What can I grow with 2 Kessil A80 Tuna Blues?

[Chortanator]

I have a Red Sea Reefer 250 (55 gallons) with 2 Kessil A80 Tuna Blues. I currently only have zoas and kenya trees right now, but I'd like to know if the lights are strong enough to grow SPS and/or LPS as well (assuming water parameters are correct). I currently have blues set to 100% and whites are at about 50% for 8 hours with a one hour ramp up and one hour ramp down.

I don't have access to a PAR meter at the moment.

 

[Colt13]

No sps, maybe very low light lps high in the tank. Those lights are very weak

 

[Chortanator]

No sps, maybe very low light lps high in the tank. Those lights are very weak

What LPS would you consider to be low light? I don't know much about anything other than softies

 

[nereefpat]

What LPS would you consider to be low light?

Acans (now Micromussa lordhowensis)
Cyphastrea

 

[minus9]

These lights were designed for nano tanks, not larger tanks. Maybe consider stepping up to the larger fixtures or adding some LED bars and use these for shimmer? A pair of 80’s would be fine on a 20g, but that’s it.

 

[Chortanator]

These lights were designed for nano tanks, not larger tanks. Maybe consider stepping up to the larger fixtures or adding some LED bars and use these for shimmer? A pair of 80’s would be fine on a 20g, but that’s it.

I wasn't aware of that, when I purchased the tank second-hand 2 years ago it came with one A80, but it didn't cover the whole tank so I just bought a second one recently. Is there a light you'd recommend that I could get to compliment these that I won't have to install into the ceiling? I liked the gooseneck addon which was the reason I stayed with these particular lights

 

[polyppal]

Mushrooms, zoas, acans, favias, blastos, cyphastrea

 

[minus9]

I wasn't aware of that, when I purchased the tank second-hand 2 years ago it came with one A80, but it didn't cover the whole tank so I just bought a second one recently. Is there a light you'd recommend that I could get to compliment these that I won't have to install into the ceiling? I liked the gooseneck addon which was the reason I stayed with these particular lights

They’re roughly 15w each, so their effectiveness can only go so far. I love Kessil’s and they’re great lights, but you need to match the right fixture to the size of tank and the animals you want to keep. At minimum, you can use two 160’s and keep quite a lot, but if you want to move into sps, then you’re going to need the 360x’s for the long haul. And if you want to lean into more sps down the road, you’ll need another 360x. Just look at my build thread and you’ll see how to use Kessil’s as the main light source for sps.

 

[MaD_ReefeR]

I purchased a 20g peninsula used locally that also came with a A80 tuna sun, immediately sold it for almost half what I paid for the tank. nice little light, just not the right tool for that tank.

They’re roughly 15w each, so their effectiveness can only go so far. I love Kessil’s and they’re great lights, but you need to match the right fixture to the size of tank and the animals you want to keep. At minimum, you can use two 160’s and keep quite a lot, but if you want to move into sps, then you’re going to need the 360x’s for the long haul. And if you want to lean into more sps down the road, you’ll need another 360x. Just look at my build thread and you’ll see how to use Kessil’s as the main light source for sps.

Do you think a single 360x is enough for a tank thats 30x24x16? Have seen a video where someone mounted a single unit above a tank about the same size but thinking the ap9x would be more suitable.

 

[minus9]

I purchased a 20g peninsula used locally that also came with a A80 tuna sun, immediately sold it for almost half what I paid for the tank. nice little light, just not the right tool for that tank.


Do you think a single 360x is enough for a tank thats 30x24x16? Have seen a video where someone mounted a single unit above a tank about the same size but thinking the ap9x would be more suitable.

Depends on what you're keeping? Also, if you have a canopy (or want a floating canopy). I think a single 360x with some LED bars would cover a lot of ground (tank). If you're budget minded, then you could pair with some AliE bars, but if you want quality spectrum and spread, then I would pair with a couple Quanta Pro meso blue bars (or the regular Quanta's depending on what corals you're keeping?). I absolutely love Kessil's, as they provide that contrast (shimmer/shading) that I love, but there's a cost with such lights, so adding in some fill light really creates (and covers) a tank nicely. With LED's, I think combining the different style types (point source/panel) is the best way to light a tank for that nice "natural" look.