Kessil a150w LED Height Position?

[KonaBear]

Hi guys, I'm using my Kessil on my 30 gallon 19 L X 19 W X 14 H reef tank and am curious about the placement:

How high up you place your Kessil a150 from the surface of the water?

Also, what is the height of your tanks, and what types of corals are you keeping and how far below the Kessil?

Thanks!

[behill01]

Konabear,

I don't have a Kessil, but I am a long-time reefer. I ran across your post and since it didn't have replies, I thought i'd chime in. I too am considering some of the same questions for my 210 with 36 inch depths. Here is what you need to ask yourself...

1. What type of corals do you have. Based on the list, it appears to me that you have lps, and softies mostly, so I'd say you'd be safe to go pretty high from the surface.

2. How many lights do you have for your tank? You will want to make sure you maximize the light radius of the light to cover your tank well. For a smaller tank, like yours, if you have two fixtures, that will allow you to place it lower, which will allow better SPS support if needed.

3. What are the environmental concerns? For example are these going in a canopy? Is it in it's own room where 'spilled' light doesn't matter too much?

4. Should you start high and go lower over time? I assume that the LEDs will burn corals just like MHs. So, you will likely need to grow the photoperiod or drop the position over time, or both.

Ultimately, I would advise, to position where everything 'seems good' to you, then watch the coral extension and polyp extension closely. If you see good extension, you are probably in the ballpark. Every setup is a little different, so this will be a learning experience for anyone doing this for your setup and animals. Be willing to make changes weekly for a while as needed, and if you're lucky, all will be perfect from the get-go.

Best of luck to you and I hope this helped a little.

Ben

[KonaBear]

Thank you Ben, this is brilliant stuff to consider.

I am using the gooseneck mount so I can't seem to get it higher than about 6-7 inches. Which is where I have it now. Extension seems to be much better than when it was lower and my mushrooms are opening a bit more. I just placed a monti frag midway down my tank and I am hoping this doesn't bleach it, if so I will have to place future ones much lower or under shade. You are definitely correct about height depending on what organisms are being kept under it. With my higher light demanding corals/inverts my main concern is keeping the light intense enough...of course the opposite holds true for less light demanding corals...ive never been so wary of the effect of light intensity on the things I want to keep as before.

Cheers!

[KonaBear]

P.S.
your post has now officially become a sticky in my mind...such important things to consider. thanks again for the chime in

Here's a quick pick of the general set up...camera failed at capturing the light/color correctly, but it'll do.