Kessil is a real light tech company. They specialize in LED light research and product design in many fields. The aquarium products they sell are like a "side gig" for them. Versus Ecotech Marine, which is actually just a aquarium hobbyist company. Ecotech still make quality products, but they clearly lack the research and development behind Kessil.
Everyone saying the Kessils are better… Might not be exactly correct! I’d bet that the Hyperreefs have less UV, and thus cause less color, but more growth. Let me explain… When you go outside, your skin gets red because the UV is damaging it. Then the skin tans, to protect itself for the next time. Same things with corals… but with pretty colors, not just a tan. The extra color is a defense mechanism against sunburn, basically. I’d wager that the coral increasing its pigment is sufficient to protect it from the excess UV… but that now becomes a little waste of PAR, blocked by the coral itself. The Hyperreefs are clearly keeping the zooxanthellae happy, which is why the coral had more growth under them. Me, personally… I would prefer the duller colored corals. I gave up the black light posters back in my mid-20’s. The duller corals still fluoresced and they got much better growth. Call me old school, but I still lean towards the natural reef look… with a bit of pizazz. So black light posters in my tank isn’t what I prefer. Neither is a glass bottom… but to each their own.
thanks for this video, I'm happy to see some evidence of Kessil superiority other than the beautiful shimmer. I also love that you showed both frags under the same light, to highlight that the coloration is not just visual due to the light itself, but in fact the color development/growth was superior under the kessil. It seems that the conclusion is that a combination of kessil spotlights for color development and matrix LED or T5 for coverage and growth is the best of both worlds!
Ditch the T5, ditch the Reef Brite, and add Quanta Pro Meso Blue and dial back the Radions. By doing that you will have filled in the spectrum that the Radions lack and your corals will appreciate the improved intensity of that spectrum. Do the same for the Nicrew lit tank. Spread will be significantly better than the point source Kessil and at $653 for the Nicrew/Quanta combo, you will have saved $215 over a single AP9X. Also, at that 9X mounting height, you’re spending a lot of money lighting the wall and having to run it hotter. Oh…and the four year Amazon warranty on the Nicrews is included in that $215 savings price. Kessil gives you one year non-transferable.
I am a fan of the AP 700 I have two on my 6’ 100 gallon. I have them mounted in an ATI t-5 hybrid and they are amazing. I am not sure the dimensions on the AP9X but I know the 700’s fit perfectly
I mean, the industry is saying Radions but the coloration is saying Kessils for color, that was a night and day difference! I am looking forward to more folks doing Kessils compared to Radions.
Thank you for doing this test super interesting! Crazy the difference in color with kessil I just got a 150w nicrew light but I guess it’s going back to Amazon and getting a used ap700 kessil light
Great video. Scientific experiments deserve more than 1 trial. Do us budget warriors a solid and do the same experiment with a different coral. Maybe a zoa or something. Putting the nicrew frag in the kessil tank to see if it would color up the same seems to be a no brainer as well.
Hey question for you. I’m setting up a 90g reef. I bought two Nicrew 150w. I was wondering if adding a Reef brite XHO 36” would benefit the coloring? Just interested in your opinion.
I have to admit that ive had each of the leds you are using and i still went back to kessil because of the look and color i can get with my kessils!! I say go for it 😮
Radions in my opinion are NOT the "best". They are very good but as your video shows and as others have stated, Kessil is a real light company. They make arguably the best IMO. That being said, I'd like to see some more tanks running Orphek. I think they have a good thing going if they can sort out their customer service as many have complained about.
I’m looking for an inexpensive led light to hold me until I can put some money away to buy a hybrid lighting. I keep hearing about the nicrew would it be fine for sps. Thanks
850$+ for the kessil. 200$ for the nicrew. Just something to remember here in the comparison. I opted for the 150's but I have other hobbies that need attention and funding as well lol. What else is strange, from a distance, that tank on the left running the Nicrew's has WAY more color!
I'll take the nicrews. I'm sorry I can't justify an almost 4x price tag difference. I tend to splurge money where I can see the quality and feel like it's worth it. When you have a company that is pretty close, even actually beating you in the growth department but doing it at a at a quarter of your price tag. It almost feels like price gouging with that much of a price tag disparity. 2x at 400 ok I could understand better quality parts and some R&D but come the F**king on 4x?!?
Switch the 2 corals to the opposite tanks see if it fades, and if the other one comes to life, that will be the true test if it does not change, then guess what it's the frag itself, not the light delete. Because afraid came from the same mother does not mean it will act the same. I'm a grower in marijuana and that's the same thing with my plants. I can clone from the same plant. But they will be a little different even under the same lighrt
If you would like to support the channel head over to fishofhex.com
Buy 3 get 1 free on all 3d printed items
Kessil is a real light tech company. They specialize in LED light research and product design in many fields. The aquarium products they sell are like a "side gig" for them. Versus Ecotech Marine, which is actually just a aquarium hobbyist company. Ecotech still make quality products, but they clearly lack the research and development behind Kessil.
Swap the frags and see if the nicrew frag colors up the same way. I'd be interested in how long it would take.
If it works the way you think it would it might be good to use nicrew for growth and kessil for color enhancement
The kessil is more wattage as well. So just by power usage it should be better
Everyone saying the Kessils are better… Might not be exactly correct!
I’d bet that the Hyperreefs have less UV, and thus cause less color, but more growth. Let me explain…
When you go outside, your skin gets red because the UV is damaging it. Then the skin tans, to protect itself for the next time.
Same things with corals… but with pretty colors, not just a tan. The extra color is a defense mechanism against sunburn, basically.
I’d wager that the coral increasing its pigment is sufficient to protect it from the excess UV… but that now becomes a little waste of PAR, blocked by the coral itself.
The Hyperreefs are clearly keeping the zooxanthellae happy, which is why the coral had more growth under them.
Me, personally… I would prefer the duller colored corals. I gave up the black light posters back in my mid-20’s. The duller corals still fluoresced and they got much better growth. Call me old school, but I still lean towards the natural reef look… with a bit of pizazz.
So black light posters in my tank isn’t what I prefer. Neither is a glass bottom… but to each their own.
thanks for this video, I'm happy to see some evidence of Kessil superiority other than the beautiful shimmer. I also love that you showed both frags under the same light, to highlight that the coloration is not just visual due to the light itself, but in fact the color development/growth was superior under the kessil. It seems that the conclusion is that a combination of kessil spotlights for color development and matrix LED or T5 for coverage and growth is the best of both worlds!
Ditch the T5, ditch the Reef Brite, and add Quanta Pro Meso Blue and dial back the Radions. By doing that you will have filled in the spectrum that the Radions lack and your corals will appreciate the improved intensity of that spectrum. Do the same for the Nicrew lit tank. Spread will be significantly better than the point source Kessil and at $653 for the Nicrew/Quanta combo, you will have saved $215 over a single AP9X. Also, at that 9X mounting height, you’re spending a lot of money lighting the wall and having to run it hotter. Oh…and the four year Amazon warranty on the Nicrews is included in that $215 savings price. Kessil gives you one year non-transferable.
Never heard of quanta pros until now. Thanks for the heads up. Possibility of grabbing a couple
One thing to remember is the price points of the lights. The kessil ap700 is x3 more than the nicrew hyperReef 150.
more like 4.5 times
Thanks for showing us! That's quite a big difference. You definitely need to do more experiments.
Wow. Awesome 6 months comparison. Interesting results 🙂
pretty cool video its nice to see an actual comparison like this.
Honestly I think the Kessil is the best LED out there right now. Reliable and has the best looking shimmer and color blending. My corals love it.
I get that the green pops more under the Kessils, but I see purple from the Nicrews that isn’t in the Kessil 🤷♂️
Has more of a purple look, can that be adjusted to look more blue?
I am a fan of the AP 700 I have two on my 6’ 100 gallon. I have them mounted in an ATI t-5 hybrid and they are amazing. I am not sure the dimensions on the AP9X but I know the 700’s fit perfectly
I mean, the industry is saying Radions but the coloration is saying Kessils for color, that was a night and day difference! I am looking forward to more folks doing Kessils compared to Radions.
Thank you for doing this test super interesting! Crazy the difference in color with kessil I just got a 150w nicrew light but I guess it’s going back to Amazon and getting a used ap700 kessil light
Great video. Scientific experiments deserve more than 1 trial. Do us budget warriors a solid and do the same experiment with a different coral. Maybe a zoa or something. Putting the nicrew frag in the kessil tank to see if it would color up the same seems to be a no brainer as well.
Hey question for you. I’m setting up a 90g reef. I bought two Nicrew 150w. I was wondering if adding a Reef brite XHO 36” would benefit the coloring? Just interested in your opinion.
I run 3 Kessil A500's and 4 reefbrite xho's, zero complaints. I need the shimmer also, make it look more like a reef then a display. IMO
The gen 4’s have a lot of hours on them. How does the Kessil age compare to them.
I have an ap 700 on my 70 gallon love the look considering the orphek lights on my new build or maybe the apx9 not sure yet.
I have to admit that ive had each of the leds you are using and i still went back to kessil because of the look and color i can get with my kessils!! I say go for it 😮
Nobody gonna mention were putting 150 watts up against 185 watts? The higher watts better look nicer, its using more juice
Radions in my opinion are NOT the "best". They are very good but as your video shows and as others have stated, Kessil is a real light company. They make arguably the best IMO. That being said, I'd like to see some more tanks running Orphek. I think they have a good thing going if they can sort out their customer service as many have complained about.
I’m looking for an inexpensive led light to hold me until I can put some money away to buy a hybrid lighting. I keep hearing about the nicrew would it be fine for sps. Thanks
Yes you will be fine with nicrew
does the nicrew controller work with the kessil?
I have not tried it yet but have been told yes
Been a huge ecotech fan boy still use a G6 blue. I have an AP700 and nothing beats it colors and viewability . X9 would be my choice for a tank.
850$+ for the kessil. 200$ for the nicrew. Just something to remember here in the comparison. I opted for the 150's but I have other hobbies that need attention and funding as well lol. What else is strange, from a distance, that tank on the left running the Nicrew's has WAY more color!
I miss my Kessill AP9X. Switched to AI Blades and it was probably a mistake. Good luck
Kessil is another planet , for me the best light for marine aquarium.
I just got two AP9x’s
I would be curious to know the growth rate comparing Nicrew vs the XR15
You should definitely switch out for the Kessils, I'm a shimmer lover and I can live without that motion over my corals🎉
Change the whole thing over to the Kessils!
Kessil are the best but also the most expensive, if they were cheap everyone would run Kessil’s imho
190$ light vs >1000$ Im taking the 190$ one every day
kessil problem is their damn high price.
nice vid, but kinda a no brainer, a light that is 5 times more expensive then the nicrew, is going to be a better light for color
Explain why the radions have the same coral colors as the nicrew please.
The kessil is also like 700 bucks
Kessils , go for it
I'll take the nicrews. I'm sorry I can't justify an almost 4x price tag difference. I tend to splurge money where I can see the quality and feel like it's worth it. When you have a company that is pretty close, even actually beating you in the growth department but doing it at a at a quarter of your price tag. It almost feels like price gouging with that much of a price tag disparity. 2x at 400 ok I could understand better quality parts and some R&D but come the F**king on 4x?!?
I like the bluer look of the kessil. Never liked the purple look
Expensive name brand lights are a pure scam.
I only run kessil in my system that’s a 30” deep tank you would do better with the A500 in that tank. The ap 9x are made for shallow tanks.
Try some supplemental first orphek bars
Switch the 2 corals to the opposite tanks see if it fades, and if the other one comes to life, that will be the true test if it does not change, then guess what it's the frag itself, not the light delete. Because afraid came from the same mother does not mean it will act the same. I'm a grower in marijuana and that's the same thing with my plants. I can clone from the same plant. But they will be a little different even under the same lighrt