Kessil A80 Supplement

[Animal20]

Hello everyone! I have an IM Nuvo 75 INT that has an Neptune Sky over it right now and that's providing more than enough illumination. I currently only run it at 60% at its peak and everything is growing well. Having said that I really like the shimmer of natural sunlight shining through water and know that Kessil is renowned for their ability to replicate this effect. I see A80s in the marketplace fairly regularly and am curious if two of those would generate the shimmer I'm looking for or if they're just too small for my application. For reference my tank dimensions are 35.4"x23.6"x19.7" (WxDxH). Thanks in advance for all of your input!

 

[MarineandReef Jaron]

I have used A 80s to light fish-only tanks in the past and they have been able to add a good shimmer over a fairly large area.

The only thing I would question is if they would put out enough light to overwhelm the blanket lighting of the SKY. I would likely program the lights so that the A80s would turn on before the Sky and Turn off After and the A80s would increase to their peak intensity relatively quickly. This way even if during the peak of your light cycle the Sky drowns out the A80s you will still get good shimmer in the morning and evening.

Another option that may make the shimmer more pronounced would be to have the Sky relatively Blue and the A80s towards the whiter side. This would replicate the old 14k Halides with actinic t5 combos we used years ago. The contrast in color should make the glitter lines more pronounced.

 

[Animal20]

I have used A 80s to light fish-only tanks in the past and they have been able to add a good shimmer over a fairly large area.

The only thing I would question is if they would put out enough light to overwhelm the blanket lighting of the SKY. I would likely program the lights so that the A80s would turn on before the Sky and Turn off After and the A80s would increase to their peak intensity relatively quickly. This way even if during the peak of your light cycle the Sky drowns out the A80s you will still get good shimmer in the morning and evening.

Another option that may make the shimmer more pronounced would be to have the Sky relatively Blue and the A80s towards the whiter side. This would replicate the old 14k Halides with actinic t5 combos we used years ago. The contrast in color should make the glitter lines more pronounced.

This is incredibly useful! Thank you for the feedback

 

[ingchr1]

Did you end up adding any A80's? If so, what were the results?

I like the shimmer of Kessil and was thinking about doing something similar. Using an A80 or two with a couple of LED bars though.

 

[Animal20]

I haven’t yet. I actually noticed as I ramped up my Sky that it’s generating a small amount of shimmer. If I do end up adding the A80s I’ll update this thread.

 

[Spare time]

I wonder if you can just add some cob light for shimmer.