Kessil Lighting

Tyler Sim · Oct 1, 2018

Hello fellow reefers, I am just wondering how many of us that uses Kessil lighting find Kessil's lighting? Can Kessil produce sufficient light for an SPS reef at a lower cost as compared to other lighting brands like Ecotech Marine or Aqua Illumination?

Crabs McJones · Oct 1, 2018

I absolutely love kessil lighting. And there is no question in my.mind that they can effectively grow an sps tank

Tyler Sim · Oct 1, 2018

Could I see how your tank is set up?

How is the PAR output and what SPS are we looking at?

Tyler Sim · Oct 1, 2018

Crabs Mcjones said:
I absolutely love kessil lighting. And there is no question in my.mind that they can effectively grow an sps tank

Could I see how your tank is set up?

How is the PAR output and what SPS are we looking at?

Crabs McJones · Oct 1, 2018

Tyler Sim said:
Could I see how your tank is set up? How is the PAR output and what SPS are we looking at?

I've had a couple different kessil setups. Here are my two A360s

And this was my ap700

I have alot of encrusting montipora, and a small handful of acropora/millipora
Setup correctly you can get great par coverage with these lights. I cant give you exact numbers as every setup is different. But with mine I was hitting 300 par where I needed it at around 60-80% power

ReefInskeep · Oct 1, 2018

I think at this point it’s been clearly established that Kessils are excellent reef lights and more than capable of growing high demand SPS when used appropriately. BRS did some excellent testing & videos that go over PAR, coverage, spectral blend how to space them, and all that. Then you can compare those results with AI or Radions.

The soon to be released A360X will be even better than the A360 series. I think it looks like it’ll be an awesome light.

If I had to choose between AI, Radions, or Kessils, I’d go with Kessils or diffused Radions depending on the situation. Kessils seem to retain their resale value very well, too, which is nice. The tech is solid & an A350 from years ago is still a solid light.

ReefInskeep · Oct 1, 2018

What size tank are you thinking? The Orphek Atlantic is excellent & covers a large area with a wide, well blended spectrum and excellent PAR coverage. Larger cost for a single fixture & the gateway, but it covers a much larger area & is comparable (or cheaper) in cost to most pendant or puck style lights when considering how many you’d need to cover the same tank space.

Tyler Sim · Oct 2, 2018

Crabs Mcjones said:
I've had a couple different kessil setups. Here are my two A360s

And this was my ap700

I have alot of encrusting montipora, and a small handful of acropora/millipora
Setup correctly you can get great par coverage with these lights. I cant give you exact numbers as every setup is different. But with mine I was hitting 300 par where I needed it at around 60-80% power

I see, so the aim is 300 par around the tank? What about surface par?

ReefInskeep · Oct 2, 2018

Surface par by itself is misleading sometimes. Doesn’t account for how the light spreads as depth changes. I’d go off of the detailed work BRS has done and base it off that.

Even demanding SPS can thrive in 200-300 PAR, as evidenced by WWC’s tanks (recently measured & documented) and others. I’d shoot no higher than 300 overall, spread evenly if you plan a SPS dominant tank. Lower demand corals often need much less, LPS in the 50-150 PAR range.

Dragon52 · Oct 2, 2018

Crabs Mcjones said:
I've had a couple different kessil setups. Here are my two A360s

And this was my ap700

I have alot of encrusting montipora, and a small handful of acropora/millipora
Setup correctly you can get great par coverage with these lights. I cant give you exact numbers as every setup is different. But with mine I was hitting 300 par where I needed it at around 60-80% power

@Crabs Mcjones
What settings do you have your 360's at? I just switched from Orbit Marines to A360WEs today.

Crabs McJones · Oct 2, 2018

Dragon52 said:
@Crabs Mcjones
What settings do you have your 360's at? I just switched from Orbit Marines to A360WEs today.

What size tank? I'm not running 360s at the moment. When I did have them they were 6.5 inches off the waters surface and ramped up to around 70% intensity 50% color

Dragon52 · Oct 2, 2018

Crabs Mcjones said:
What size tank? I'm not running 360s at the moment. When I did have them they were 6.5 inches off the waters surface and ramped up to around 70% intensity 50% color

185gl 60x24x30, I have 3 which is what Kessil said would work(asked twice to be sure about the depth) but am thinking about getting 1 more if I can find it for the right price.
8 3/4" from water. Will need to get them lower I think.

Crabs McJones · Oct 2, 2018

Dragon52 said:
185gl 60x24x30, I have 3 which is what Kessil said would work(asked twice to be sure about the depth) but am thinking about getting 1 more if I can find it for the right price.
8 3/4" from water. Will need to get them lower I think.

To avoid shadowing issues I would definitely add a fourth and lower them to around 6.5 - 7 inches to penetrate that 30 inch depth