opinion of the AP700. It was a promising light that Kessil fumbled and continues to ignore. Terrible customer support for people who invested in their product (I have 5 other new in box AP700's!). Frankly I will never buy another Kessil product other than their H series of fuge lights (which I use).
Dennis
I had some crashes during vacations earlier this year, so the tank is back to a single AP700 and only a few SPS. I am still getting growth under the AP700 only, but it is much slower. I think I have my light running at 30% right now (the tank is only 16" deep). What I have noticed with the AP700 is that it is very easy to bleach corals with them. They are very powerful lights. People, including myself, turn them up thinking they are dim, but bleach corals in the process. I am guessing they have substantial PAR low in the blue range and that is why they appear dimmer to us, but can burn corals if increased too fast.
I have started increasing the my AP700 1% at a time, waiting a few weeks between changes, to see if I can get growth like I did with the T5's. Truth be told, it would be way more easy just to turn the T5's back on gradually and get them back to the 4 hrs per day that I had them running before the crashes.
I am with everybody else on my opinion of the AP700. It was a promising light that Kessil fumbled and continues to ignore. Terrible customer support for people who invested in their product (I have 5 other new in box AP700's!). Frankly I will never buy another Kessil product other than their H series of fuge lights (which I use).
Dennis
