Kessil users come!

[Mattyice008]

Hey guys, so I've been a long time user of the "cheap chinese LEDs", and I love them, they do a great job. But at my store we've been experimenting with some kessils, and I love what they're doing with the corals. But none of them are on wider tanks, mostly on small cubes. I have a nuvo 16 at home, its 24in long, 12in wide, 12tall. I'm trying to figure out if they will be able to cover that 24in span. I hear from a lot of people that they do good in 24x24 sections. So I want to ask people with experience, before I dish out the money. Also, we don't currently have any of the new controllers, and that brings me to another question. Can the light be left on with more blue than white, and still give the corals the amount of light they need? Or do they have to be on more of a whiter spectrum to supply. I'm just asking because I like a little more blue..but not sure if the corals can survive on it.

 

[Jimbo662]

I've got two of the A360EWs on my 75g (4ft) tank and I get great coverage. They're about 9" off the water. I've got my color set at 50% with intensity at 63% and everything is loving them. My rainbow BTA bubbled up about two weeks ago after being in the tank since May.

 

[spacetime]

As far as I understand the color is just preference and the led array is designed to provide the proper spectrum at all colors.

I am curious as to what % to run and have been slowly increasing the intensity on my tank from 50% on a 60 cube

I had the lamp over a 24x12x12 and it left a lot of shadowing. I would go with two if the small models on that tank but acclimation could be an issue

 

[ASAP-Aquarium]

For that size tank I would start with one of the A360We lights and add a Kessil Spectral Controller for $100.

 

[jolt]

I have Kessil A360We on a 32 gallon cube. Using a PAR meter I think it under-valued the light output as it suggested I would have to run 90% intensity at 50% color to get 450 PAR 6 inches below the water with the light at 6" above. In reality, I bleached some monti frags sitting at 6" below the water with Kessil intensity at 60% and color at 50%. Currently I am running at 50% intensity and slow ramping to see how far I can take it with acros in the top 1/3 of the tank.

 

[Frankey]

Not only do I love my Kessil, but my reef tank does as well. I have one with the Spectral controller that provides enough light for my tank. I like the simplicity of the design. A nice clear shimmer without the rainbow disco effect. I have had my A360 W for 4 months. I am running a 12 hour light cycle. The highest I get the intensity up to is 75%.
I would like to see what others are running for programs.

 

[Mattyice008]

Thanks for the tips guys, I'm in the process of getting an A360We and controller in the next couple weeks

 

[Jimbo662]

My BTA bubbled about 2-3 weeks after I'd increased the intensity to 63% so i'm thinking that may be optimum for me. SPS are growing, monti's are spreading and acans / blasto's are adding heads.

 

[capindc]

Hello Do you think 4 Kessils is enough. I have a 72X24X30.

 

[Jimbo662]

Depending on the height you hang them they cover about 24" each. 3 should suffice, 4 would definitely do the job.

 

[capindc]

I was thinking 8" 10" off the water

 

[Jimbo662]

I think 3 would work. mine are about 9" off water with 2 of them on a 4ft tank and I get plenty of light to the bottom edges...and 3 would probably work better if you have two braces on the tank.

 

[capindc]

Jim there is a big difference between 21 inches tall and 30 inches tall

 

[Jimbo662]

For taller tanks you may need to raise them a little and increase the intensity a little...all going to depend on what types of corals you have.

 

[El Gallo Negro]

I have a 72x24x30 with four kessils and it is more than enough power and coverage. Very happy with them.

 

[kidtango]

I am running 2 A360W on mine with 8 bulb ATI t5. The kessils alone do not provide enough light for anything in my tank. It's very dim looking with out the t5s on for sure. My tank is 60L35W21H. I'll run a 3rd one to give it a more even spread across the tank.

I love the shimmer and color of the lights, but I think each unit can provide up to 20X16 area. I guess I am spoiled by T5s. T5s are so bright in compare to any LEDs out there right now. The combo of T5s + Kessils are amazing. I am much more happy wiht this setup than all LEDs or all T5s. No heat issue and all the perks of T5s and LEDs.