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Kessil size for my IM 20?

Arvind

Arvind

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Hi all

I have my IM 20 long tank with a Kessil 160WE on it. I am not too happy with the spread of light. I get dark edges- not completely but definitely darker. I put most of my LPS in the middle to catch most of the light.
I also have black sand, and the tank has the smoked glass. So its a bit darker than I like.
I run the Kessil at max about 7 hours and no more than 50%, I dont want a major algae attack

Would running a Kessil 360WE solve my problem? 2 Kessil 160we?
Im open to both options.

Any feedback would be great!

Aloha
Arvind
 
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I think the white plastic has tons to do with the issue by the image, you might need to replace it with bird netting which is very thin and will allow more light. Not sure if there's a wide lens for that Kessil, I know there is for the 360N
 
I have the 360N on the biocube. Its perfect for it. Not much leaking on that and its strong enough for my nems.
The IM 20 even without the egg crate cover I made still has the dark spots on the sides. My local Osh can build me a proper screen for the top... on my to do list!
I was thinking either one 360 WE, or 2 160We for the 20 gallon tank.
 
Try switching Kessil from BC to the other tank; now as a personal opinion and by the image, lots of light is lost to the white plastic. I'd ask to borrow a Kessil 360we since the one you have is the narrow.
 
great idea! I actually had the 360 N on the 20 and I did not notice any difference If anything it was a little worse with the spot affect.
Im thinking 2 160s might solve the problem.
 
A kessil 360 says it has a max spread of 36", but I've found that on my tank 18" is more reasonable for a fairly even coverage. 24" gets slightly lean at the edges. The A160 says it has a max coverage of 24", but based on my experience with it it fully lights only about 12" which is in keeping with the ratio on the 360. Your IM is 24" wide so either solutions should work for you. The advantage to two 160's is you would get a higher PAR overlap area in the middle, but the look won't be as clean on a small tank.

You do have some other issues contributing the problem though. First, the IM has a black acrylic back. BRS did a great "test" comparing black backs to a glass rear panel and the drop of in par nesr the back of the tank was significant. Glass reflects light back into the tank, but the black acrylic doesn't. Now that should't turn you off to a black acrylic back (I own three Innovative marines) it's just something to keep in mind when considering lighting. The other thing that is probably more significant is your black sand. It's a neat look, but it means that it's absorbing light and not reflecting any back and since it takes up the entire bottom it's going to make things look darker.
 
Thanks Bruce that was incredibly helpful to know. SO many little details like this can make a big difference! I might just go with another 160WE
I did see another reefer who had the black sand and fell in love with it. I think ill just have to make do with it until I get another tank set up.
 
I would rise you light up higher and increase the intensity. Do this for 3-4 weeks and see if it makes any difference. If not I had a 360 over a 37gal and this provided plenty of light. It appears that you only have to cover about 18in. The increase in the intensity of the light will have little effect on producing algae. Nutrients and exporting them is far more important.
 
Thanks F6553066
So now im thinking a 360 again. I suppose Ill keep looking out for a good deal. If i can score either for a good price might be my determining factor though I think that 2 160's will def light up the entire tank.
 
You need at least 2 160s. I would do 3 if doing full SPS. Mixed reef softy will be fine on 2. Should be plenty of light.

I was running 2 on an IM16.


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Arvind said:
I have the 360N on the biocube. Its perfect for it. Not much leaking on that and its strong enough for my nems.
The IM 20 even without the egg crate cover I made still has the dark spots on the sides. My local Osh can build me a proper screen for the top... on my to do list!
I was thinking either one 360 WE, or 2 160We for the 20 gallon tank.
Click to expand...

Does Osh offer plastic mesh screen? I thought they only offered the standard fiberglass screen like for windows. That will likely disintegrate over your reef tank.
 
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